iPod Podcast Cloud

What is now called a podcast traces its orgins to the first ipod podcasts, the creation of distributed mp3 files that could be downloaded and played on Apple’s music player, the iPod. When the iPod came out, and users discovered what a wonderful thing it was for holding music, some people had the idea of loading things that weren’t necessarily songs. Some of the people that got their hands on the iPod took the route of reverse engineering the iPod and loading on different firmware, or operating system, but others had the idea of sharing small sound files that could be played on the iPod. The technology for distributing the files already existed, with RSS feeds. RSS feeds were a means of generating machine readable files that could share information between a server and a user. Many blogs already used them to keep readers up to date with the latest posts, but some hopeful podcasters had the idea of enclosing links to sound files within the RSS feed and downloading the file to the computer.

Podcast stats

I am so happy to see more and more of internet marketers and just entrepreneurs take an interest in podcasting! I have always been big believer of online videos (I have great experience in video promotion on Youtube and similar video sharing services), and using digital content to reach the eyes, hearts, and minds of customers and prospects.

Just to put forward some examples, think about Danny Sullivan, Cindy, Brooke & Todd from eMarketing Talk Show, RSS Ray who have used podcast as a great tool to reach the target market.

Here are some more reasons to start podcasting:

• Reason 1: People want content in different formats. Thus, if you can offer your post as a podcast (audio or video), people may download it and listen to it on the move or while doing something else.
• Reason 2: The number of podcast listeners has grown substantially in 2008 (18%) compared to that of 2007 (13%) or 2006 (11%). To add to this, 3 out of 10 regular internet users downloaded a podcast in 2008. The report was published by Edison Media research.
• Reason 3: The podcast listeners are active social networkers. Thus, this is an opportunity to go viral with your business or issue in respective social networks (facebook, etc). To add to this, they spend more hours online than an average internet user.
• Reason 4: Podcasts add a personal touch to a website. Get creative with your online podcasts by placing a ‘Message from the CEO’ or having a few members of your executive team discuss various topics related to your industry, and/or initiatives going on with your company. Your prospects and consumers will feel more connected to your organization if they can put a face to the name.
• Podcast 5: Having a podcast show helps you to raise your company’s credibility instantly. If the content is good, your viewers will keep coming back for more. In this day and age, customer loyalty is key!

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