- iPod & Cell Phone -

Podcasting:

All those young people (and increasingly older people as well) walking around with headphones plugged into a little device are using what is known as an iPod (if made by Apple) or some other brand of mp3 player.

You probably already know they are used for listening to music. What you may not know is that iPods can be used to listen to other types of audio - and increasingly video. These audios may be billed as an online class (teleclass), or an online radio broadcast or a podcast.

As a small business owner you may create one-time podcasts for download from your website. Many coaches and consultants use free teleclasses or teleseminars as a lead generation tool.

If you are selling a high priced product or service, this can be a great way to overcome any objections your prospects may have. By giving them a free taste of what you do, they'll feel more comfortable working with you. And if you record these teleclasses and offer the audio as a download from your website, it gives one more way you can attract customers.

Ongoing podcasts will offer listeners the option to "subscribe" to the podcast via RSS - just like you can subscribe to a blog via the orange RSS subscribe. Subscribers get notified whenever there is new content. They can then download the content to their iPod and listen on the go. In fact, most mp3 players have software that will automatically download new episodes.

An ongoing podcast can take the place of blog or newsletter. Create short, informational audios and upload them to a site like iTunes. Add a button to your website to allow people to subscribe from there.

The advantage of using audio is people are more likely to spend more time listening than they might reading a blog post or a newsletter. An added bonus: by listening to your voice people begin to get a feel for you as a person. You stop being an anonymous online business and become a real person. Over time listeners may turn into customers because they feel they know you.