Is there a B2B marketer out there who doesn’t view digital media with an ambivalence verging on wariness? In public, marketers talk excitedly about the ‘potential’ or ‘measurability’ offered by technology such as podcasts, but how much of this is countered by private doubt and insecurity?
In a world where technological advances abound, keeping abreast of every development, including podcasts, and their potential for your business can be daunting. Read on for some simple advice on podcasting and the best way to approach this channel.
The basics
Q. What is a podcast?
A. It is an audio file distributed over the Internet that can be listened to on any MP3 player or through a PC.
Q. Do listeners have to have an iPod?
A. No. Any MP3 player will do. Podcasts are not exclusive to iPods, they got their name as a result of Apple’s MP3 player dominating the market.
Q. I’ve heard that to be a true podcast, the audio file should be linked to an RSS feed. What does this mean?
A. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Strictly speaking, podcasts should be linked to an RSS feed. This is the web-based format used to syndicate frequently-updated content, such as blogs or podcasts. It is the RSS feed that enables podcasts to feature on directories such as iTunes or Podcast.net.
Q. How do I get people to hear my company’s podcast?
A.The beauty of using RSS is that it ticks all the search engine optimisation boxes. Your content is spread far and wide. The listener can search via podcast directories for content and they can then subscribe to that podcast. Each time the MP3 player is plugged into the computer, the directory automatically searches for new content on that RSS feed. It is then automatically downloaded.
Q. Can’t I just upload an audio file to our website?
A. Certainly. While it infuriates the purists and limits the podcast’s potential, many brands do post audio files on their website and call it a podcast. The most important thing to remember is that podcasts offer audio content that can be accessed when the user wants, where the user wants. It is this mobility that sets the podcast apart.
The whys and wherefores
There is a great deal of debate around best practice in terms of content. However, the one thing there is unanimity on is that a business should never go for a direct sell. “This is not the place for a blatant sales pitch,” says David Sloly, marketing executive at Mason Zimbler. “No one wants to download 30 minutes of chest-thumping. Content is king in this space so make every word count.”
Podcasts come into their own when delivering thought leadership. Law firm Mace & Jones has produced podcasts since March. (See www.maceandjones.co.uk) One of its aims was to drive home a central tenet of its rebrand: that it is innovative and forward thinking. Jayne Booth, marketing executive, says, “Podcasts have been a key differentiator, clients are impressed. We have produced eight podcasts and this has already secured three client wins.”
Val-Pierre Genton, head of media at BrightTalk and head of the B2B Council at the Internet Advertising Bureau, says that using a podcast as a way of engaging your audience and providing knowledge free of charge is where its value lies. “Your audience will think, ‘Wow, these guys really know their stuff’ and when it comes to purchasing, your brand will be higher up the list.”
B2B research from the US by KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann proves this point. It found that 72 per cent had listened to podcasts on more than one occasion; 23 per cent do so frequently; and 27 per cent said ‘yes’ when asked if podcasts had influenced their purchasing decisions.
Though a direct sell is out of the question, there is significant potential for lead generation for those businesses able to deliver pertinent high quality content.
Developing content
So, what is the hook to get people listening? What content works best? “Podcasts are good for raising a brand’s profile,” says Curtis James, MD at digital agency Audemos. “But it’s not going to be worth a thing if the content isn’t compelling.” Shel Holtz, principal of US Holtz Communication & Technology, is a B2B marketing consultant specialising in social media.He agrees that content is crucial.
“You have to add value for your audience to care,” he says. “A great podcast should offer insights into why the organisation is a worthy investment. It might, for instance, focus on R&D, talk about customer satisfaction metrics, or conduct an interview with a thought leader.”
A common mistake is to develop a podcast simply because the technology is there. James claims this erodes brands. “What’s the point of sitting in front of a microphone reading a white paper, delivering something that could have been in an email?” he says.
Asking simple questions – what do you want to say, why do you want to say it, what are you hoping to achieve, why is a podcast the correct medium? – will help determine if you have a compelling story. But having something interesting to say is different to actually saying something interesting. How can good ideas be turned into great content?
In 2006, Arbor Networks, network security specialist, launched a 12-part drama series focusing on security issues. According to Tina Stewart, vice president of marketing, the podcasts were, “intended to engage a diverse audience, including decision makers and technologists in an entertaining way while also conveying practical, expert commentary and information.” Something must have clicked with the audience: season two went live at the beginning of 2007. (See www.arbornetworks.com)
While it might not be necessary to adopt quite such a contrived approach, there are techniques that can have a dramatic effect on audience retention. Chiefly, layer the podcast with a variety of voices. “To help tell your story you should consider inviting guests to the recording,” says Sloly. “They would reinforce your message and add light and shade to the discussion.” Genton agrees, claiming that podcasts delivered in one voice “bores the audience to death”, adding, “treat it the same as if you were presenting in the flesh. Would you really want to subject the audience to a 30 minute presentation featuring slides of bullet-pointed lists? Give the same level of thought to podcasts – use different voices, adopt a reportage style, bring in a client’s voice or interview the head of a trade association.”
Building a podcast
When it comes to creating the podcast, there are a number of digital audio formats. These include WMA, WAV, AAC and MP3. “MP3 is by far the most popular format because it operates across all platforms and does not exclude any potential listeners,” as Phil Cox, programming director at Rippleffect, explains.
High penetration of broadband means most are happy to leave large files downloading in the background. The main consideration is length rather than size. “Attention spans for online content are limited,” says Genton. “Rather than creating one 50-minute podcast, chop this up into short modules of no more than 10-15 minutes.”
Booth says that it’s important to think about file size too. “The first podcast we produced was huge – in the region of 80MB – hardly anyone downloaded it,” she says. “For future podcasts we limited size to no more than 20MB. Even if that meant the sound quality suffered, people didn’t mind. They’d just rather not sit there waiting ages to download something.”
Another area where there is debate is production. Should the podcast sound polished and professional, or is it permissible to create something fast and dirty? James argues that creating a poor quality podcast creates a poor impression of the brand. Although many marketers seem content with low production values, he says this is the same mentality that doomed early websites to failure.
“Everyone thought they could have a website, got one designed by their uncle, and they all looked awful. This is what it’s like with podcasts at the moment. There’s an element of ‘my friend’s got a microphone’ as though that’s all that’s required.”
Booth says Mace & Jones opted for a low-cost option. “We use the audio visual company that sets up our seminars. Everything is mic’ed up already, so producing the podcasts adds £70 to £80 to the cost of a seminar.”
Genton takes a pragmatic view. “It depends on the budget. You can do a lot with a little – a day’s training, a digital recorder and audio editing software that might cost in the region of £1000. Of course, an agency will create something more impressive, so if you’ve got money and want to make it a big feature then you should go down that route. Ultimately though, the content and the expertise will have to come from you.”
Making podcasts work harder
The basic rules are in place, but how does your podcast start flexing its muscles? According to James, one of the misconceptions he works hardest to dispel is that RSS is somehow complicated or unnecessary. This is certainly the view of Booth, who explains, “We decided to host the files on our website because it was easy. There was also the branding issue. If we get people to come to the website we’ve got more chance of them actually making the connection that it’s our information.”
Mace & Jones aren’t alone in missing out on the benefits of RSS. “We have to educate a lot of our clients on the value of this feature,” says James. “So many people just want to stick a link to their content on their website and leave it at that. RSS has huge benefits, from subscription to search engine optimisation.”
Even with these benefits, many marketers remain web-centric and view podcasts (and blogs and wikis) as a means of driving traffic back to the site. To them, the idea of RSS feels counter-intuitive: why would you bolt on a feature that enables users to circumvent your site?
Yet RSS doesn’t preclude hosting files on the website, or pushing the content through other channels. It is simply another string to your bow.
“Forcing people to visit your site to hear your podcast is a bit of a cheat if you’re genuinely interested in making your message compelling,” says James. “Much better to create reasons within the podcast for your listeners to log on to the site. That way you are completing the cycle: you have subscribers to the podcast, taking cues to visit your site, and then having genuine reasons to stick around.”
For example, you could drive people back to forums or message boards to discuss the latest podcast, tie it in with blogs or create Q&As with thought leaders.
“Creating talking points and stimuli within the podcast results in an impassioned and enthusiastic user base for the brand,” says Genton, “As well as the more measurable target of clickthroughs.”
Measure up
Measurability is a weak point for podcasts. The only true measurability comes from counting up the number of subscribers or downloads. However, what these figures categorically fail to do is inform the brand whether any of the content was listened to, let alone useful.
The RSS feed gets slightly closer to meaningful statistics in that it can show the number of subscribers versus the number of downloads. In other words, it demonstrates a ratio of those who at some point expressed an interest to those who are actually continuing to download that content.
But even this is limited. The only way to add real colour is to create feedback loops and draw out information from the audience. According to Genton, this is where B2B steals a march on B2C. “If people feelthey are getting superb content, they will not mind giving information back,” he says. “In B2C if you asked users to hand over their details, you’d have no audience. In B2B this is not a problem. People will not mind registering, which enriches your contact management system if there is valuable content at the end of the process.”
This is an opinion echoed across the Atlantic by Holtz. He extols the virtues of podcasts for creating communities and argues strongly that listener feedback should be directly included within future podcasts. Like much of Web 2.0, creating communities around shared interests is where power lies. It not only becomes a useful feedback mechanism through which effectiveness can be measured, but it can also drive new content ideas.
Ultimately, podcasts are best seen in this context: not as a standalone tool, but as something that enriches the website; that makes the most of the brand’s thought leaders; that brings white papers and research to life; that can disseminate over-subscribed seminars to a wider audience and that can work with blogs and forums to create an enthused and empowered user base that views your brand as not just value-added, but also fully-rounded.
