Podcasts and Blogs for Business
New Communication Tools for Business - to Business and Employees
Podcasts and blogs are finding their way into corporate and business for more and more uses - especially when it comes to communications channels.
Podcasts and blogs have been 2 technology trends that most everyone has heard or read about or even heard 1 (podcast) and read 1 (a blog). Nonetheless some business managers, owners or CEOs have tried to ignore these technologies and hope they go away before they have to learn how to use and implement them into daily business practices.
It’s Already too Late
Podcasts and blogs are being employed in almost every aspect of management and business these days. Not long ago podcasts were being used mainly by those in entertainment, news or education. More recently, marketing and public relations have found a multitude of uses for podcasts. Now, companies are producing, recording and distributing all kinds of podcasts including:
- CEOcasts to provide insights from the CEO
- Supportcasts for tips, techniques and how-tos
- HRcasts for new employee orientation
- Customercasts of customer testimonials
- Berrycasts sent by RIM network to a Blackberry wireless device
- Forecasts to predict trends
- Narrowcasts that are sent to a select group of listeners
- Talkcast which is a live Internet radio talk show
- Prodcasts to provide new product orientation
Podcasts are also finding their way into the training arena. Training and Development (T+D)magazine reported in the May 2008 issue that podcasts are being used more and more for training functions which saved one company ninety-thousand dollars to deliver their training and another company was able to increase attendance by forty percent.
It is a new technology which always attracts attention and podcasts can be listened to during drive-time, lunch time at home or while flying.
From free podcasting classes or instructor-led classes or seminars to the Business Podcasting “Studio in-a-Box”, there are many online resources to help point the new podcaster in a good direction to get started. After doing some research and listening to a few sample podcasts (try www.podcastpickle.com), if it still feels like it is too soon to jump on the podcast train, try blogging first.
Business and Corporate Blogging
Blogging has been effectively used in the business world for the past several years and for several good reasons. Blog web sites are usually free - once setup, they have a URL that can be distributed and they provide a resource for feedback from the audience.
Plus, blogs are easier to update than web sites which keeps the content new, fresh and dynamic. And, blogs can be published just for internal (within a company) viewing or can be published on the net so that customers or potential customers can access the entries.
As with podcasting, blogging is a fast, convenient, efficient communications channel to customers, employees, investors, board members and the media.
What sets blogging apart is that it is also a two-way communications channel. The feedback functions of blogs will allow readers to send comments or contribute to research or discussions. Blogs are easier to create than regular websites and they are slightly easier to create than podcasts.
Time-wise, it only takes as much time to update a blog as it does to write a newsletter, a memo or a report. If the communication is being written anyway - blog it to get extra mileage.
Keep Messages and Messengers Consistent
As with all things communications-wise, blogs should incorporate the look and feel of the company or organization. Try to use the same color scheme, incorporate a logo or publish the company vision and mission statement. Since it is such a strong communications tool, it would be distracting and confusing to the blog readers and participants to get a different message from the blog than they get from a company web site.
With podcasts, use music, language and voice styles that are consistent with the company’s image or brand.
The Truth is in the Cost Savings
According to execubooks.com, in 2006 there were estimated 80,000 blogs created worldwide every day. Which is proof that using either or both of these communication or business channels are convenient, low-cost and high-tech ways to generate new sales leads, support the support team, communicate company news and views, teach, learn and generally reach a mass of people quickly and easily.
