Use podcasting and video casting to help market a business, product or service and for public relations messages or for training and pod seminars.

Podcasting is one of those technologies that excites and amazes. It also makes business professionals ask ‘what are the practicable and applicable uses for business?’ Or, more simply, they want someone to show them the podcast or vidcast money.

Podcasts and vidcasts are showing up everywhere these days on the net. The front page of the online New York Times contains numerous video briefs for the news as do several hundred of the local and regional newspapers online. Retailers, educational providers, manufacturers, churches and hospitals are all beginning to offer downloadable podcasts and vidcasts. Visit the Podcast Alley web site to see and hear a good sampling.

Real Life Uses for Podcasts

Akron Children’s Hospital of Akron, Ohio (www.akronchildrens.org) has been using podcasting since 2006 and according to Andrea Reynolds, Manager Web Development and Public Relations, “Our main mission is to educate parents and this (podcasting) helps us fulfill our mission and provide great customer service.”

With shrinking media markets around the country and in Northeast Ohio, Reynolds says, “It is becoming more and more difficult to generate media coverage in a shrinking news market. Companies can become their own broadcast site. The podcasts and videos are in a format that is more engaging than the static format of text on the web.”

Reynolds continues, “Static content is important but more and more people are downloading and listening to podcasts while sitting in traffic or while walking or jogging.”

Just a few practicable – applicable uses for podcasting include: Direct Marketing; Public Relations; and Education.

Direct Marketing Podcasts

Using podcasts or short video casts for direct marketing can be done in a number of ways. Highlighting products or services – discussing special promotions or discounts – promoting new product lines are great ways to use podcasting to sell, sell, sell.

Reynolds says, “The impact of the web in terms of attracting patients is important. Healthcare is not an impulse buy. Because the web does not have geographic boundaries, we can get patients from across the country. We’ve inquires from across the world.”

Public Relations Podcasts

Podcasting is a great medium for public service announcements, especially in a shrinking media market. The next generations of adults have shown that they go to the web for everything including local, regional and national news. Letting the public know is more difficult than ever without a web presence and soon just a web presence won’t be enough - podcasting or video will have to be the method of delivery.

Reynolds says, “Statistics show more and more people are spending more of their personal time on the net more so than television. Stats also show that the average online adult is watching two videos a day online.”

Pod Seminars – Pod Education

Training podcasts and videos have been around for a few years but the proliferation and usage is on the rise. Almost any type of training or instruction can be accommodated by podcasts or video.

Looking at the Akron Children’s Hospital, the site offers video or podcasts for Children’s on Demand (health and parenting video series), Inside Children’s Audio (experts speak about a variety of children’s issues), About Akron Children’s (learn about the staff) and Grand Rounds (watch or listen to regular medical education programs).

Podcast While It’s Free and Easy

Podcasts are most generally offered free to anyone who wants to download and listen – industry analysts believe that will change in the not so distant future. The most inexpensive way to get in on this amazing technology is to start with podcasting.

Audio recording software can be found for free download on the net and microphones are relatively inexpensive. All of the recording is done on the computer and the podcasts files are created by the audio recording software. Upload the file to the web site host server, create a link or icon for the podcast – it is as easy as all that.