2. More Hip Than Hippie: Think Global, Even If You're Local

Like WEBS, Greenfeet.com faces a problem in connecting to its online customers. The founder and president of the eco-friendly e-retailer, Valerie Reddemann, has found a podcast to be a good way to interact with customers worldwide. It has been especially efficient at creating brand evangelists.

“They become extremely enthusiastic,” Reddemann says. “They really connect with the company, and they understand that we’re more than just a company… These are people who I find… that mention our names to family and friends, that talk about us on their blogs, that tweet about us.”

The podcast opens with a rock song and goes on to discuss new eco-friendly products as well as hot issues in environmentalism. The hosts also make an effort to include the audience as much as possible. They’ll often reference listener communication, read e-mails, or interview listeners on the podcast.

These listeners, like Greenfeet.com’s customers, are spread throughout the world. Over more than five years of running the podcast, about 1.2 million people have downloaded. Most of those live in the United States, but China, Singapore, the U.K., Canada, Australia and Iran also make up significant portions.

It’s inspiring to be in touch with these people, Reddemann says. And she tries to respond to every e-mail she gets regarding the podcasts.

“The whole idea is that you want to give your audience what they’re looking for,” she says. “But if you don’t ask them, how do you know?”

3. Beyond the Book: Establish Expertise & Grow Your Audience

Copyright licensing firm Copyright Clearance Center uses its weekly podcast, Beyond the Book to establish its expertise in the publishing industry.

"It's just awareness of our role in this business," says Chris Kenneally, Director of Business Development for the company as well as the producer and host of the podcast. "I don't always talk about copyright, but everything that goes in publishing finally comes down to copyright -- who owns what and what can they do to maximize their return on it."

The podcast actually started as a quarterly conference series by the same name. But the amount of people available in a specific time at a specific place to attend the conferences were limited. With the podcast, they could reach many more people for a lower cost.

Only 60 people downloaded the podcast during its first month in October 2006. But today about 17,000 people download it each month.

Tips for Creating a Successful Podcast

After seeing the potential for podcasts to play an important role in marketing plans in 2005, Rob Simon launched Burst Marketing, a firm that specializes in producing podcasts for small businesses. Simon currently produces about a dozen podcasts, including Beyond the Book.

These are his tips for making yours successful.

• Consistent Frequency: Just like a newspaper or magazine, podcast listeners will expect a new episode of your podcast on a regular interval. If you don’t deliver, you’ll lose them.

• Determine Your Audience: Think about what information the people who are trying to reach want. Generally, this is not a commercial about your company.

• Promote Your Podcast Elsewhere: “You can’t just expect people to find your podcast,” Simon says. Promote it on your website, Twitter, Facebook and at the bottom of your e-mails.

• Be Patient: "It takes a while for a podcast to catch on, and few become huge hits. Don’t get caught up in numbers. If you’re trying to be a thought leader, maybe 1,000 of the right people are better than 10,000 random people."
  

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