Since the iPod was launched in 2004, Apple
has sold over 40 million units. That’s a huge market,
and because of the development of the podcast, it’s also
a brand new marketing arena for companies to conquer.
Video podcasts are video broadcasts that people can download
and watch on their iPods. They transform the gadget into a
mini-TV, ideal for people on the go (and in this day and age,
who isn’t?).
Video Podcasts, like television shows, cover a wide range of
topics and serve numerous purposes. Some are pure entertainment:
comedy acts, music videos, short films. Others inform and educate:
cooking demonstrations, documentaries, news and current affairs
updates, language tutorials, business seminars and self-improvement
seminars on everything from How to Improve your Selling Skills
to Getting Over a Breakup.
The specific content of podcasts, and the fact that they’re
downloaded by individuals who are clearly interested in the
content, opens an incredible opportunity for niche marketing.
The most basic way of participating in a podcast for brand
awareness is to sponsor a podcast related to your product.
For example, a sports apparel company can advertise on a podcast
on the most exciting plays, or an interview with the coach
of a winning team. This works for both the advertiser and the
website that carries the podcast: if they carry the costs of
creating and maintaining the site, they can offer the podcasts
for free, for the opportunity to run a 10-second ad at the
start of the video. The best thing about podcast commercials
is that obviously the user can’t change the channel.
You have a captive audience of sports fans—the people
most likely to buy your merchandise to begin with.
Another way of marketing your product through podcasting is
to create your own. You can tap one of your own experts or
endorsers to create valid content that would be interesting
to your buyers. Let’s say that you’re a site that
sells designer bags and shoes. Tap a stylist to create a short
podcast on the latest styles of the season, and how to pair
it with other items in your wardrobe. Your “trend report” is
of obvious interest to females, who are more likely to invest
in accessories if they know how it fits into a particular look.
You don’t have to go hardsell: podcasts can be part of
an overall PR campaign to build relationships with your community,
thus enhancing your brand equity and reputation as “a
company that cares”. Since podcasts are relatively inexpensive
to create, this may be an alternative to large-scale social
marketing efforts. For example, if you are a pharmaceutical
company that sells diabetes medication, your podcasts can be
an information campaign on people who have successfully controlled
the disease to lead very successful lives. Farm this video
to podcast websites and your campaign reaches millions of people
worldwide.
You can also use podcasts to enhance the mileage of an existing
PR event. For example, if you are a restaurant that wants to
be known as the hottest and hippest place in the city, and
hold regular parties that attract celebrities and models, then
release podcasts that banner this benefit to the world. It’s
pointless to hold an event if people don’t know about
it; podcasts make sure that they do.
Article
Source: http://www.articlecube.com
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