How to get the most from your podcast (Isobella Jade)

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Drew’s Note: As I try to do every Friday, I’m pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet another thought leader who shares her insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Isobella Jade. Again. Enjoy!

Podcasting isn’t just for those with pursuits to be the next Howard Stern; podcasting is also a marketing tool for your business. Even if that business is yourself.

The question is: Are you getting all that you can out of your podcast?

Podcasting is a tech savvy way to speak to your customers and build awareness of your brand and self. But, is anyone listening to your podcast? Having a podcast isn’t enough; you need to market it the right ways. Here are some tips on how to get more out of your podcast by cross market on the web to build awareness and maybe even make a couple bucks too.

Podcast for Credibility. Podcasting isn’t just a trendy ‘add on’ for your blog or website, it is a serious way to gain credibility for your business. Whether you are talking for fifteen minutes a week about marketing trends, or speaking about the latest in the beauty world for an hour each day, speaking on a podcast is to build an archive of your own expertise and get credit for it within an audio format. Having a podcast can be leverage for other speaking engagements, entrance to events, and of course to promote your own services, company or product. Whether your business is one person or a huge corporation, podcasting makes you, and your image, showcased as an expert on what you know and what you can offer.

Let Search Engines do the Work for you. Be discovered. Many of my podcast downloads come from new listeners. People who are searching on Google and find me. With this in mind, be marketing conscious when titling your podcast segments. Name each show topic something that has to do with the interest of your potential listeners. Ask yourself what do your listeners Google? Your goal is to get your podcast to appear when they are searching on the web. My podcast is about modeling, so I try to base my shows on topics that would interest an aspiring model or those in the entertainment business, such as "How to Get a Modeling Agency No Matter Your Height." Or " How to Find a Quality Photographer for Free." You want your show title to be Google effective and show up when people are searching for terms that relate.

Be Even More Friendly with Google. Better Google ratings can mean more listeners and more downloads. If your show is about "green living" then research on Google what appears when "green living" related search words appear, try "green beauty", "green fashion" and " green condoms" and see what comes up. It will help you shape the content that you share on your podcast so that your listeners will find you. Choose the guests that you interview more carefully, if you know what people are researching on the web then interview people about topics that would appeal to your potential audience’s interests. Include your guests name in the segment title with the topic subject. Just watch, in a matter of seconds, when your guest is Googled your podcast will be found too.

Marketing today is Business Tomorrow. Podcasting is not just for the now; it is for the later too. Your podcast feed will be carried over the internet, so remember it isn’t just about the listeners you have live, it is also about getting listeners after your show too. To get more downloads why not try to get your podcast placed on other blogs, websites, and social sites that related to the topic of your podcast as well. When their blog gets a download or hit, so does your podcast.

Cross Market and Build Your Brand. Myspace, and Facebook, Twitter might seem like a teenager’s hobby but it isn’t. It is business. Place your current podcast feeds on a social site, and before upcoming shows send an invite out, this will lead listeners to your website, to your blogs and to your product and back again. I let my books, my blogs, my podcast, video blogs, and my t-shirts all connect and mesh together on the web. Each social media tool crosses and entwines into the next.

Get your own buzz. When I was featured in the New York Times my podcast received over 10,000 downloads that week. The idea is to keep your downloads as high as possible so that you can make some ad revenue. Sometimes that can mean cross marketing and even getting press on your radio show. The topic of your show could be included in a newspaper story based on that topic. Think inventively and think about promoting your podcast in all areas,-print-web- even on other podcasts. You could be a guest on someone else’s radio show talking about what you know and your own podcast. It is best to write a press release about your podcast to pitch. Then you should start researching reporters and editors who write about the topics involved on your podcast segments. Whether your podcast is about cooking, pregnancy, sexy lingerie news, or eco-friendly fashion, there is a reporter, editor, blogger, or another person podcasting out there, who might want to include you within their next project too.

Make some extra cash while you’re at it. Once you have an audience, and get a decent amount of downloads per week and month. Use the amount of downloads your podcast receives as an Advertising incentive. You can approach brands, and companies that relate to the topic of your podcast, who might want to expand their marketing to radio. If you are planning to get your own advertisers, set it up with a manageable system, such as $40 per 1000 downloads.

See, without leaving your computer, you can market your podcast and build your brand.

Isobella Jade has one of the top shows on Blogtalkradio.com and speaks weekly about the modeling business. Ms. Jade is an author of Almost 5’4" due from an imprint of HarperCollins, The Friday Project in April 2009. Isobella produces and hosts beauty video tips on AOL‘s Stylelist.com. She can be found on over 30 pages of Google, or at her website: www.isobelladreams.com

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.