We’d love to be at the Podcast and New Media Expo this weekend in Ontario, California. We’d love to go, but worthwhile conventions these days seem to be stacking up like unread email. Instead, we’re going to follow a few friends while they go to the convention.
The first friend we’ll be following is branding expert Dick Bruso of Heard Above the Noise, who first told us about this Golden State event. He’s already got something up his sleeve when it comes to podcasting – and we want to know how he felt about the Expo.
He’s told us he’ll write a guest article for us – so stay tuned.
The other friends – well, we have no idea who these new friends will be, but we’ll find them with the simplest of sources – Google News Alerts.
You see, a few days ago we created a news alert for “Podcast and New Media Expo” and the results just keep pouring in. What we’ll do is say “hi” to a few of those who are reporting on the Expo and ask them this question:
What the best idea you heard at the New Media Expo that would help a business person who is currently not podcasting – to help them quickly jump in?
We’ll also add this request:
Please, no philosophical meanderings, advanced technological hoo-haw or sales pitches – just great ideas that will get someone up and running as a podcaster quickly and with minimum of heartache and brain damage.
We think that’s cheeky enough. After all, about 99.9% of us average business people still don’t do any podcasting (that we know of) and we’re still, well, just a little bit confused by the technological challenges and the potential benefits.
Earlier this year, we wrote about Pat Walters, a Naughton Fellow at the Poynter Institute, and his strategy to find 48 Tips in 48 Hours at the National Writers Workshop in Hartford, Connecticut.
You can read our article about Pat’s very cool blogging idea here – Who Else Wants a Blog that Gets Read Every Hour.
Our goals are much more modest than Pat’s – we’ll be looking for 5 Great Ideas (and that article from Dick).
Look for the 5 Great Ideas about the Podcast and New Media Expo below in the comments section – or in future columns from guest writers.
2 comments ↓
OK five great ideas eh? Ok here are three candidates.
1) Internal or reseller sales training – record mock, recreated, or even real sales sessions. Edit the highlights with commentary by the sales person, customer and/or prospect. Select two things that helped sell the deal or killed it. Package the shows on a MP3 player and give to your sales team.
2) As a lead generation tool – You attend a trade show and conference. Maybe your company is exhibiting at one. Record your commentary about a couple of the key speaking or breakout sessions. Don’t record the session unless you have permission just to be on the safe side, but your thoughts about the speaker and material are fair game. Use that audio on a blog page that is part of your website and email the link to the list you have of show attendees or at the very least those that visited your booth. This will allow you to keep the conversation going far beyond, “So are you ready to buy what we talked about at the show?”
3) OK, call this nutty, but I’ll give it a shot because I know Michael and Sheryl are not looking for standard fare. So take a page out of the syndication business. Craft short, valuable information segments on the topic you know best and that you can spend enough time researching to stay on top of new ideas.
Then look to provide that content to other podcasters with whom you have a synergistic relationship. For example, an estate planning law firm and a – take your pick (accounting firm, stock advisor, banker, travel agent) you get the picture. You can end up producing a show that has energy, good pacing, and listeners.
OK three is all I have in me for now, plus my wife is telling me it’s time to visit the In-Laws. Wish me luck. Enjoy the podcasters show I was there last year, it’s a great time.
Mr. Maruggi is too modest by 20,000 leagues. He is the creator of the acclaimed Marketing Edge podcast, a former communications director for Samuel Skinner, and now president of his own company, Provident Partners – not to mention the tons of other stuff he’s done. He knows podcasting from experience – and Sheryl and I can learn from him. Try out his Marketing Edge site at http://www.providentpartners.net/blog/
Thanks, Albert
Leave a Comment