Podcasting as a Communications Tool

In an earlier entry today, I mentioned a session at the New Media Expo hosted by Eric Schwartzman. The topic was "Integrating Podcasts in to Marketing, PR and Corporate Communications Campaigns." I found it reinforced a lot of my own beliefs about the importance of new media in such campaigns - beliefs I have made pretty clear in this blog.

Schwartzman argues - and I agree - that communication today is no longer about what you say, it's about what you do. There's nowhere to hide in a digital universe, and "spin doctors" have an increasingly difficult time spinning a story. There are just too many sources of news and opinion out there. And communications is no longer top-down - it's more like a wheel, in which a story or message may originate anywhere and run along the rim of the wheel to different technical formats.

What happens, asks Schwartzman, when TV shows, for example, no longer have that built-in "exclusivity" where they appear only on one station in a market. What happens to that model when the material may be available online hours before it shows up on TV? That's just an example of the nature of the change.

Schwartzman outlined a five point program that he says should be followed to develop effective messaging programs using podcasts.

1. Define objectives. Know what message you're trying to deliver. Don't worry about the technology - that's a tool. It's the content that counts. (Sound familiar? You've probably been reading this blog for a while...  ;-)

2. Define your expertise - what unique knowledge and insight do you or your organization have that is not getting out through some other channels? Can a podcast be used to say something that cannoth otherwise be said?

3. Look for ways to integrate all your opportunities to communicate - is there a print ad campaign, for example, that might be used to cross-promote your podcast?

4. Benchmark before you start - what meaningful statistics will you be looking for? How will you know if you are being successful?

5. Measurement - how will you measure success and reach? Just downloads and visitors are no longer sufficient - you need to be able to talk about the depth of engagement? Are podcast listeners more engaged than somebody who sees a TV ad or a print ad?

This conversation, Schwartzman says, is now taking place in board rooms at corporations around the nation and around the world. We need to be a part of that conversation if we are trying to help others use these new tools efficiently and effectively.