The number of podcast users is expected to soar to 45 million by 2010, versus 4.8 million last year. And, 20%t of those users download weekly, averaging six downloads per week, a good reason to know the dos and don’ts of podcasts as a marketing tool.
Podcasts are a good way to build on customer loyalty rather than to sell consumers a product, Matt MacQueen, experience planning director for ARC Worlwide, said yesterday.
Don’t be tactic-centric; just because podcasts are the newest marketing medium doesn’t mean every marketer should add them into the marketing mix, MacQueen said.
“Make sure Podcasting supports business objectives, strategy and message, and that it builds your consumer relationships,” MacQueen said.
In making his point, MacQueen sited BMW’s launch of a video podcast (vodcast) at its 2005 Frankfurt Auto Show. Marketers were impressed by the number of downloads from attendees and are looking at new ways to use the medium, MacQueen said.
He offered the following tips when thinking about podcasts as a marketing tool.
- Podcasting should be viewed as a channel just like any other medium
- Podcasting should be viewed as a tool to deliver value and engage consumers rather than a medium for ad saturation
- Target specific content (as in the BMW example) should be created as a series so that consumers can continue to receive information they really want.
Network
