Podcasting – The overlooked traffic source
Mike Paetzold back for day 4 of my stop here as part of The Old Bald Guy’s Blog Tour. Today the topic will be using podcasts for traffic. If you are looking for more ways to get traffic I strongly recommend Doug’s Top Traffic Tips.
Podcasts are really nothing more than a sound or video file that you syndicate through a feed. Now that sounds a bit complex and that is probably why most people ignore them.
Now before I get into using a podcast consider this. How many ipods have been sold? How many books are now available in audio versions? How many files are available in Itunes?
Getting information in an audio format has become the primary media source for a large portion of people. When I bought my first Ipod 5 years ago my step daughter asked why an old fart like me would want one? Of course the fact that she wanted it may have had something to do with it 
but today all ages use mp3 players regularly.
This makes audio a format that any marketer can use to their advantage.
Now to some of the technical stuff. It is easy to record an audio and you can use the same content and just read it out loud and record it. Free software like Audacity makes it really easy with a computer and a microphone to make mp3 files. Upload them to a blog and use a plugin like Podpress and 98% of the technical know how has been overcome.
A few things to consider when using podcasts. If you want people to take an action it pays to have an easy to remember domain name. The person listening may not be at their computer but listening to your podcast while they are driving to work or jogging.
Domain redirects make it easier for them to remember, Something like www.thecbpirate.com is much easier than if I used the actual affiliate link http://cbpirate.com/main/mpaet3 although both go to the same page.
The other thing is that an mp3 file has an id3 tag. Use that to fill in information about your podcast and make sure you add your link into the description section because that will show on most mp3 players making it easier for people to find the site you talked about.
Finally you need to take the time to set your podcast up on the directories so people can find it easily. At the very least make sure that you get it into Itunes and Podcast Alley but the more the merrier.
So start using your content in audio format to increase the exposure and it will bring you more traffic.
I could just cover the very basics and why you should podcast in this post . Check out Doug’s It’s You Live! for complete step by step instructions on the technical aspects of podcasting.
See you back here tomorrow for my last lesson in this visit.
About the author
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Mike Paetzold has been online since 2000 and runs numerous blogs and you can find out what he is up to at Mike Paetzold Recommends. You can also find out and keep current with WordPress at his blog WordPress Made Easy. |
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- Generating Traffic To Your Website
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- 3 Ways To Use Articles For Traffic
- Blogs – A Great Way To Get Traffic To Your Products
Stumble it!
Twitter: JoelOsborne
on December 17th, 2009
Good idea about using a short/memorable domain name. Your right, we are use to just seeing and clicking on a link… but that’s totally different when we can only hear the domain name. It’s important to also make sure the domain can’t be confusing with numbers in it instead of spelled out words.
Joel Osborne´s last blog ..Repeat Buyers – How To Keep Them
Twitter: bmcellhiney
on December 18th, 2009
Hey Mike,
I tried my hand at podcasting but could never quite get the configuration right to hook into iTunes and some of the other directories and eventually gave up for the time being.
I think I may have to check out Doug’s ‘It’s You Live’ so I can get this setup right and get back to podcasting.
Now I just need to find some peace and quite to do the recordings.
Brett McEllhiney´s last blog ..Your FREE ticket to affiliate marketing success…
Twitter: learningaffil
on December 18th, 2009
Some more very valuable information. Have seen podcast being used but have never actually attempted one myself. You make it sound a lot easier than it looks but seems like something that should be added for more traffic. Thanks.
Andre Arnett´s last blog ..What Can Backlinking Do For Me
Twitter: AffiliateBus
on December 21st, 2009
I agree that Doug’s Top Traffic Tips is a great resource on getting traffic. This is a resource that everyone should obtain. Thanks for the info on podcast – an area that I have not looked into yet.
Lonnie Minton´s last blog ..Your List Is Your Affiliate Marketing