Podcasting Brings More Customers, Better Students, and More Traffic

Today on the School of Podcasting we talk content marketing, why podcasting is a perfect tool for this strategy, and how to overcome one of the biggest hurdles for those needing interaction on their website.

Podcast Rewind

2:15 I appeared on the Maximize Excellence show with Joe Hicks. Joe walks you through an Ideology of the four pillars of excellence. I really liked the show, and Joe (a graduate of the School of Podcasting) is doing a great job. Check it out at www.maximizeexcellence.com or subscribe in iTunes.

Because of Podcasting

5:20 I have read the book, Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less: How to Tell a Different Story, ... and Win More Customers by Marketing Less and it had some great stories of content marketing.

There was a blacksmith that worked with farmers. He would listen to them complain about how mud would get stuck on their plow. He later invented a plow made of steel that the mud didn't stick to. He listened to his audience and gave them what they needed.

In 1885, he started a magazine called The Furrow. The purpose of the magazine was to educate farmers on new technology and how they could be more successful business owners and farmers (thus, content marketing).

The Furrow was not filled with promotional messages and self-serving content. It was developed by thoughtful journalists, storytellers, and designers, and covered topics that farmers cared about deeply. The goal of the content was to help farmers become more prosperous and, of course, profitable. Now, 120 years later, The Furrow is still going strong. It is the largest circulated farming magazine in the world, delivered monthly to over 1.5 million farmers, in 12 languages to 40 different countries.

Who was this blacksmith? John Deere, he was quite an inventor. You may have heard of his tractors.

1900: Michelin develops The Michelin Guide. This 400-page guide, now with its iconic red cover, helps drivers maintain their cars and find decent lodging. In its first edition, 35,000 copies were distributed for free.

1904: Jell-O recipe book pays off. Jell-O distributes free copies of a recipe book that contributes to sales of over $ 1 million by 1906.

1913: Burns & McDonnell Engineering launch BenchMark. This Kansas City engineering and consulting firm still produces its award-winning BenchMark magazine to this day.

1930's Proctor and Gamble started making radio dramas. This was an extremely successful strategy. It often would feature ads for Duz and Oxydol detergents. Later these would move to Television. Many people refer to them as Soap Operas.

Your podcast could be the next Furrow. You use your podcast to build your brand. You use it to gain the trust of your audience. You build a relationship with your audience. Then later you can capitalize on that relationship. So content marketing is not new, but it can be tricky

Podcasting Boosts Grades

12: 52 Craig from Ingleaspodcast.com shared a story on the Ask the Podcast Coach on how he had students do extra homework by listening to podcasts. The other in the class did not. Those who reinforced their learning with podcasting had better grades. He did have one student who originally did not listen to the podcasts (but his grades had improved). Later, he confessed he had been listening to the podcasts.

Using Content Upgrades In Your Podcast

19:08 A content upgrade offers extra value on the initial article or content. It typically is a downloadable, email-gated piece that strikes while the proverbial iron is hot. For podcasters maybe the price of admission is not an email address, but simply a click to get back to your site, where you can then get them to subscribe, click, etc.

Great Example

Scott Johnson does the Computer Tutor Podcast. It is one of my favorites. It's around 5 minutes, and Scott brings cool tips that even as someone who was teaching software for a living for 20+ years, I learned things. Well in his last episode he did something that appears similar to a content upgrade.

He explained that if you type in http://netflix.com/browse/genre/xxxxx that XXX can be a category number that can range from Action & Adventure: 1365 to Zombie Horror Movies: 75405 while this is helpful, if you don't have the category numbers you're stuck. So where do you go to get those category numbers? You guessed it Scott's Computer Florida Website

So what does this do. You only get people on your website who really want this information. Casual Netflix users may not care. Me? I do a lot of Netflix, so I was all over it. So I went over, and I checked out some music-related categories, and then I went to documentaries. There it was. The documentary Alive Inside. Have you seen it? IT'S AMAZING. Check this out.

So I find this MIND BLOWING MOVIE, and who gets credit? Scott Johnson from the Computer Tutor Podcast.

I challenge you. Yes, you. I challenge you Netflix users to watch the movie Alive Inside and NOT tell someone about it.

When I talk about creating content that makes people talk about your show, that's the kind of information I'm talking about.

Being Real Can Inspire Real Results

33:00 In some cases, just being real can catch people off guard. Our world is one where lies are the native tongue of our politicians. When we hear someone be brutally honest, it can really catch us off guard. On Episode 701 of the WTF podcast with Marc Maron, he talks about dealing with grief as he prepares to go to a funeral and reflects on the death of Prince. He explained how he deals with his feelings, and how it's easy to ignore your feelings. He explained how it's better to deal with your feelings. It sounded as if he was at times fighting back tears. Then on episode 702 he reads a letter on how Marc sharing his feelings, and being honest, allowed someone to better deal with his grief, and to deal with a situation he is going through.

It's not always about downloads and CPM rates. Sometimes, it's about connecting with people and leaving the world a better place.

Money Making Strategy for Those Promoting Kickstarter Campaigns

37:38 If you are ever promoting kickstart campaigns on your show (like Rob Today in iOs) you might want to check out kickbooster.me

Here is how it works.

Become a Booster to get immediate access of hundreds of crowdfunding campaigns in the Kickbooster Marketplace that are offering a reward for helping spread the word about their campaign. Choose the ones you want to promote, blog, post, and tweet about them, and get paid for your efforts. You earn 10% on all successful referrals. You can even earn 10% cashback on your own pledge