How Can Your Business Benefit from the Internet Audio Revolution?

Audio won't replace the written word for corporate users, but used well it does offer some great advantages.

There's the possibility of adding more colour and dynamism to memos by delivering them verbally, for example.

Or you could create a more effective and innovative newsletter or client communication that's heard rather than read.

If there's a conference or meeting presentation that you want all your staff or clients to hear distributing it as a sound file can be dramatic and effective.

In either case you could develop a programme that's meant to be listened to in the car, and sent out on a CD, or delivered to a desktop or laptop computer or a portable mp3 player.

In time commercial podcasts may also provide advertisers with far more targeted audiences than the mass media can economically provide.

The ability to deliver news sound bites from your webpages may be very useful, too, as part of a PR strategy.

In any case using internet audio will mark you as progressive in your communications, and capable of delivering a message that's meaningful to your audience.

Podcasting - The Story So Far....

Podcast was the word of the year for 2005 according to the New Oxford American Dictionary.

The word comes from the combination of broadcasting and ipods. But it is a narrow definition of delivering audio on demand over the internet, and allowing listeners to subscribe then automatically download the content.

Its first use by early adopters was substantially as a spoken online diary. But some very professional and popular shows have emerged. This Week In Tech brings together a weekly panel of experts who talk about the cutting edge of consumer technology. Adam Curry's Daily Source Code is a slightly self indulgent but professional promotion of the new medium by the self styled 'Podfather'.

ITConversations records and airs sessions from some significant conventions and meetings in the US, providing a very interesting resource of the most recent thinking.

A significant and growing audience are people who have previously listened to quality radio shows on air, but want to be able to time shift them, and not miss an episode. ABC Radio's The Science Show with Robyn Williams rates highly in England and America, as well as here, for example.

Demographically consumers are seeking more distractions more of the time. Portable audio (and soon widespread portable video) caters to their needs to be entertained while they exercise or commute. Www.audible.com which provides a downloadable audio book service has built their business on bored commuters, for example.

However according to the 2005 Portable Media Conference in Conference in California most people listen to this audio on desktop or laptop machines. Other podcasters have found that the biggest part of the audience was males who lived alone. Of course the market is changing rapidly with the penetration of mp3 players and the creation of new content.

With 50 million ipods or other mp3 players already sold, podcasting is set to challenge the big and staid broadcasters, especially in the US.

How Do You Start?

You'll need the ability to record sound and edit it. This is relatively cheap and easy to achieve for podcasters who have the time to devote to it, although their sound quality varies greatly. Corporate users will prefer to use a studio or have a portable studio come to them.

You'll need some ideas on how to structure and present an audio presentation. We can provide training in radio production and programme basics as well as professional voice skills.

You'll also require some technical knowledge on how to deliver the audio through your own intranet or on demand over the internet.

At Corpcoms we're very enthusiastic about this new medium, and we're ideally placed to help you. Three of our core team (Kathy Scott, John Flower and Bob Hughes) have extensive backgrounds in radio production and corporate communications. We're already creating and distributing podcasts. We can help you with your podcasting concept, recording and distributing your podcast, or any technical issues to do with podcasting or blogging.

To develop a sound corporate communications strategy through audio on the net contact us.

To hear what a difference a spoken presentation makes, click here.

If you just want to learn how to podcast and get your first show up on the net talk to Ian MacRae at his Radio School.