Podcasting For Profit

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So you have a podcast. That’s great, but don’t quit your day job just yet. Unfortunately, unless you’re Ricky Gervais it might be more than just a little difficult to make money off podcasting. If you are Ricky Gervais: A.) Can I borrow some money? B.) Can I guest star on the new video podcast?

So why aren’t there more podcast millionaires? Most podcasts don’t have the audience necessary to generate any significant ad revenue. The other problem being that as podcasting grows, so do the number of shows targeting the same audience. The larger and more successful podcasts can generate revenue by charging subscription fees for their shows, or even by charging for the back catalogue of shows. Even amongst the larger corporations, excepting The Wall Street Journal, and Consumer Reports, most haven’t been able to sell enough subscriptions to their web-based content to be anywhere close to profitable. Apparently just having a recognizable brand isn’t enough to sell subscriptions alone.

The key is finding ways to make podcasts engaging, and effective. Right now businesses are using podcasting as a marketing tool to attract clients in much the same way that blogs lead to exposure for other businesses. There is no reason that podcasts can’t generate revenue. For example if you host a show on llama herding, it’s possible (although not probable) that 2,000 llama herding enthusiasts might subscribe. If you have a large niche marketing then advertising might work for you. Who’s to say that if an enterprising podcaster rounded up an audience of 7,000 listeners interested in basket weaving, then why wouldn’t a basket weaving company want to advertise to that audience? The key is finding a podcast with quality content and advertisers who need to reach that specific audience. What is needed essentially is a matchmaker of sorts to help the shows and advertisers find one another.

The other problem is getting web users to find and subscribe to podcasts. While it may seem like just about everyone knows about podcasting the truth is that there is a good majority of people who still haven’t. In an interview last year Yahoo Chief Products Officer Geoff Ralston pointed this particular problem out. “…the fact is that what we really want to do at Yahoo is to bring podcasting to the mainstream, and for that to happen people have to learn about it. So we’ve created a site where it’s really easy to learn about it, and like I said, you’ll be able to find podcasts eventually everywhere on Yahoo. So as you’re reading your news, which of course many millions of people do every day week, and month on Yahoo, you will start to be introduced to podcasts and start to be introduced to the podcast experience of the site and that will actually start to bring you into the community of podcasters. And it is a community! One of the key aspects of Yahoo Podcasts is that the community is what gives it strength and gives the feeling of the site. The site also allows people to rate podcasts to create the ability for people to find the podcasts that matter.”

Podcasting is still a new medium and so there’s plenty of room for growth and change. The real key to making money with podcasting is finding a way to use traditional methods of generating revenue along side newer methods. The key in a young industry, like podcasting, is experimenting with different methods, not being afraid to adapt new business models, or even inventing your own. So Ricky Gervais may have an easier time making money at it, but that’s not to say that it’s impossible for anyone else.
 
Potential customers are looking for you through search engines, directories and forums. We help them find your website. How? Check out our marketing techniques at http://www.itsontarget.com and sign up for our podcast and we’ll let you in on some interesting internet traffic solutions.

 

Six Marketing Strategies In Web 2.0 Worl

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n Web 1.0 world, we are using internet banner ads, text ads, email, newsletters as our internet marketing vehicles to drive our marketing message to our potential clients online. Today, internet had been transitioned to web 2.0, new internet marketing strategies are needed to continue be successful in internet world. With Web 2.0, we need to consider not only the new means of reaching our online audience but also the new nature of the social Web. Weblogs, blogs, and other web 2.0 sites dabbling with social media tools such as wikis, podcasts, videocasting, photo sharing sites, social bookmarking are the key marketing vehicle to drive internet traffic to the targeted websites. So, as an internet marketer for Web 2.0 world and to be successful in an era where customers are freely discuss your products and services, you should consider the 5 important marketing strategies below:

 1. Learn about social media Social media is one the most important “must know” knowledge in Web 2.0. Thus, the first and foremost, you should participate in and understand social media by learning about it. YouTube, del.icio.us, Flickr, digg, MySpace, and Technorati are examples of new engines that you need to understand in order to effectively use them to reach your markets.

2. Marketing Plan For Web 2.0 You should factor let your visitors to play a more important role in your new marketing plan for Web 2.0. Let your website visitors to create content on your site and pass it a long. You even can your passionate users to create promotional videos about your sites/products, then use them on your local TV channels and post them online everywhere to get maximum exposure.

 3. Join & Participate In The Conversation Social media applications are two-way streets that conversation happens between two or more parties. To get exposure, you can join and participate to these conversation groups. You can join as members to other social media groups of your niche marketing or you can add social tools and services (such as Weblogs, wikis, tagging, video blogs, etc.) to your library Web sites. Enable comments on blogs and allow users to contribute to wikis.

 4. Be Remarkable Social media is a form of viral marketing where interesting ideas and content get passed along rapidly. Hence, in Web 2.0 world, content is the king. You must have contents that attract your visitors that they can use, bookmark, share online / offline and get your content or message pass along.

5. Get Your Content Travel Encourage visitors to bookmark and tag your content with a click of a button and allow users to repost booklists, book reviews, photos, podcasts, or videos on their own sites. Post your content on sites like Flickr and YouTube where it’s easy for users to find and share it. Make news feeds for new materials such as books, DVDs, talking books, and video feeds so that these materials can be shared by online users and get your contents spread to the internet world.

 6. Be part of the multimedia wave In Web 2.0 world, images and static pictures no enough to attract internet users any more, video is the key driver for Web 2.0. Statistic shows that more than 100 million videos being download daily. So, the effective of video marketing must not be overlooked. Create short videos and post them to YouTube and other video-sharing sites.

In Summary These are just a few strategies about marketing in a Web 2.0 world. There are still a lot of ideas for social media marketing where you can explore and integrate into your web 2.0 marketing plan.

Helpful Questions and Tips on Niche Marketing

At niche websites we have many niche websites for sale already up and running with all the hard work done for you. For more free advice and information please visit http://niche-websites.info

My clients and students are surprised and delighted to discover that a refined niche marketing strategy not only attracts significantly more business but also provides richer opportunities for self expression. To help you discern your own market niche, try using “where” and “who” questions like the following:

“Where” Questions

Where do you consistently find kindred spirits?
Where are you most credible?
Where is there the greatest need coupled with the greatest appreciation for your work?
Where do the people who need your work most often have breakdowns that would cause them to hire you?

“Who” Questions

Who is naturally drawn to you and to your work?
To whom are the things that seem obvious to you a revelation?
Who is traveling a path that you have successfully walked yourself?
Whose language do you speak?
Whose concerns can you reliably anticipate and address?
Whom is it easy for you to serve?

Knowing and working from your strengths are essential parts of developing your niche marketing strategy

There are probably several ways in which your strengths can add value in the marketplace. Therefore, developing a niche is a process of exploring several possibilities and gradually refining them.

You might think about developing a market niche as akin to planting a garden. You start by planting lots of seeds rather close together. As these germinate, you keep the strongest sprouts and remove the others. As your garden grows, you will continue to thin and prune until only the strongest and healthiest plants remain. Along the way you give away or compost the seedlings and trimmings; nothing is lost.

As you refine your niche marketing strategy, you’ll grow in integrity and confidence. With time, you’ll know with certainty which customers are right for you, and you’ll attract more of them.

Are You Afraid of Using Niche Marketing Because it May Turn Away Business?

As you refine your market niche, you may experience some anxiety that focusing on your niche will deprive you of needed business. What do you do if someone outside of your niche wants to hire you?

Talk to them. See how well you fit. There is nothing about a focused niche that says you cannot work with a variety of clients. The point of a niche is not to confine you, but to create the healthiest ecosystem for your business. Focusing your market niche is like focusing a great searchlight that can be seen for miles around. Your searchlight may attract people from beyond your niche precisely because you have defined that niche.

While you always have the option of working with anyone who is attracted by your focused niche, do beware of trying to be all things to all people. Not only are you likely to fail at this, but you run an increased risk of coming across as inauthentic and insincere. The cost of not applying a niche marketing strategy is not being recognized for the offer that you are and not having a fulcrum from which to leverage that offer for increased effectiveness, service, and prosperity. The longer you persist in marketing to everyone and anyone who could conceivably hire you, the more certain it is that you will burn out, leaving yourself and your clients or customers dissatisfied. In order to make a compelling declaration of what you are up to, you must be willing to say “no” to those clients, projects, and possibilities that are not well within the scope of your passion and your expertise.

It is important to look to the market to see what your prospective customers and clients want. But look with a keen eye for how the needs and desires of the market match your strengths, talents, and passions. Say “no” to the opportunities that are a poor match, so that your vision and resources can be focused on the projects and relationships that are most likely to succeed.

 

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