What exactly do you use the Internet for? It is as a means of retrieving information? Do you have to visit several different websites to gather together the facts you are looking for? If the answer to these questions is yes, how would you feel if the data required came to you without the necessity of you spending hours on end surfing the net?
You will be pleased to know that with podcasting this is now possible!
So, what exactly is a podcast? If you think of the word "broadcast", what springs to mind? Could it be a picture of some description? Do you envisage someone listening to the news bulletin on the radio? You may see spectators watching the game on TV or a PC on a network putting out packets for all other networks to receive? We can work out from this that broadcasting is a means of sending out information to a specific audience. Such audiences will be able to accept and decipher the signals being sent out as long as they have the right equipment to do so.
Podcasting works in a similar way by sending out digital and machine readable files to subscribers from a server. Although this is a type of file-sharing over the Internet just like streaming or direct downloading, podcasting is unique because it is being subscribed to, it is syndicated and new data is automatically downloaded as it is added. To enable this to happen a feed reader or aggregator such as Atom or RSS is used. Subscribers have software known as a podcatching client, which makes full use of the features of the syndication of the podcast. Apple's iTunes, Microsoft's Zune Marketplace, Juice, and Podget are all examples of such podcatching clients.
Episodes or programs received from podcasters can be played on a computer or transferred to an iPod or some other form of portable media player. If you think about it the word "podcast" is a mix of two other words, namely "iPod" and "broadcast". As you may already be aware, the iPod is the first portable piece of equipment in which the podcasting applications were developed.
At the beginning podcasting was used to send radio-style shows but it has now progressed to podcasters becoming DJs and stars of their own radio and TV shows. People now have the opportunity to showcase just what they can do by reaching their audiences in this inexpensive way. Podcasting is the method that well known companies, like NPR and CNN, give out their contents to end users by and it is also used to distribute school lessons, conference meeting alerts and updates and even the police employ this method to keep the public up to date on safety issues.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Postcard Marketing Wisdom - Build the Message Around the Objective
Everything I'm about to say assumes that you already have a product or service worth selling. If you feel that you do, and you're researching direct mail postcards as a promotional channel for that product or service, then read on!
Many first-time postcard marketers make the mistake of starting with the message before anything else. "What should I write on this postcard?" they will ask. "What should my headline say? What points do I need to make within the body?"
Here's a tip that will make the writing process easier for you, while also making the direct mail piece more effective in the end. Start with the response you are trying to evoke, and then work backward from there. Before you write a single word of your postcard message, you should clearly identify what it is you want people to do when they receive it.
Don't Overburden Your Postcards
Here's the key to this process. The desired response for your direct mail campaign must be something that a postcard is able to deliver. Think about the space and time constraints here. You don't have a lot of space for your marketing message, and you don't have a lot of time to convince the reader. They'll give you a quick glance at first, and if you don't grab them based on that glance you're done. So keep your response simple.
For example, let's say I am sending some postcards to business people in a certain industry to tell them about my new software program. My product is designed to make their life easier by streamlining some of the daily tasks they go through. But how much of this do I write into my direct mail message? Well, that depends on the desired response I am seeking from readers.
Working Backward from the Response
In this scenario, I need to start with the objective of my marketing campaign. There is not enough space on a postcard for me to explain all the details of my software program. Nor will most people give it that much time at first glance. So I come up with a simpler response -- all I want people to do is download a free-trial version of my product. Now that's something my direct mail piece can accomplish.
So from here, I work backward. I need a good landing page on my website that I can tie into the postcard campaign. I need to set up the free trial process and make sure everything is working. I need to ensure that names and email addresses are being captured for follow-up purposes.
The Message Writes Itself
Already, we can see how much easier the writing process is going to be. I have removed a big burden from my shoulders by determining a realistic response, something that is easy and risk-free for the respondents. I no longer have to tell them everything that makes my program great -- I only have to tell them enough to draw their initial interest, and to motivate them toward the free trial. At this point, the message practically writes itself. And it's all because I started with a realistic objective and worked backward from there.
Many first-time postcard marketers make the mistake of starting with the message before anything else. "What should I write on this postcard?" they will ask. "What should my headline say? What points do I need to make within the body?"
Here's a tip that will make the writing process easier for you, while also making the direct mail piece more effective in the end. Start with the response you are trying to evoke, and then work backward from there. Before you write a single word of your postcard message, you should clearly identify what it is you want people to do when they receive it.
Don't Overburden Your Postcards
Here's the key to this process. The desired response for your direct mail campaign must be something that a postcard is able to deliver. Think about the space and time constraints here. You don't have a lot of space for your marketing message, and you don't have a lot of time to convince the reader. They'll give you a quick glance at first, and if you don't grab them based on that glance you're done. So keep your response simple.
For example, let's say I am sending some postcards to business people in a certain industry to tell them about my new software program. My product is designed to make their life easier by streamlining some of the daily tasks they go through. But how much of this do I write into my direct mail message? Well, that depends on the desired response I am seeking from readers.
Working Backward from the Response
In this scenario, I need to start with the objective of my marketing campaign. There is not enough space on a postcard for me to explain all the details of my software program. Nor will most people give it that much time at first glance. So I come up with a simpler response -- all I want people to do is download a free-trial version of my product. Now that's something my direct mail piece can accomplish.
So from here, I work backward. I need a good landing page on my website that I can tie into the postcard campaign. I need to set up the free trial process and make sure everything is working. I need to ensure that names and email addresses are being captured for follow-up purposes.
The Message Writes Itself
Already, we can see how much easier the writing process is going to be. I have removed a big burden from my shoulders by determining a realistic response, something that is easy and risk-free for the respondents. I no longer have to tell them everything that makes my program great -- I only have to tell them enough to draw their initial interest, and to motivate them toward the free trial. At this point, the message practically writes itself. And it's all because I started with a realistic objective and worked backward from there.
Monday, February 2, 2009
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