What is Podcasting?
Podcasting is a technique through which audio files are made available on the Internet, from where they can be downloaded directly to MP3 players, including iPods, for whom the term was coined. Podcasting is different from other methods of streaming audio files on the Internet, in that it can be used with RSS feeds and can give automatic update downloads to the audio whenever they are available.
Podcasters tap their business opportunities with the audio that they provide. Though this audio may be something interesting, like a song, it might have something like a commercial at the beginning or the end where the marketer speaks about the business opportunity. This is very similar to advertisements in broadcasting with the radio, but the only difference is that this is Personal on
Demand Broadcast, a term from where the term Podcast is supposed to originate (actually it originates from a play on 'iPod Broadcast').
What are the Pros of Podcasting?
These are personal promotional methods, where it is assured that the person's complete attention is on the podcast when the ad is running. This ensures a better consideration from them.
Podcasts are very good for SEO. Search engines pick them up and this can be improved by improving the optimization in their descriptions. Social bookmarks can also be added to improve their visibility on the Internet. To top it all, podcasting is very cheap.
One more benefit about podcasting is that viral marketing can happen. A person who has heard a good podcast is likely to recommend it to friends. This can bring some good viral marketing into the picture.
What are the Cons of Podcasting?
The number of people using MP3 players and actually getting time to listen to downloaded content on it is very less. Due to that, the popularity of podcasting is a bit on the lower side.