The speaking sessions and panels from the Corporate Podcasting Summit 2006 are being made available through the IT Conversations Podcasting Summit page. The content and audio quality is fantastic. Speakers and panelists include Audrey Reed-Granger, Michael Geoghegan, Dave Mansueto, Rob Walch, Paul Colligan, Mark Ramsey and yours truly (Mark Blevis).

If you are anxious to download the set, the Quickcast is available now for $24.99. Otherwise, I understand that the sessions will be trickled out in the near future.

In order to justify any expenses, companies typically map money out to money in (Return on Investment or ROI).  This introduces many challenges for companies who are considering launching their own Podcasts.  This is where a new definition of ROI is becoming more popular - Return on Influence - and those who use this definition are convinced that if Podcasting is used to increase influence, the money will follow.  Audrey Reed-Granger (Director of Public Relations, Whirlpool) delivered a great talk that demonstrates this concept during the Corporate Podcasting Summit.

Modelled after NPR’s This American Life, Whirlpool’s The American Family Podcast has increased the company’s influence through some very calculated, and “outside-the-box” decisions.  Ms. Reed-Granger’s presentation outlined decisions that were made during the planning stages of the program.  Those decisions include:

• Forge an emotional connection with the listener that is NOT about the product/service by specifically excluding any mention of the product/service from the Podcast.  People still relate more to other people, not their appliances (although, this trend may change).
• Give customers another reason to choose the product/service.  This can be done by sharing the expertise of those within the company, experts in the field, and the greatest experts in “your” community… your current and prospetive customers.
• Build influence through word of mouth, not through slick marketing campaigns.  While building an audience this way may take longer, the audience will be stronger and more committed to the Podcast (and the product/service by extension).

Does it work?

The only promotion that Whirlpool did for its Podcast was a single press release when the first episode was launched (July 25, 2005).  That’s it.  According to Ms. Reed-Granger, there were 800 downloads of the Podcast in the first quarter of its release.  The American Family Podcast now enjoys 70,000 downloads per month - all through word of mouth.

Like many new technologies before it, Podcasts are changing the way companies create and manage their marketing strategies.  Podcasting offers incredible power, flexibility and especially freedom.  What’s more significant is that it is amazingly affordable if done in the true spirit of the movement.  The companies that will succeed in this new media age are those that continue to push the limits of the technology and their creativity, and abandon the tired and patronizing infomercial.

During the Corporate Podcasting Summit last week, I was asked for my opinion on how a company can gain traction with its Podcast. I responded by offering four key pieces of advice:

DIRECTORIES

List your Podcast in every directory with care that you don’t list your show in a directory in which it does not belong.

PARTICIPATE

Listen to other Podcasts, particularly those that are in the same genre as yours. Send email or audio feedback and specifically comment on the show to establish that you are indeed a listener. Encourage the Podcaster to keep up their efforts. Get out to as many meetups and conferences as possible to network with other Podcasters and become part of the scene.

ENGAGE

Invite your audience to submit feedback, or use a call to action to engage your audience and make them a part of your Podcast. Include comments your receive, good and bad, in your show and treat each comment with respect.

EARN TRUST

Earn your listener’s trust by being transparent with company and Podcast activities. If you screw up and dust it under the carpet, the community will destroy you.

Mat Zucker (Executive Creative Director, R/GA) explained yesterday that, in an effort to protect their brand and corporate image, Johnson & Johnson’s legal team introduced delays and additional costs as they scrutinized the content of Acuvue’s official Podcast - a program hosted by hired teenagers, Heather and Jonelle.

While Mat did not disclose any figures, I would guess that legal costs accounted for a majority of the overall Podcast budget, and may have introduced costs that were not included in the original budget.

James Harris, ListenShare’s CEO and Chief Storyteller, delivered a great talk about strategies for corporate Podcasters earlier today at the Corporate Podcasting Summit. In his presentation, James explained four key points for consideration:

• Be an active part of the community
• “Open source” your efforts
• Be green, repurpose everything
• Be clever and smart, never lazy

Creativity is the key to being green, telling the stories that have already been written.

“What’s in all of those filing cabinets”, Harris challenged. “Find the ‘Fred Sanford’ of your company.”

Harris’ point serves as a great start for corporate Podcasters. In a culture that demands short delivery times, using what you already have at your fingertips will keep your production times short and will ensure that you have a wealth of content for your Podcast.