Marketing With Podcasting

Podcasting - audio programs distributed online - are increasing being used in place of or as a supplement to a blog or newsletter as a marketing tool.

Why should you consider creating a podcast? Three reasons:

Traditional broadcasting or advertising by radio or television is very expensive - out of reach to many small businesses. It is also hit and miss - if your target audience isn't listening when your advertisement runs, you've missed them. Additionally, these media formats are rapidly losing market share to online media.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to reach customers by email. Even legitimate email can disappear  forever into the receiver's spam filter. Podcasts distributed by RSS bypass email entirely.

People are becoming skeptical of obvious marketing messages. By creating a podcast of useful and entertaining information, you are building trust with your audience. You are giving them a chance to get to know, like and trust you in a very risk-free way. And because podcasts allows listeners to hear your voice, you stop being an anonymous business and become a living, breathing person.

What should you include in your podcast?

Offer news, updates and insights about your industry. Try interviewing industry experts, particularly ones not from your company. Explain how new technology will impact your customers. Warn them of legislative changes. Let them be the first to know of new trends. Keeping your audience informed about what's new can position you as a trusted expert and advisor.

Podcasts that offer tips to make your customers' lives easier or better will always be popular. Think about your customers and what their problems are. If you can provide useful advice to solve those problems they'll keep listening.

If your product is complicated or difficult to use consider releasing a series of instruction podcasts - particularly video podcasts. Offering podcasts with detailed and easy-to-follow instructions that walk customers through the process and warns them of pitfalls can turn dissatisfied customers into raving fans.

These are just some of the ways a podcast can be used to promote your business.

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Selling on eBay - How to Alienate Customers

eBay is a fantastic place for a number of reasons, but one of the most significant has to be that it allows shoppers to find and buy items that simply cannot be located in the typical high street. Add to this the level of choice provided by diverse sellers, and the result is - not only can you purchase uncommon bits and pieces, but you can also expect bargain prices.

Some eBay sellers employ tactics that are a total turn-off for customers (like me). Often decisions about what to purchase from whom are not simply a matter of price, but to do with confidence in the seller. This is particularly true of second-hand goods, where I want to be able make a judgement as to the accuracy of subjective issues such as condition.

I cannot be unique among shoppers, so here are my top eBay turn-offs

Bad spelling and grammar

I am not talking about trivial errors, but major spelling mistakes, and sentences that have no grammatical structure. The issue is that if a seller takes so little effort and pride to construct an advertisement that conforms to normal language, can I really expect them to be bothered and able to sort out a problem? Bad spelling and grammar are unprofessional, and signal that communication is not the seller's strong point. Given a choice, I will buy from an eBay seller who has taken some effort to construct their advertisement, and does not create the impression they are unintelligent.

Missing essential information

Many sellers seem to omit essential information. For example, I like to buy old furniture for restoration, and many sellers do not think to detail the size of their item. I have also been looking for a camera, but some sellers forget to address key issues such as "does it work". I know I can always ask questions, but I normally just move to listings that do contain all the relevant information: it takes less effort.

Hidden reserves

I hate items with a hidden reserve. I guess the logic is that this strategy encourages interested parties to use bids to probe (try adding another £5), and ultimately exceed the maximum price they ideally wanted to pay. The flip side is that, as a bidder, you can be £1 below the reserve, and not know it. Listings that do not have a stated minimum price deprive the buyer of a vital piece of information, and lead to time wasted upon speculation. I do not even bother watching items with an unknown reserve price.

I am selling it for a friend

This is a phrase I see quite often. To me it says, "I want to avoid taking responsibility for this item. If there is a problem it is nothing to do with me." Why else is it relevant to include this information? I don't buy anything that is being sold for a friend.

Unreasonable postage costs

I accept that there can be an overhead to sending goods that is over and above postal charges. There are the packing materials (if they need to be bought), and the time it take to wrap things. Additionally, not everyone lives next door to a Post Office, and may need to drive and even pay parking fees. However, I believe most eBay sellers aim to subsume their "overheads" within the price of the item. Nevertheless, postage cost should resemble the actual cost of posting, and not be a means to extend the profit from eBay sales. Excessive postage cost normally stick out like a sore thumb. I was recently looking for a particular camera lens. The typical postage cost was around £3.50, but one listing (identical to all the others) had a postage cost of £10! I do not deal with any seller who asks for unreasonable postage cost on a matter of principle.

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