Audio Marketing Tips: Recent Episodes
Mike Russell
In each one minute episode of Audio Marketing Tips I'll give you one actionable tip that you can follow to help you reach a wider audience, build a business and make money using the power of audio.
When you have a guest on your show or mention a product, brand, or person be sure to tweet it out afterwards. Sharing your content with others that you feature in it will be sure to attract them to retweet it and open you up to a wider audience.
Reuse and recycle your best content. Look at your statistics - I use Spreaker to distribute this podcast - Spreaker statistics are awesome! You can see popular episodes and your most listened to shows. Retweet, like and share your audio again on Google+ to gain new listeners and boost old content. It's work you've already done so make use of it again and again.
I recommend Buffer app to help you schedule tweets at intervals you choose on Twitter: http://jngl.es/buffer
Find forums online that match your passion, join them, contribute and learn about new topics that you can talk about during your online radio show. I'm a big fan of Adobe Audition and subscribe to many online discussion forums to learn more about it. You can keep tabs on multiple forums by using an RSS reader. An App i use and love on my iPad is Mr. Reader. Check it out at http://jngl.es/mrreader
Audio could be the next frontier for social media. We already have Instagram to help us share photos and Vine for video but how about short, timely social audio clips? An article on Mashable suggests Dubbler and Eevzdrop could change the landscape of audio sharing on social media. I've started using Dubbler and you can add different effects to your audio clips (of up to 60 seconds). The future of audio is looking bright. 2013 will see more audio sharing platforms develop!
Startups Bet Audio Is the Next Frontier for Social Media: http://mashable.com/2013/03/06/dubbler-eevzdrop/
Dubbler: http://dblr.me/s/Q7QhH
What can you do to get more listeners to you radio show? Answer listener questions. It's the best way to tap into the zeitgeist of your listeners and attract more ears to your message. Is there a pattern in your inbox or do you get asked the same questions every single day? Answer them in a short-form podcast (like this one) and upload them to an audio distribution platform like Spreaker. Easy!
Some of the most successful podcasts I've done have been answers to listener questions like 'how do a make a great radio demo?' http://jngl.es/mrc034 or 'how can I make my voice sound better?' http://jngl.es/mrc003
Record your thoughts in a note taking app such as Evernote: http://jngl.es/evernote
Discovering the Community: Mike Russell: http://blog.spreaker.com/blog/2013/03/05/discovering-the-community-mike-russell/ - I've been interviewed on the Spreaker Blog. Thanks to Anna Piazza and the team at Spreaker. You all do a great job!
Portable recorders like the Roland R-05 or Blue Microphone Mikey can be used to record people on the go that you may bump into. You never know who you'll meet when out and about or at a convention. Celebrities, authorities on your subject or a listener to your radio show/podcast. Grab an interview or sound bites with them to use as content for your show or clips for radio jingles.
Roland R-05: http://jngl.es/r05
Blue Microphone Mikey: http://jngl.es/mikey
Do you create megabytes, gigabytes or even terabytes of audio and have no idea where to store it? Audio storage can be a problem especially if you like to record in the highest quality .wav file. A solution I can advise is to back up your audio to the cloud. I use Amazon S3 to backup audio and transfer large audio files to clients. If you're not so concerned about having access to the audio and prefer to be more of an 'audio hoarder' Amazon Glacier will provide a better long term solution. You'll be in good company - did you know that Dropbox uses Amazon Web Services to backup and sync files?
Amazon S3: http://aws.amazon.com/s3
Amazon Glacier: http://aws.amazon.com/glacier
The brand new Google+ sign-in for apps and website is exciting. I think it's a big deal for podcasters. You can now share stuff from apps and websites to your Google+ stream along with a big button. One of these buttons is titled 'LISTEN'. Two audio platforms have linked with Google+ already - Shazam and TuneIn. If you've not added your podcast to the TuneIn directory now is the time to submit is and then share it on Google+ for the world to hear.
How To Share A Podcast On Google+: http://www.musicradiocreative.com/jingles/how-to-share-a-podcast-on-google/
Introducing Google+ Sign-In: http://googledevelopers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/introducing-google-sign-in-simple-and.html
Transcribing your audio can help to increase the audience that discover your content. People learn in different ways - some read, some listen and others watch. YouTube allows you to upload your own transcription documents and will sync the writing perfectly with any video. You can also click to have your transcription translated into different languages. Look at your statistics and check to see if you have viewers or listeners in different countries. Translating audio transcriptions can help you to reach a whole new language.
My Adobe Audition Tutorial (with multiple language captions): http://youtu.be/hlKzx7ol_-o
YouTube Caption Translation: http://youtubecreator.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/get-your-youtube-video-captions.html
How can you make sure your web address is remembered when you read it out? Get a short URL. A web address that's easy to say and easy to remember.
It's easy to register short domain names such as .fm and .co using a domain registrar such as GoDaddy: http://jngl.es/godaddy
Plugins I recommend that will allow you to redirect your short web addresses include Pretty Link Lite and YOURLS.
Pretty Link Lite: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/pretty-link/
YOURLS: http://yourls.org/
Remember to say any web address that you'd like your listener to remember at least twice.
Amazon platform ACX can turn your book, if you're a published author, into an audio book. It means your audio book can be distributed through Amazon, iTunes and Audible. It's really easy to sign up and use but at present you need to be resident in the US. It's a great way of getting your written word out to a wider audience using audio. Considering that only around 5% of the world's books are in audio form there's still plenty of opportunity!
Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX): http://www.acx.com
Get your book transformed into an audio book at: http://www.musicradiocreative.com
SlideShare is a fantastic platform that allows you to upload PowerPoint presentations, Word docs, Adobe PDF files and even Keynote stuff (with a little converting to PDF!) I've uploaded a couple of presentations so far and seen an amazing amount of views. My most recent SlideShare upload about podcast intros - http://www.slideshare.net/musicradiocreative/podcast-intros-pro-podcast-intros-attract-more-listeners - had 25 views in the first hour! Not only can you share presentations but you can record a Slidecast. Which allows you to record audio to match with your presentation slides!
SlideShare : Slidecasts: http://help.slideshare.com/forums/326091-Slidecasts
Pinterest, the growing social network, can be used to get your sounds heard. There was a blog about this in 2012 when Pinterest announced they were unmuting the web. If you want your sounds to be heard on Pinterest you need to use SoundCloud. Make sure you use good artwork on your SoundCloud audio as it is displayed inside Pinterest with a play button over it. Listen to my friend Cynthia Sanchez with the Oh So Pinteresting podcast for more tips, tricks and interviews on how to use Pinterest for business or pleasure.
Oh So Pinteresting Podcast: http://www.ohsopinteresting.com/category/podcast/
SoundCloud Unmutes Pinterest: http://blog.soundcloud.com/2012/06/20/soundcloud-unmutes-pinterest/
- An app launched last year called chirp.io: http://jngl.es/chirp
- It's like a social network for audio.
- It generates a tweeting noise that allows you to share a web URL, image or short text.
- You could embed audio into your podcast at the end to create a subscribe link.
- Just hold your phone up to the audio source with the app open to use it.
- I made a YouTube video about Chirp.io jingles here: http://youtu.be/hh5jayN8OPI
Mike Russell, Music Radio Creative
http://www.musicradiocreative.com
- Today is World Radio Day - #worldradioday
- A celebration of the positive impact radio can have on people around the world.
- "The humble wireless is an increasingly useful tool in improving health and education among some of the most disadvantaged and isolated communities in the world today." (Metro: http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/13/3445638-3445638/ )
- Do something to help spread the word about World Radio Day.
- 1 billion people in the world today still don't have access to radio (Official World Radio Day website: http://www.worldradioday.org/ )
- The Vine App from Twitter is growing - http://jngl.es/vineapp
- Use it to record 6 seconds of you podcasting or playing with your mixing desk.
- Many Vine video clips were created over the weekend of The Grammys, Fashion Week and US snowstorm.
- There are plenty of eyeballs on this new viral video sharing platform use it to promote your audio!
Vine clip to promote radio jingles: http://vine.co/v/bJAErZvb6An
Vines Sprout Throughout The Grammys, Fashion Week and Even a Snowstorm: http://simplymeasured.com/blog/2013/02/11/vines-sprout-throughout-the-grammys-fashion-week-and-even-a-snowstorm/
Get the Vine app here: http://jngl.es/vineapp
- Start with your podcast name and episode number to identify your show.
- Tell the audience what your podcast is all about - briefly!
- You could use intro music for your podcast or have a professional podcast intro produced.
- Get into the content of your episode as fast as possible.
- At the end, summarise to your audience what they've just heard.
- Give one call to action (like I did) to visit a web address or subscribe to you newsletter/social media etc.
Tips for Effective Podcast Intros, Transitions and Outros with Mike Russell: http://startpodcastingnow.com/009-tips-for-effective-podcast-intros-transitions-and-outros-with-mike-russell/
Mike Russell, Music Radio Creative
http://www.musicradiocreative.com
- Google+ is second biggest social network according to Trendstream's Global Web Index.
- Google engineer Tim Blasi announced a bandwidth slider to help users with poor internet connections.
- Slide it right down and you get to audio only mode.
- This could be huge for podcasters who want to invite listener interaction using Hangouts.
GlobalWebIndex Google+ In Depth: http://globalwebindex.net/thinking/google-in-depth/
Tim Blasi's announcement on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/107339337083351011695/posts/XLpRLLJVaqa
Mike Russell, Music Radio Creative
http://www.musicradiocreative.com
- According to a blog from Mark Ramsey Media audio is crushing it online!
- According to USA TouchPoints audio pulls in more reach than streaming movies and TV combined.
- Any audio or radio stream pulls in 40% of 18-24s, a third of 24-34s and one out of four 35-54s.
- I'm not surprised. You can consume streaming radio and podcasts while doing other things online.
- It's one of the easiest formats to produce - you just talk - and helps to build trust, brand awareness and your authority online.
Check Out the Reach for Streaming Radio: http://www.markramseymedia.com/2013/02/check-out-the-reach-for-streaming-radio/
Mike Russell, Music Radio Creative
http://www.musicradiocreative.com
- YouTube is great for uploading and sharing audio too.
- Don't just upload audio with a logo.
- Make a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation to match your audio.
- Use screen recording software to capture and talk about software you love.
- Get started with an iPhone or Android video camera!
- YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world. Get your audio discovered on there!
Mike Russell, Music Radio Creative
http://www.musicradiocreative.com
- Spreaker is a service that allows you to syndicate podcast audio.
- Get started by reading a blog or email newsletter you've written.
- It's easy to record your thoughts and then upload or broadcast them.
- Syndicate the audio to all your social networks.
- Host multiple shows and even submit them as podcast feeds to iTunes.
Mike Russell, Music Radio Creative
http://www.musicradiocreative.com