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Vlogs And Wikis And Pods, Oh My! |
Perhaps you've heard about blogs - the hottest communication
story of last year. Commentators from Newsweek to the Wall
Street Journal, from CNN to PBS have devoted time to the
phenomenon. Blogs are just one of the new technologies that are
changing the way politicians communicate with voters and
businesses communicate with customers.
For marketers, these changes mean more direct interaction with
customers and potential customers. By speaking and listening
directly with the customer marketers are able to reduce the
expense for public relations and advertising. Of course, these
developments are worrying some in the pr and advertising
industries, as well as the news media.
Many things about marketing communication won't change, of
course: you still need to have something to say. And the best
way to apply all these technologies is still within a business
niche. With that said, here are some of the other ways
communication is changing:
1. Podcasting is the hottest idea on the internet. Starting in
2004, people began downloading homebrewed radio shows to their
iPods. So instead of "broadcasts" they're "podcasts". Unlike
streaming audio, podcasts require the file to be downloaded.
The advantage of podcasts versus streaming is that you can take
it with you when you're not on the net. The disadvantage is that
streaming audio is much easier for a customer to play at his or
her computer. The solution is to do both - create an audio file
for streaming, and an mp3 for podcasting. The same recording can
be used for both.
2. A vlog is a video blog. Unlike podcasting, vlogging can
refer to either streaming video or downloadable shows. Combined
with the rapid development of internet video delivery, vlogging
seems poised to take off. As with audio, you can prepare your
video file in both streaming and downloadable formats. Also
like audio, you can begin with very low-cost tools and work
your way up to full blown professional equipment. Remember that
people like good production quality, but they like watching
something interesting even more.
3. Wikis are websites that are editable by the site users.
Content becomes part of a dialogue among the users, instead of
something fixed. This interaction can build strong communities,
and produce large sites with enormous information. Up until
recently, wikis have been difficult to use, and limited to
techs. New approaches to wikis are making them easier to use,
and reinforcing the next trend:
4. Social software. Community sites that encourage sharing and
conversation are springing up in many areas. Photography and
music have been drivers of this trend, in addition to political
activism. Interaction builds community, and community is where
the market is.
5. Almost all of these tools involve RSS, a technology for
feeding information to people who want it. Unlike email, which
is "pushed" by the sender, rss feeds have to be "pulled" by the
user. While still not completely mainstream, rss is a rapidly
growing delivery system.
For the small marketer, the price of reaching customers
directly has dropped. Large corporations, though, are picking
up on these technologies rapidly. To truly gain an edge, the
small business person needs to develop a strategy for these
channels before the big companies figure them out.
Sandra Stammberger is the owner of Insider
Scripts. At Insider Script's programmers are working around the
clock to develop affordable, powerful money making scripts that
will help you drive traffic to your business.
http://www.insider-scripts.com
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