Blogcasting: the future of customer communications

(Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes)

Consumption is a curious concept. Consumers, even more so.

The fickle, unique nature of each customer means you cannot rely on your message being digested using one medium or another.

But this question is important: “Is your business talking the customer’s language, in as many ways as possible?”

It’s not enough to be all about words and pictures. And it’s easy to procrastinate on implementing audio and video. That’s where blogcasting comes in, reaching your customers every way you can.

Blogcasting

To be really successful, you need the words and the sonic sensations. You need what is best described as a blogcasting strategy.

Blogcasting is the upcoming sweet spot in the 21st century marketing principles of any company. Wherever you are with your customer relationship strategy, it’s obvious you need to be learning how to use the appropriate tools, effectively. Reach your customers with text, audio, and video.

Speak your customer’s language

Consider the results of the most recent TravelHorizons survey, a quarterly pulse check on consumer attitudes by the American Travel Association (the research itself is conducted by my very good friend Peter Yesawich and his team at the Y Partnership).

In 2008, most people relied on the thousands of words at tripadvisor to help decide the paths their leisure journeys should take. It was easy, relevant and quick.

One year on, the favourite source for travel inspiration is… YouTube.

You could accredit this to scepticism over the veracity of travel reviews. You could say that a greater selection, faster internet connectivity and more prevalent use of the camcorder has nudged people to the world’s biggest video site.

I think the crusade for authenticity is a driver.

I don’t think you can get an accurate impression of a holiday experience by reading a story.

But I also think people are sick of reading screens. It’s not quick enough. It’s not easy to recall what you read when you discuss the subject with others.

Set that against audio or video (or at best, both) stimulations. The effect is far more emotional; more powerful; more likely to help you draw a meaningful conclusion.

The sound of your words

Podcasts are even easier to  pull together. It takes a guest with passion, it takes you to research your subject (has it really been any easier to get what you want than today?) and it takes a certain knowledge of who you want to target with your program, and what results you want to achieve.

• Skype to patch yourselves together
• Pamela to record it
• A couple of high-quality headsets costing no more than £20 each
• A copy of the free and easy-to-use Audacity audio mixer and recorder to cut and trim your final piece…
• And you’re all set.

Of course, it takes imagination, a certain desire to think outside the box, to make your efforts stand out.

I just picked up a Sanyo Xacti from Play.com. It cost me £99. You slide an SD card in, record High Definition video. £99 to make a video you could spread far and wide, for no extra cost on Viddler, Vimeo, YouTube or whichever video distribution platform you choose to use.

It just so happens, in the second part of this series, I have seven scenarios I want you to get your head around. They’re typical of the kind of response I get when I hang loose in the community to tout for clients for my multi-dimensional blogging services:

What do you think? Are you blogcasting, or do you plan to be? Drop me a line if you want to discuss your opportunities in greater detail.

Dave Thackeray Want to be a radio star? Guest on Dave Thackeray's InspiRadio, a unique business-focused online radio network. Listen live or check out the InspiRadio website for more information.