If you’ve ever been to a chamber of commerce mixer, you’ve done what I call the “Grip and Grin dance” – You introduce yourself to someone, shake hands, smile and make some small talk about the canapes before asking the question… ‘so what do you do?’ Most of us politely nodour heads and make a note of our new friend, who is a Reiki Master, or one of the 14 types of yoga instructors. We chat for about 5 minutes, exchange business cards and then disengage and move on to the next target.
This process of meet, introduce and move on, has deep roots in society and has been a slow but effective way to build a clientele for generations, and I expect that it will continue in various forms, whether at the gym, the yoga studio or even the chamber of commerce. Today though we have a new tool in the entrepreneur’s toolbox – the podcast.
Podcasting has been for the most part a hobbyist’s endeavor. Cliff Ravenscraft, the PodcastAnswerman, started by talking about the tv show Lost with his wife Stephanie, and today has built a major business out of teaching people how to do what he did, and he’s well on his way to being a personal development guru. I had the chance to see him in action at Podcast Movement this past August and have followed him for years. We’ve even emailed each other few times. He’s elevated the podcast into a finely honed business tool that is now used by professionals and companies to reach their target audiences.
I know this, because that’s what I have done with my Men’s Family Law podcast. I reach men who are facing divorce or child custody cases and educate them, empower them and occasionally even entertain them with my podcast. As a professional I use the podcast as a means to answer my future clients questions so that they are ready to hire me, before they even speak to me. For the listeners who have spent a few hours with me in their head, already know, like and trust me. They bought my books, watched my videos and have a gut feeling about who I am.
If you are a professional who needs to do client development – podcasting is one of the most productive, time saving, and cost effective marketing tools you can create. I’m a big evangelist of the power of podcasting because not only does it allow you to reach your target audience, it also allows you to reach your target guests for networking.
My podcasts have allowed me to reach an NFL owner, authors, actors and regular joes. I’ve been turned down by only one person that I asked to come on my show, and in retrospect I’m glad, they’d have been a terrible, self-serving guest, and podcasting is really about servicing your audience. You’re there to share your knowledge with them, to entertain them, and to give them the tools they need to grow.
As part of my desire to help people, professionals, and companies understand the power of podcasting I’m building out the PodcastingForProfessionals.com website. Currently I’m working with two family law firms, an osteopath, an author, a filmmaker, a financial planner, and a small entertainment services company. If you’re a professional and looking for a way to increase your reach beyond the chamber of commerce and carry your message to what is literally a worldwide audience then I suggest you check out the possibilities of podcasting or drop me an email at [email protected]
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