In Part I of this series we covered the basics of what podcasting is, how you might use it and the first steps to getting started on doing your own podcasting. This month we will see the different ways some top producers are using podcasting to boost their credibility, marketing results and even streamline their operations.

Ira Serkes of RE/MAX Executives in Berkeley, California, is best described as a technology "early adopter." One of his stated goals was to be among the first in the Realtor® community to incorporate podcasting into his online marketing efforts on his Berkeley Neighborhood Web, Blog, and Podcast site, Berkeleyhomes.com. After devouring books on the subject (he was a chemical engineer in a previous life) he started producing his own podcasts from scratch. Interestingly, Ira's first podcasts where not explicitly marketing related. Instead he chose to create audio instructional pieces for his site visitors covering such topics as negotiations, inspections, insurance, completing the purchase agreement, etc.

When asked what effect his podcasts were having on his website traffic, he said, "After studying my website page statistics, the page that received the most traffic was surprisingly my podcast subscription page. It even surpassed the views of all home searches!" Ira's next podcast adventure will include interviews with sellers (to let them tell their own home's story in their words which could highly personalize the listing marketing process), audio anecdotes about different parts of the community, and audio with digital photos to create small AV presentations etc.

Jo Ellen Nash of Nash & Company in Vail, Colorado uses podcasting for two very different purposes. First she produces her own podcasts to create verbal "brain dumps" as a consistent way to train her staff. This includes her extensive knowledge of the various unique neighborhoods within Vail and operating procedures within her business. She says, "This way, I only have to train once, no matter how many new people we hire and they can listen to it as many times as they need to." When Jo Ellen uses podcasts as a marketing vehicle, however, she uses an entirely different approach. She subscribes to a service called Talk Realty, which produces a highly professional podcast each month for her website. Here is how it works:

• Once a month Jo Ellen is sent a scripted set of "interview" questions;

• She calls a special phone number and simply responds to the questions as if someone live were posing them to her; 

• Talk Realty then edits her responses and mixes in a professional voice talent with intro music, who then proceeds to "ask" Jo Ellen the questions from the script.

The result is a highly polished looking and sounding podcast that literally took only five minutes of Jo Ellen's time to produce while completely avoiding all the technical issues of doing it herself. When asked the results of using podcasts for marketing she says, "I have received many e-mails from buyers and sellers who say they really enjoy listening to them, and I figure if they are taking the time to tell me, it must be having an effect."

Brett Ellis of the RE/MAX Realty Group in Fort Myers, Floridal, is taking podcasting to a whole new level with podcast videos.

Given that Apple Computer has recently introduced their Nano iPod device which allows you to view high-quality video on a device the size of a normal iPod, this will open up entirely new marketing opportunities. Using the services of leading podcasting provider PodBlaze, Brett is able to repurpose his existing marketing videos and podcast them to the highly affluent early adopters who rushed out to purchase the Nano as soon as it hit the market. Brett says, "Podcasting my online videos totally sets me apart from my competition who are still trying to wrap their heads around the notion of audio podcasts."

Podcasting is definitely here to stay and can become an important part of your marketing mix and even help you run your business more efficiently. Whether you are a die-hard do-it-yourselfer or would prefer to just "speak" and let someone else handle the technical details of creating and posting your podcast, there is a solution for you. I have created a special podcast resource Web page for you at www.russer.com/resources/podcasting. It has all the links to podcast tools and services you can use to get up and running as quickly and easily as possible.

Never underestimate the power of the word, especially when it is spoken in your voice. Podcasting lets you easily exercise that power so your message to the masses truly does "rise above the noise!"

Published: August 18, 2006

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Michael J. Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®) is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry and small business. He is also the exclusive Internet columnist for REALTOR® Magazine, the architect of the revolutionary e-ProductivityTM system and leading voice for the use of Virtual Assistants in small business. You can subscribe to his free monthly leading-edge newsletter ePOWER NEWS by going to ePowerNews.com.