Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Power of Podcasts

Podcasting has been around for a while now but I still talk to people who don't take advantage of the great things you learn from all of the great podcasts out there. I like to think that podcasts help me "monetize" my spare time. Instead of sitting on a bus looking out the window, I can be learning about something new.

There are many different ways for you to listen to podcasts. One way is to find a podcast and manually download the mp3 or you can use a media player like iTunes to manage your subscriptions. Most podcasts will also have websites that have a media that you can use to listen to the podcast off the webpage, and some people find this easier. Now that I have transitioned to the iPhone, I like to use iTunes to manage my subscriptions so that they can be synced easily with my iPhone.

If you aren't using something iTunes of Zune to manage your subscriptions, I would recommend you see if there is an email newsletter or RSS feed to alert you to new episodes.

Here are some of the podcasts that I listen to regularly. First I'll thrown some out with different topics and then list from marketing/communications ones at the end.

The Advanced Selling Podcast: Hosted by Bill Caskey and Brian Neale (who I believe is a college football referee) this podcast is great for anyone who wants to know more about sales. However I also think that this podcast has applications outside of sales as they often discuss attitude and motivation. Check out this great episode on having an abundant vs scarce attitude.

Engadget Mobile Podcast: Few industries are as exciting and dynamic as mobile. Rapid innovation and fierce competition mean that we are constantly seeing new products. At the same time, device manufacturers and carriers have large marketing machines pumping out all kinds of confusing rhetoric. In the middle you have the Engadget Mobile podcasting team that includes a Canadian (Sean Cooper from Ottawa) making sense of everything that is going on. I don't have time for an extensive amount of mobile podcasts so this is the only one and believe me, it is quality. Warning, it can get a little technical at times but there is lots of great product strategy talk as well.

Grammar Girl Podcast: I know, I know... it doesn't seem like it but I do like to try and improve my writing skills as much as possible and this podcast is a must for anyone who ever wanted to "who or whom?". Part of the Quick and Dirty series, each episode is only about ten minutes long and focuses on only a few issues at a time.

This Week in Tech (Twit):
Hosted by Leo Laporte, this tapes live as a netcast on Sunday afternoons but I usually listen to it on Monday. Usually over an hour long with four guests but I have to say that this is the only real technology focused podcast I listen to because I think you get a bit of everything from mobile phones to computers to almost anything else related to tech in one podcast. It can push an hour and 20 minutes and there can be long periods of useless banter but it is for sure worth your time.

The following podcasts all deal with marketing and/or communications. I believe that never before have these two disciplines been so connected and intertwined. As such, many of these podcasts discuss both and are great listening for anyone in either field.

Inside PR: Great podcasts hosted by fellow Canucks Terry Fallis and David Jones. Usually updated on Wednesdays, this podcast is usually around 20 mins and includes discussions that center around pure PR and social media.

The Beancast: You get a little of everything on the Beancast each week. Tends to run over an hour so the discussion will often be in depth and feature three or four different panelists. One of my favorite podcasts.

Marketing Over Coffee:
My favorite marketing podcast, MOC is actually recorded each week in a Dunkin Donuts shop at about 6am. Usually posted on Wednesdays or Thursdays, MOC tends to sit around 20 to 30 minutes and includes lots of talk about e-marketing.

Six Pixels of Separation: Hosted by Mitch Joel, this (again, Canadian) podcast talks about marketing and communications. Tends to run about 45 minutes or so and will have Mitch and one other guest. Discussion is often centered around only one or two main topics each week. This podcast tends to make think deeply about ideas.

Duct Tape Marketing: This podcast says it is for small business but I think the topics of discussions here can be applied to ANY business. John Jantsch is very well known for his business and marketing acumen and the Duct Tape Marketing brand is known worldwide. Short episodes of about 20 minutes on one topic with one guest.

Here are some other ones I listen to but I didn't think were worth the write up:

Sales Hunter


Managing the Gray with C.C. Chapman


If you have podcasts that you think I'd enjoy, let me know as I am always looking out for new ones.

1 comment:

Bob Knorpp, @thebeancast said...

I'm pretty flattered to have The BeanCast included on this list. And I very much appreciate such kind words about the show.

I must say you have some great taste in podcasts, even if I wasn't included. A few of these are my own personal favorites. Some others you might consider are AdVerve, which is really shaping up to be the lone avant guarde marketing podcast and MacBreak Weekly, which is TWiT junior for me.

Thanks again for sharing this.

Bob Knorpp
Host of The BeanCast
Posts every Monday at http://beancast.us