Here are a couple of recent posts on podcasting that will surely be of much interest to all marketers. Some of these articles provide a great place to start for corporate marketers looking to add podcasts to their media mix.

(i) My thought process was triggered by a FutureLab post by our very own Karl Long (Experience Curve) on the “Uncommon Uses of Podcasting“. Karl provides a great overview of some of the uncommon ways he sees podcasts being used effectively. Think Entertainment (Music, Travel Tours, Cooking Lessons, etc…)

(ii) On the other end of the podcast usage spectrum, check out a recent Marketing Sherpa article (which I stumbled upon via Paul Colligan) that clearly defines the do’s and dont’s for corporate marketers interested in testing the waters. Some of the findings are in agreement with the recent McCann report that I blogged about, but the good news seems to be that finally podcasting has broken into the mainstream, 2 years since its debut.

Here’s a synopsis of the 5 Do’s and 5 Dont’s:

DO’s:

1. KISSE (Keep it Short, Simple & Entertaining):  the article recommends 10 – 20 minutes per podcast. My take is that even if you decide on a 30 minute podcast, break it into smaller audio chunks (5 minute segments) thereby offering more options to the listener
2. Use a strong voice and a distinct style for your podcasts
3. Try different guest stars; there can be only brand voice but many interviewed
4. Do pick a content-specific title: It’ll be helpful for search-engine optimization needs. Also, providing the transcript of the podcast or a summary will be helpful for the same reason
5. Create a podcasting calendar

DON’Ts:

1. Do not repurpose existing content as a podcast
2. Do not make sales pitch podcasts
3. Do not create one-off podcasts; it’s a waste of time
4. Do not burden the podcast with lengthy advertisements
5. Do not read from a script; or atleast try not to sound like you are reading from one

Feel free to download the entire article here (Free until Sep 1, 2006).

Do you have any suggestions based on your experience?