In a recent networking situation a small business owner asked me an interesting question.

"Have I missed the boat with Podcasting?"

She went on to explain that some felt that the podcasting wave had crested and anyone who was going to be anybody in the world of podcasting were already doing it and anyone else that tried to join in now would just be lost in the crowd.

I blinked through several moments of silence while I gave that some thought. There is so much in her words that can spark a great conversation. What is meant by "anyone who was going to be anybody" for starters?

Okay, leaving all that behind - her question can be answered easily enough.

No, you have not missed the boat with podcasting.

Podcasting is still a young media. We haven't fully tapped its potential. There will be many more beautiful-young, cranky-old and quirky-offensive podcasting stars born in the months and years to come. We'll read about them on blogs and forums and see their faces in the iTunes Music Store Directory. It is truly not too late for someone to become somebody in the world of podcasting.

Sure, only a tiny percentage of podcasters will make it to the big time. But does that mean that everyone else is wasting their time? Not at all, in fact most people who should be looking into podcasting can be looking at it from a fresh perspective and not even think of podcasting as the chance to be the next big media sensation.

Podcasting is simply making media content available via RSS - and when you think of it that way, you realize that you should be podcasting in one way or another sooner or later.

Here are three reasons why.

1. Your Market Wants It

Your market wants to choose how they will consume your content. If you are writing articles for your website or for distribution, there are many in your target market who would prefer to listen to that article than stop to read it.

I multitask. I would like to keep an eye on new articles being written by more of my favorite people - but I don't have all day to sit and read. I do however have two ears and can easily give one over to listening to an audio feed of articles that I have chosen to monitor.

2. Competitors Want It

Other website owners, newsletter editors and podcasters who reach your desired market would enjoy having more audio and video content to choose for inclusion on their projects. Someday we will be visiting Audio Directories and Video Directories to find media content for inclusion in our podcast or blog the same way that we visit Article Directories today.

You may never host a podcast that reaches 100,000 people - but if you create segments of content that other podcasters can grab and use (giving you appropriate credit) you may just end up reaching 100,000 people after all.

3. You Want It

You want to be making the best use possible of the internet and that means embracing all available technologies. You don't have to launch a podcast 'radio show'. You can simply be podcasting the content you already have. Think about your seminar audios, articles, special reports, ebooks, etc.

If you do love the radio show format, go ahead and do that. But also consider how you can implement podcasting into your business in other ways as well.

Using audio and offer an RSS feed for your content is extremely simple. You can use an all in one solution like Audio Acrobat which allows you to create audios by computer microphone, telephone or by uploading your own recording files; and then lets you create a quick and easy podcast feed of your content.

Now that you have a fresh new view of podcasting, what are you waiting for?

Kelly McCausey owns Mom’s Radio Network (http://www.momsradionetwork.com), a casual network of podcast programs of interest to Moms. Learn more about podcasting at Shoestring Radio [http://www.shoestringradio.com]

Podcasting has been called the wave of the future. The truth, however, is that podcasting is the here-and-now and is rapidly gaining momentum across the world. There are podcasts available for just about any topic you can think of from cooking to video games to religion. As of February 2006, a Google search for the term "podcast" returns over 205,000,000 results. The amazing reality of this is that it is still, in effect, an untapped market that will continue its growth in the years to come.

Podcasting can have many uses for the home-based business owner. It can be useful not only advertise, but to also communicate your business message. Below are 5 tips on how to use podcasts to benefit your business:

1. Reach your niche market - Depending on your product, podcasting can be the perfect way to reach new groups of people in your market. Believe it or not, there are people out there looking for the product you provide and this enables them to easily find them.

Podcasts are quickly becoming a new advertising venue as well. A podcast that is listed in podcasting directories such as iTunes can reach thousands, even millions of listeners. This can be a very inexpensive method for advertisers on a budget.

The popularity of podcasts is a steadily growing trend. Many people who are just beginning to learn about podcasts will search for topics of there interest. This is a great way to reach customers that you would not have been able to reach before the advent of podcasting.

2. Share your passion - Podcasting is a great way to share what you love. If you are excited about a topic or product, chances are that others out there are, too. A podcast on the topic you are passionate about is a great way to connect with others who also share that same passion.

People can hear your excitement over the "airwaves." I always enjoy listening to a program when the speaker is obviously energized about whatever it is he's speaking on. So, when recording your podcast, keep a smile on your face and allow your excitement to show.

3. Share information - Many home-based businesses have begun because they are filling a need. A podcast can help this information reach the people that it will benefit. For example, CWAHM.com was created to help women be at home with their children while still contributing to their families financially. Many of the sites' visitors are buys moms who may not have the time to scour the hundreds of pages the site contains. Our podcast, Christian Work at Home Moment, airs once a week and is 24 minutes long. It's an easy way for moms to learn more about working from home without spending hours on their computer.

Make it a point to research your topic and find all of the interesting and little known facets of passion. Keep your listeners interested and they will want to hear more!

4. Become an "Expert" in your field - Creating a podcast can help to establish you as an "expert" in the area your broadcast covers. You must be willing to take the time, do the research and share information that is valuable and useful to your listeners.

Just as authors become experts by researching and writing on specific topics, podcasters become experts by sharing the information they find with their listening audience. There is a big market for podcasts in a multitude of areas - the next expert could be YOU!

5. It's easy - A podcast can be started with virtually no cost or investment. In most cases, there is no need to be "tech savvy" to be a podcast creator. It can be as simple as using a phone to record your podcast through a service like Odeo.com. There are, of course, more complicated set-ups, but to begin you truly just need a topic, a phone and a quiet spot to record.

Podcasting is easy for listeners as well. A podcast can be listened to directly from a website or downloaded from iTunes and put directly on an MP3 device.

There are many reasons that a podcast can benefit small and home-based businesses. This growing market is an entirely new way to communicate information to the world. When it comes to podcasting, the sky's the limit. So take your business to new levels and start podcasting today.

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com Jill and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com reside in Nebraska with their two children. Listen to Jill?s radio show, Christian Work at Home Moment, at [http://www.cwahm.com/loudblog]!

If you have a product or service to sell, you can sell it the old fashioned way or you can jump right into the future of the way people generate sales with less effort and no geographic limitations.

But what exactly is a Podcast?

A Podcast is a recorded event that is then distributed electronically. The event can be:

1. A sales presentation
2. A training session
3. An interview
4. The audio section of a webinar
5. A recorded seminar

What are the benefits of a podcast? Well, once you have your podcast, you can use it to sell for you over and over for years into the future, because once you have your podcast you can:

1. Place it on a CD or DVD and distribute it
2. Place it on your web site and provide a link to it
3. Offer it at not cost to others to join your mailing list
4. Encourage people to download it to their IPOD or mp3 player
5. Invite people all over the world into your web based conference room and play the recording for your audience. While you are in your conference room you can also show off your web site, products and services at no cost by simply showing off your web site sales page or Power Point (TM)presentation. Then you can take the prospect along with you to your sales or sign up page and complete the transaction on the spot.

In summary, your Podcasts can help tell your story, build your credibility, generate sales and even train your customers, employees, and salespeople simply by directing them to your Podcast, all at zero cost.

Be sure to investigate this new marketing tool and you will start to see it as one of your "Must have marketing tools too!"

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