By Lewis Fein
As I like to remind people, the power of podcasting is of global importance: It is a venue where, through conversation and the give-and-take between a host and a guest, as well as questions and commentary from callers, technology allows us to socialize – by and from social media – in real-time, so you can post, tweet, text or forward live updates about a hot topic.
This opportunity gives voice, in a literal sense, to all manner of experts in fields like business and finance, health and wellness, travel and leisure, and real estate and investing, among many other things.
Indeed, I issue this assertion as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Real Estate Knowledge Institute (“REKI”), where I host a regular series of podcasts that appeals to current and prospective investors, in addition to industry reporters who cover both residential and commercial real estate.
By having a discussion with an expert, by chatting with a professional who can make an otherwise challenging subject interesting and intelligible, I have the chance to make a conventional seminar or formal material more accessible – more social – without excessive costs or time constraints.
A computer and a phone, or a tablet and a smartphone: Those are the tools you need – the only ones you need – to create a show, attract an audience, build a following, and generate likes and garner friends.
For there is no more social activity than speech, people communicating with each other in a straightforward – and honest – style, period.
Doing these shows also personalizes a medium too vulnerable to generic content, fake accounts, and bogus friends and followers.
Translation: Be yourself – be eloquent and expressive – so you can distinguish yourself from the competition, while educating the public about an important topic about the economy in general and personal investing in particular.
Think of this exercise as an inherently social enterprise, which social media strengthens and complements with the very content you produce.
Consider this resource an investment in your business or brand, where you can reinforce principles about your strategy or leadership and win new listeners to your cause.
My only caveat is that consistency is essential for you to have a voice of consequence; establishing a library of show is crucial to reaping the dividends of acting like – and speaking as – the voice of authority for your respective field.
Put these shows on your to-do list, so they become an obligatory part of your schedule. Do these shows because, despite humble beginnings and the yeoman’s work of shaping an identity, the results are more than worth the commitment necessary for these programs to flourish.
With perseverance, and with a voice of clarity and conviction, a podcast can be a gateway to success on social media.
The benefits are too significant to dismiss, and the advantages are too many to ignore.
Now is the time to raise our collective voices on behalf of the voices on the air.
Let them prosper.
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