Podcasting is still pretty young and I think that it's fair to say that the consultants out there are "one-stop-shopping" offerings. The good ones have some business experience and can help organizations with not only the technical matters of putting a show together, but with the larger road map of why the show is being produced, where it's going, and what the aim of it is.
As podcasting grows, I wonder if this consulting model will remain effective. For example, if an organization wants to communicate to the outside world, I think it's common for that organization to sort out how it's going to do that internally. Should the communications department (OK, more than likely just the communications person) decided on the message and the medium and then just call a podcast consultant to help with the technical bits when and if a podcast is decided on? Or should an organization call in a podcast consultant right from the get go to benefit from their wisdom in charting the course from start to finish?
In short, my question is: how realistic is it to rely on a single person to develop your message, the roadmap for delivering it, and the technical task of producing and making the show available for air?
Or am I being totally naive in thinking that many organizations know enough about podcasting to sort themselves out to any degree without the benefit of a consultant?
Disclaimer: I am not a consultant :)
I'm currently consulting with a couple businesses here in Portland. Every company I've dealt with has been a small to medium sized business with either a marketing department or a marketing person.
What was helpful to these companies was a clear explanation on how podcasting "fits" their marketing efforts. I can walk the company through ideas and conceptual themes for their podcast, but it's up to the company to develop their message.
I like to provide a proposal and an agenda before I show up, and then deliver a recap document that covers all the technical specifics that might have been lost to the non-technical folks.
Yes, larger companies (maybe some small and medium ones) will have the time and resources internally to figure out and implement a podcast, but for a couple hours of time, they can have someone thoroughly brief them on podcasting and deliver either a turnkey solution or a road-map for implementation.
Posted by: Tim | October 2, 2006 12:18 PM | Permalink to Comment