Creative Leisure News

Technology issues that affect your business

Blogs and Podcasts

Economical ways to reach customers, particularly younger consumers.

by Michelle Temares (January 1, 2007)

You asked about predictions for 2007. Sadly, world peace is not one of them. But I know that the creative leisure industry is a caring one, so I hope that we all continue (or begin) to volunteer for causes that help make our own communities, or the global community, better.

Regarding the business side of the industry, one of the biggest opportunities continues to be in cyberspace, the largest community in existence. Many people, especially those from Generations X and Y, no longer just define their communities as their towns or their houses of worship. They identify their communities within Internet parameters � my knitting list, my myspace buddies, etc. Since geography has become less important in defining community, un-targeted print advertising and POS are becoming less reliable means to promote products. Many target customers may never, or rarely, cross the threshold of a brick-and-mortar store selling industry products.

Ten years ago, having a company web site was innovative and cutting edge. Now, it's just the cost of doing business, the way a catalog was in the pre-Internet days. Today's necessary marketing includes a regularly updated blog with an RSS feed and an ongoing series of podcasts.

Few craft companies have started blogs and even fewer have podcasts. In fact, in iTunes, individual hobbyists have dozens of podcasts, but less than a handful of industry companies do. Frankly, it's shocking. A bit of research and a small (under $200) hardware investment can have you reaching thousands of customers interested in your product.

Take some time to download iTunes to get a sense of what is happening. The download is free and you don't need an iPod or any MP3 (music) player to try it out. Subscribe to some of the free offerings and see how other industries are marketing their products. The podcasts and videos will play right on your computer.

This technology is ideal for craft companies who, by nature, are dependent on the visual to show product and project how-tos. I predict that the in-store project sheet will eventually be supplanted by online and podcast versions, just as web sites, e-newsletters (CLN, to name one), and user groups have replaced many of the industry's hard-copy newsletters and magazines.

The tech vocabulary may sound very foreign but don't be intimidated. Technology has become incredibly user friendly, even to those new to a computer. The jargon is really the only hard part. More difficult is developing the strategy between your print, POS, packaging, web site, blog, etc. Special thought needs to go into how your web site will be differentiated from your blog and podcasts. How they will differ (yes, the content needs to be targeted), their goals, how to achieve these goals, and how will success be measured, are some of the things that will need to be thought through and planned.

The industry, to it's credit, speaks continuously about the need to reach younger consumers. And some have developed great offerings for them. But do these younger customers know about these offerings? Blogging and podcasting are some of the most powerful and economical ways to reach younger consumers and start the buzz needed for sales success.

(Note: Michelle Temares is one of the country's finest and most sought after artists. You can read her new blog at www.blog.bellamichelle.com. To read previous "Tech Topics," click on the titles in the right-hand column.)

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