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Marketing

Should Your Business Start a Podcast?

Recent statistics show that nearly 21% of Americans have listened to at least one podcast every month. This number equates to a listenership increase of 75% since 2013. With the massive growth of podcasts, some businesses are beginning to ask themselves if starting a podcast would be beneficial for them. Podcasts allow businesses to connect with their audience on a personal level in their own voice.

Much like social media, this can help humanize a business as the listener can identify with the spokesman they hear through the podcast. This can convert to more brand awareness and customer connection in the long-term. Currently, few businesses are using the powerful medium of podcasting although set up and execution is easy. If you have decent audio equipment and topics to talk about you are ready to start podcasting.

While the market is growing now, it hasn’t reached capacity and this is a perfect time to start. Podcasts already exist for a wide variety of topics, so it can be incredibly easy to determine what major competitors are doing that is working for them. Once you have listened to a few of their podcasts you should be able to easily transform their strategy into something that works for you. However, it is important to remain original to ensure potential listeners see value in your recordings. In the world of online marketing, content is still king. Podcasts can function as just that, another piece of content that can be distributed across multiple marketing channels.

While podcasts can be placed directly on your blogs or website, other services like Stitcher, SoundCloud and iTunes can help bring your podcast to a broader audience. If you have thought about podcasting or the thought has never crossed your mind, now is the time to get into this burgeoning medium. If your content is original and insightful, listeners will continue to come back. Though initial growth may be slow, the long-term payoff will be worth the invested time.

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on FacebookTwitterGoogle+ and LinkedIn!

Categories
Digital Marketing News Marketing

Chatbots: Rise of the Machines

As more and more consumers are opting to not install apps on their phones, new technology has to be made. Good apps that entice consumers to download them and replace precious space on their phone are costly to make and hard to get noticed. In response to this growing problem, many tech leaders have started developing chatbots and drumming up intrigue in the process.

Categories
Marketing

Helping Local Entrepreneurs Find Success

Small Business Week 2016 is over and we’re happy to announce that the SCORE Small Business Summit Tulsa 2016 was a huge success! We got great feedback from presenters and attendees and already have requests to bring the summit back next year! Skynet Solutions partnered with SCORE to collectively collaborate with multiple other local and state sponsors to offer Tulsa area small business and prospective small business owners an unprecedented networking and learning opportunity. This action packed small business summit was a great opportunity for small business owners and prospective small business owners from around the Tulsa area to network with and hear presentations from influential local business leaders and get personalized business consulting in a variety of areas. We had about 100 local entrepreneurs, small business owners and prospective small business owners who all came out to network with and hear presentations from speakers with The Small Business Administration, Constant Contact, Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, the Tulsa chapter of SCORE, Skynet Solutions and REI Women’s Business Center. These awesome speakers presented on a variety of topics including email marketing, small business taxes, bookkeeping for small businesses, social media marketing, how to create a business plan, small business structuring, search engine optimization principles and much, much more! The number one question most small business owners have is about marketing and how they can best utilize marketing principles to drive their business. This event brought together a variety of marketing experts and mentors to talk to small business owners about different marketing tactics and how they work so business owners can see what will be most successful for their business. The great part of this event was that it allowed entrepreneurs to talk directly with the people they need to know to get their business off the ground or take it to the next level. Unlike some other industry events we’ve been to which have so-called “experts” with no real world experience explaining how business owners should secure loans or incarnate to get the best tax benefits, the SCORE Small Business Summit was full of industry experts who could give sound advice to curious business owners. If someone wanted to know what documents they would need to secure a small business loan, there was a lender there for them to ask directly. If someone wanted to know what was the best use of their marketing budget, there were social media and email marketing experts there for them to consult with. National Small Business Week Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, creating about two-thirds of all the new jobs creating in the United States each year. About 50 percent of Americans in the workforce own or are employed by a small business. This year, National Small Business Week was from May 1-7 and as part of this, Tulsa SCORE organized a day full of discussion, networking and other opportunities that benefitted the local small business community. The event was designed by small business owners, for small business owners to equip them with the information and tools they need to make their small business as successful as possible. The Tulsa area has increasingly been recognized as one of the best places in the country to start a business. We want to continue to help foster this business-friendly environment by working together with the local business community to provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to be successful. To learn more about the events that Skynet Solutions participates in and hosts, you can keep up with our blog, follow us on social media or give us a call. In the meantime, you can always get in touch with the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your online business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2016 your business’s best year yet. You can fill out our online contact formon our website to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+and LinkedIn!