Podcast Tools for Social CRM

By Kyle Lacy, Stephanie Diamond, and Jon Ferrara from Social CRM For Dummies

To create podcasts for Social CRM, you can choose from several types of tools. Using tools can help you create the best podcast for your brand. Your choice will depend on such things as the following:

Where do you want to store and retrieve files?
How many files do you want to create?
What will your file size be?
Are you working alone or with a team?

The different types of tools are as follows:

Record and store in the cloud. You could use a service that stores your files in the cloud (on someone else’s computers).
Record and store on your company’s computers. If you have an IT team to manage files, you may want to store your files on your company’s equipment.

Broadcast over the Internet and store in the cloud. Tools like these enable you to create your own talk show. Blog Talk Radio, an example of this type of tool.

Tool	Type	Description	Cost	web Address
AudioAcrobat	Record and store in the cloud.	Configure files in different styles.	$19.95–$49.95 per month	www.audioacrobat.com
Audacity	Record and store on your company’s computers.	This popular, free tool has lots of helpful features.	Free	http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Blog Talk Radio	Broadcast over the Internet and store in the cloud.	Provides call-in lines and lines for guests.	Free and Premium versions (with multiple pricing packages)	www.blogtalkradio.com

If you have a WordPress blog, you can use a free tool called Audio Player to create your MP3 podcasting files. The colors of your player are configurable so that you can match your site.