Working in social media means that it’s pretty important to stay on top of the latest news. Things change constantly and FAST. But, as well as work, I have a toddler and two shouty cats to deal with so I don’t have a whole lot of spare time for reading. Thankfully, I recently rediscovered that I love listening to podcasts (I was a real podcast addict when I worked in the city and commuted on the train) and not only that, I’ve realised that there are a few free moments for listening – mostly while driving or doing housework.
It’s taken me a couple of months to finalise a few podcasts that I reliably and consistently love but I’ve done it, and I thought I’d share them. (I’d also love some reader recommendations if you listen to something fantastic that’s not on my list.) By the way, rather than linking to the not-friendly-to-everyone iTunes feed for these podcasts, I’ve tried to find a suitable web page where you can either listen straight away or get a link through to iTunes if you want.
- Social Media for Small Business (from the Australian Businesswomen’s Network). This is easily my favourite and probably that’s because I really fit perfectly into the target demographic, and I think that the majority of my clients would find the same – so if you only listen to one podcast, make it this one. Each episode focuses on an interview with an expert about one topic (perhaps Twitter; maybe Facebook ads; always useful) with a bit of chat about current social media news at the front and some recommendations for apps afterwards. The presenters, Suzi Dafnis and Cat Matson, are both Aussie women and so I guess it’s no surprise I feel an affinity towards them! Plus unlike pretty much every American-produced podcast I listen to, this one doesn’t have a scarily-hyped intro (just some nice music) and … well, it just really suits me. Try it.
- Online Marketing Made Easy (Amy Porterfield) – I’ve long followed Amy Porterfield for quite a lot of useful social media stuff, and she has just recently started up this podcast. It’s really listenable and includes lots of information – I thought the second episode on Content Marketing on a Shoestring Budget was especially useful.
- The Human Business Way comes from Chris Brogan who is totally famous to internet geeky people like me. He’s done all kinds of social media and blogging stuff in the past and this podcast comes out of his newish business “Human Business Works” which is perhaps a broader business/marketing kind of deal, but in any case the podcast has all kinds of interesting content that’s relevant to many of us. Fan tip: keep listening after you think the podcast has ended because Chris always includes a little bonus bit!
- Copyblogger: Internet Marketing for Smart People – Copyblogger is another “totally famous to internet geeks like me” site and recent episodes have featured gurus like Seth Godin and Chris Brogan, whose names may not mean much to all my readers but they do to me – enough to recognise that there’s some quality stuff in here.
Podcasts are pretty handy ways to keep in touch with what’s happening and changing in the social media world but also to be inspired by some amazing people who are really at the forefront of it all – this crazy new world! I heartily recommend you try some of these – let me know what you think.
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