Sample Corporate Podcast - Catholic Syrian Bank and Laser Soft Infosystems Ltd

In the earlier posting of October 2007, we had mentioned about Catholic Syrian bank's development of core banking software jointly with Laser Soft Infosystems Limited. Now on 20th October 2008, the Bank completed the project and also networked 100 branches. This is the podcast of the launch function. The Bank had launched 'Marvel', the core banking software product developed by them. Please watch this podcast:

(The streaming of this podcast is comfortable in broadband of minimum of 150 kbps. If you have a lower bandwidth or streaming is not continuous, please download the podcast in wmv format and play with your windows media player)





You may also watch this podcast from the following links:

http://blip.tv/file/1385847
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcPpgRJdpE
http://www.podbazaar.com/permalink/144115188075857310 (audio only)

To download to your desktop
right click here and save to desktop (3.65 mb)

How to use Corporate Podcast to disseminate media information

Many of the Corporate professionals have been enquiring with me as to whether the Corporate podcast can be used to disseminate the media releases or media information. Whatever information that can be communicated to the media through 'hard or soft copy' can also be released through audio and visual podcasts.

I wanted to demonstrate the usage of podcasts for this purposes. On 17th October 2007, I was managing a Press Conference of Catholic Syrian Bank, one of the leading Indian Private Sector Banks. I have created a 'media release' corporate podcast based on the press conference. If you can get the quotes of the spokespersons earlier, you can release the podcast simultaneously.

About this sample podcast

The background information is like this. Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB) is already developing a core banking solutions jointly with Laser Soft Infosystems Limited, a Chennai based reputed banking software developers. Now the Core banking product is getting ready for implementation. The Bank will be networking all their 347 branches shortly and implement core banking solutions. For this purpose, during the press conference, they have signed 'service level agreements (SLA)' with Wipro, BSNL and VSNL for networking, connectivity and data centre integration.

In this corporate podcast, Mr R Venkatraman, Chairman and CEO of the Bank and Mr K S Viswanathan, Chief Executive, India - Geography of Wipro Infotech have explained this project.

Please watch and listen the visual podcast (click to play) - 7 minutes

Click To Play

If you want to listen to the audio version (click to play) - 7 minutes

Click To Play

If you want to download the visual podcat in wmv format, right click here and save to your desktop ( 2.6 mb) - this can be played in windows media player.

If you want to download the audio only in mp3 format, please right click here and save to your desktop (6.8 mb)

Alternate link for downloading mp3 format (right click this link and save)

Please send your questions and comments to me to prpoint@gmail.com

A Corporate Podcast initiative by brewers

I came across an interesting article in the web. Please read on

http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=44808&PageMem=2
Beer company pours on the podcasts

Ontario Craft Brewers takes a down-home, no-nonsense approach to getting its message out. Find out how targeted audio is yielding more than just hops and barley
8/24/2007 5:43:00 AM by Kathleen Lau


Approaching a corporate podcast initiative entails choosing the right content and style – choices that could ultimately mean the difference between success and failure.

When done well, the podcast medium is great for targeting niche audiences with domain-specific content, said Brandy Fleming, vice-president of iStudio, a Toronto, Ont.-based Internet marketing firm. “If you have content that's very deep or a subject that's very niche that people are passionate about and want to learn more about, then absolutely a podcast is a great fit for that.”

And given the ongoing, episodic nature of the medium, it's perfect for establishing a relationship with that niche audience, she added.

Podcasts are becoming relatively commonplace on company Web sites as businesses strive to incorporate more multimedia content.

Ontario Craft Brewers sought to achieve exactly that and build relationships with customers with its podcast series. Launched last April and airing every two weeks, they feature interviews with brew masters from its 29 micro-brewers situated across the province.

The series lets beer drinkers get to know the actual makers of the beverage – insight that's seldom granted by larger brewers, said David Jones, senior vice-president at Toronto, Ont.-based Fleishman-Hillard Canada Inc., the marketing firm that created the podcast for Ontario Craft Brewers.

“A lot of the small brewers are just that, they're small brewers with small places, with small breweries making small batches. The guy who you will hear on the podcast is the person who actually made the beer you have in your hand,” said Jones.

An interview style worked best for Ontario Craft Brewers, he said, due to the minimal time investment – no script preparation – required by the interviewee. Furthermore, the company wanted to keep the dialogue natural, rather than promotional. “We tried to make it as real a conversation as possible.”

Fleming agreed with the informal approach, adding there is always the danger of over scripting across a medium that's really designed to be conversational and drive dialogue. “You don't want to hear someone just reading. If you're going to do that sort of thing, you should just stick with plain Web content.”

Actually, the style was conducive to Ontario Craft Brewers' message. The company wanted to convey what was new and exciting among its micro-breweries, rather than make a blatant promotional sell, said Mary MacIsaac, director of marketing at Ontario Craft Breweries.

When crafting a message, avoid a sales pitch and make it interesting by way of rich and unique content, suggested Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image, Montréal, Que.-based marketing agency.

General Electric Company podcasts, Joel pointed out, feature scientists who talk about the technology behind its products, akin to what would air on the Discovery Channel – in fact, delivering this niche knowledge is the “biggest [use] that we're seeing with it.”

Besides being good for targeting niche audiences, podcasts are just as favourable to thought leadership pieces, said Fleming.

“If you've got someone within your organization who has got a great personality and is very knowledgeable, then what a great opportunity to get that person heard. It's like giving them a megaphone.”

Ontario Craft Brewers' podcasts also currently include news items, which Jones predicted will be discontinued due to the realization that current material quickly becomes dated, rather than remaining “evergreen.”

Another way to stay current is to set up an editorial schedule and stick to it, suggested Fleming. “If you said to your audience that you're going to be publishing weekly, it's important that you meet that expectation.”

A common misconception, said Joel, is that podcasts can be a one-time thing, when in fact it's a serial. To manage audience expectations, he suggested indicating whether it's a three or four-part series, for instance.

Given that podcasting can be created on a low budget, the downside is it runs the risk of looking cheap, warned Joel – the challenge is to use the available software and hardware to produce a decent quality product.

“So the trick is to do what we call champagne on a beer budget.”

A sample corporate podcast - Image Audit

Prime Point plans to start a commercial venture for making Corporate Podcasts. As a sample, I made one Corporate Podcast on 'Image Audit'. Image Audit is the study of 'hidden perception' of the stakeholders including employees. I am already having a website for this purposes with the URL http://www.imageaudit.com

This podcast is for 9 minutes and 45 seconds. This podcast contains the concept, methodologies, and few case studies with respectable testimonials. If anybody interested in making such Corporate Podcasts may contact prpoint@gmail.com

Please view and listen to the podcast

The above podcast was done with the Indian music as background music. The same podcast is now done again with a podsafe western music - country love: Electromagnetic impulses (about podsafe music, I will write in a couple of days in these columns). Please listen to the new podcast also.