A new podcast series is telling small and medium-sized Canadian businesses owners that they can't afford to remain stationary.
And while podcasts might sound technologically daunting to some, the reality is that more and more people are becoming comfortable with the ease of internet downloads.
Launched last month by Toronto-based office products supplier Grand & Toy, the series is intended to be an easy-to-use business tool geared to providing entrepreneurs with advice that they can access at their own convenience.
"We're always looking for new ways to help small business stay on top. It's really the next step for Grand & Toy in reaching small-business owners," says Paul McGowan, Grand & Toy's director of small business.
"The podcast is a great tool. You're not tied to your internet connection. You can download it to your iPod, your MP3 player or to your laptop. You can listen to it at your discretion, when you have some downtime. It's all about convenience and being able to listen and replay that advice wherever it best permits."
That's critically important, adds McGowan, in an increasingly busy business world where business owners don't have time to thoroughly read the pages of a newspaper, an industry magazine or to go to a business seminar that is at a fixed time in order to learn how to improve their operations.
Grand & Toy now offers two podcasts, with a couple more in the works. One, called 2008 Tech Trends, looks at business technology issues including social networking sites, the importance of IT security, and the necessity to make new technology products easy to understand when they're introduced into the workplace. The other podcast examines eco-friendly options for business promotion.
The free podcasts are offered on Grand & Toy's website (grandandtoy .com/podcast) or can be downloaded through iTunes or other podcast directories.
Similar in concept to a radio show, these podcasts are audio only and just under 10 minutes in length. But unlike radio or TV, these "shows" are not reliant on ratings to be successful.
The goal, says Ted Kristonis, a Toronto-based reporter and editor who has signed on as the series' host, is simply to provide owners of small- and medium-sized businesses with the information they need in a portable format.
"The pressures are different. We're not trying to get a prime-time time slot. But there is a high level of professionalism that goes into it," says Kristonis. "Something like this, especially when you're doing it as a series, you don't want it to be 20 or 30 minutes - that can be a marathon. If it's under 10 minutes, a lot of people can listen to it in their car or in the subway."
The experts interviewed in the podcasts also have the time to elaborate on their answers, rather than just providing a brief response.
Kristonis says the result is a format that provides valuable tidbits of information to the listener.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), with 105,000 members nationwide, says it likes the idea of podcasts. "I think business owners are very hungry for useful information that can improve their marketing," says Danielle Smith, Alberta director for the CFIB.
But Smith says podcasts may prove a learning curve for some.
"I think that this type of technology tends to be adopted by younger entrepreneurs," adds Smith. "However, with the popularity of iPods, I think the (podcast) technology has become quite popular, people know they can download music or news programs."
She notes there are many potential applications that business should consider for this technology.
Podcasts can be used as mini-infomercials for companies, adapted to be used as another method to deliver press releases, used to record pertinent statements from the business owners or as a vehicle for testimonials.
"All the new technologies (including podcasts) really have the promise of incredible opportunities, particularly for small business," says Smith.
She believes the Grand & Toy series' success will be tied to the experts it's able to bring to the table.
McGowan says this is a new initiative for Grand & Toy and is part of the company's empowerment strategy for small business. It has not yet decided whether to expand the current podcast series.
"We're looking for customer feedback to see if they're relevant," he says. "We're testing the water."
(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)
