Adding Audio Recordings To Your Marketing Toolbox

We all learn in different ways. Some of us like to read the instructional manual, some of us like to have verbal explanations given to us, and yet others prefer to throw away the manual, ignore instructions, and simply get our hands on and find out for ourselves how something works!

These learning styles are known as verbal, auditory and kinaesthetic, or VAK for short. When preparing our marketing materials we need to keep the three learning styles in mind and ensure that we develop a variety of approaches.

Concentrating on the visual approach through blogs or texts automatically excludes a significant proportion of potential customers who may struggle with dyslexia or visual impairment. To reach this audience we need to introduce an auditory element to our presentation.

Audio products are easily produced using free software, and I favour Audacity for my recordings. This software is really simple to download and use, and the only other bit of kit needed is a microphone. I tend to use headphones with a built-in microphone, but a lapel clip-on mic is equally effective.

To make life easier, why not record previously written articles or blog posts? I'm sure you've got lots of material that you could re-use in a different format. Keep the recordings short - I've found that reading a 750 word article takes between 3 and 4 minutes.

It takes a little practice to get the technique right. I suggest you do a few 'dummy' recordings first. Are you speaking too fast? Are you using too many 'umms' and 'aghs'? Is there any background noise that you were previously unaware of? Is your voice too 'flat'? - look for possible words that you could emphasise and try varying the pitch.

I always use a pre-prepared script. This ensures that my recordings flow and that there are no unnecessary pauses when I'm thinking what to say next. Following the recording I save my work as an MP3 file on my site. Anybody interested in the recording can then download it onto their computer or iPod etc, and can then listen to it at their leisure, wherever they want.

Audio recordings can be streamed directly from your site, and this will keep the listener glued to your site. However, to stream audio your listeners must have a reliable internet access, be on their computer, and their connection speed must support streaming media.

If your aim is to teach or train, then go for download. If you're priority is sales, list building and marketing then streaming may be the preferred option. At the end of the day it's your decision how you get the recording out.

Audio recordings really can enhance the experience of visitors to your site. Recording is inexpensive and straightforward, so why not have a go - what have you got to lose?


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Graham Bray is an enthusiastic internet marketer, and for nearly five years he has been developing websites as part of his Multiple Income Pathways. To learn more about internet marketing and how you can download newsletters, training videos and a *free report* visit his blog at http://www.easierinternetmarketing.com