Lessons From the Zoo - April Fools Podcast Promotion

 Today we talk about marketing lessons we can learn from a small Zoo I visited this week. We also hear about how families are starting to podcast together. With April 1st right around the corner, Steve Stewart is having fun reaching out to new audiences. We also talk about when and how to bring in additional content. 

Because of my Podcast: I'm Spenind More Time With My Family [2:20]

Mark Dowing enjoys doing a podcast with his family. They do a podcast on Geo Caching. He gets to hang out with his kids, and his kids are starting to take over some of the technical aspects. They've met other people in the geocaching communities and podcasting communities. They are also being asked to appear on other podcasts. The family that podcasts together lasts forever. 

Member Spotlight: Quality Living Made Simple [6:34]

Today we spotlight Joshua Rivers and the Quality Living Made Simple podcast where he helps you to create and maintain a better quality of live with simplicity.

April Fools Podcast Promotion[7:44]

Steve Stewart from Money Plan SOS podcast and www.yesyoucanpodcasttoo.com is switching podcasts with other podcasts. It's similar to guest posting on a blog, it sounds like the regular podcast but then some other host comes on board. So the audience will get the same type of information from a different host. Steve reached out via twitter and facebook, and only a few people responded. Like always the people that you have established relationships that aid in having someone trust you enough to let you spend time in front of their audience. To find out more about this you check it out on Steve's blog at www.yesyoucanpodcasttoo.com/aprilfools (on April 1st). 

Are Entrepreneur Podcasts A Podcasting Fad?[14:32]

We have spoken about the John Lee Doomis Effect (based on a post by Steve, and later  we did a Podcaster's Roundtable), and we have seen a fair amount of "on fire" type podcasts come on board (as I had predicted they would). We have seen a wave of tech shows, then the comedians, and now we have the entrepreneurs. While podcasting is a fad, I worry that in about three months when people aren't making the kind of money that John Lee Doomis is, they will declare "Podcasting is Dead" and explain how it doesn't work (probably because they don't have the one thing John has - talent and personality). 

One of the key points about John Lee Doomis is when John's show came out he was doing a DAILY show. THIS WAS NEW back then. Now when people do that, it may not be quite as big a deal. You can read the transcript to the John Lee Doomis effect.

How My Trip to the Zoo Can Improve Your Podcast [25:50]

When I was growing up in Akron Ohio I went to the local "Akron Zoo." Later when it fell upon harder times it was known as the "Akron Children's Zoo" (because it was a glorified petting zoo). This week I did a bunch of computer training there and they have really turned it around? Well they've could've gone, "The Cleveland Zoo is only an hour away, and it's so big you have to ride a tram to other parts of the park." The didn't. While there are many reasons for Zoos to exist (education, and species survival), the instead thought about what people want from a zoo. What do visitors want from a zoo. The answer is somewhat obvious when you think about it.

Visitors from the Zoo pay money to get content they can't get any place else. You get to see animals that you can't see at the local dog park.

But then they took it further. Sure they could've been happy with getting a Grizzly Bear, and a Tiger, a Jaguar. But isn't that what all Zoos have? So again, they thought the the eyes of their audience.

What do Zoo members want?

They want to get close to the animals. So when they began rebuilding the Zoo, the made exhibits with one thing in mind. Make a great habitat for the animal, and design it so the animal will be close the the visitors. I explained how it was so bizarre as the one day I had lunch with the Grizzly bear. The only thing separating me and the bear was some very thick glass. It was cool. He was big. When I told someone about it and how he was taking a bath, they explained that is why we put the pool there next to the window.  They put all of the animals favorite items (like food) next to the places where people stand to view them. If it's an animal that sleeps alot (like a Lion) they put their beds in a place where everyone can see. They always think through the eyes of their audience, and try to give them an experience they will be talking about (just like I am right now).

They Renamed The Zoo

They went from being "Akron Children’s Zoo"in the 1950's to "Akron Zoological Park" in 1979.

They "Niched Down"

The theme of North and South American Animals was adopted giving the zoo a stable base for our education and conservation goals. For many years, all exhibits and educational materials centered around this theme.

They Go To Where Their Target Audience is, and Make it Easy to Consume Their Content

There are two types of people that enjoy the Zoo. I mean that scream with joy and laughter at the Zoo. One are small children. The other is the people who are laughing at the small children who are screaming at the Penguins. They offer discounts for groups of 15 or more (like elementary school classes) as well as discounts for Grandparents.

They Are Not Afraid to Try New Things

They also try a lot of things. They put up Christmas lights at the Zoo for a few years. It was beautiful, but in the end it didn't go over. They should be proud that they tried something new. Then they looked at their facilities and realized that some people are looking for something different and they opened their Zoo for after hour parties. You can hold your wedding in their beautiful gardens.

The More Niche the Content - The Greater the Value

You can get a behind the scenes tour of certain exhibits. You can tour all five facilities for a gift of $500 or choose three facilities for $350 or one facility for $200. The picture on their website shows someone touching one of the  giant tortoise.

Should I Add More Episodes To My Podcast Per  Week[42:50]

Jackie Ulmer wants to know if she should start a new podcast to house additional episodes. For me, I start to fragment my content into More Podcast Money and the Power of Podcasting. Then my audience said, "Why are you making it hard for me to find your content?" So I brought all that content into this podcast. As all of that content is related (podcasting) it fit. I wouldn't do my weight loss content here, so I made a separate podcast. If you're not sure, use a free tool like Poll Daddy (Owned by Wordpress) and ask them. 

Take the Survey

I'm trying to find out more about you and what you need so I can give you what you need to move your podcast into a larger audience. Please take a quick second to answer a quick podcasting survey. This is going to help me come up with materials that you need to expand your podcast audience, avoid more technical headaches, and create the best sounding content for the least amount of money. It's only 10 questions, so if you could please help me help you