If your not using podcasts you could be missing out on a great way to relay information to your visitors or customers. Not only is it a great way to Brand yourself, it's a great way to stand out from the crowd and put a voice behind your text.

Podcasts have been around for a while. If your not familiar with a Podcast let me bring you up to speed. Think of a Podcast as another name for a Broadcast, but on a smaller scale. So it's like you have your own broadcast station from the comfort of your own home, but instead of your message being broadcasted through a TV or radio station, your broadcasting from your home. The end result is a digital media file that you and others can easily upload into their mp3 player or computer.

There's no need to get overwhelmed as it's pretty easy to create your own Podcast. You need access to a computer, microphone, or recorder and a Internet connection.

If your advanced you could add in a nice intro or sound effects into your podcast. While it's not a requirement, if your a beginner just starting out, a regular recording will do just fine.

Now that you know what you need. Let's start your first podcast.

First you start off recording your message. After it's recorded you have to make sure it's in a mp3 format.

Most computers come equipped with a sound recorder these days. Usually you can find it in a the "Accessories" folder on your computer. Hook your microphone up and record. While the process is halfway done, Windows will usually save your recorded file in a .wmv format. You will have to find something that will convert the .wmv file to a .mp3 format.

Some great software you can use are Audacity and Soundforge. Just go online and do a search for either one. You can also search for "mp3 file converter", and see what shows in the results.

After your file is converted into mp3 format, you will need to upload it to your website or blog. If you want others to download your podcast, once you upload your file, share the link with them.

If you don;t know anything about FTP or uploading files, your going to have to learn someday, it's easier than you think. Godaddy offers hosting for Podcasts at a very low monthly price. The also offer 24/7 support which is great for a beginner.

There you have it a few simple steps you can take to put your Podcast up and online. One last thing, if you have a popular podcast your target market will take notice. Who would'nt like to have free traffic coming to their site?