In our DIY guide How to Nail Travel Marketing in Unfamiliar Territory, we cover the topic of podcasting, which if you’re not familiar is essentially hosting your own radio program.  To be honest, though, I know of very few people that do it well with the exception of seasoned travel bloggers who make good business of podcasting every week.

That all changed when I found these *fantastic* podcasts from Visit Malta, the website of the official tourism bureau.   They’ve started off with different episodes or programmes introducing visitors to the UNESCO heritage sites – and there’s even a handy PDF map that explains how each are connected.

What’s Great about Them?

Clear, Easy to Understand.  The speaker on the audios speaks slowly and carefully, so anyone who is picking these up can very clear understand him.  (You’d be surprised how many audio snippets rush through everything; certainly not ideal if your ideal customer doesn’t speak your language as a mother tongue!)  Some episodes are conversations between two speakers, which is really easy listening.  I’d encourage you if you are doing a podcast and you’re a solo business, invite other people in for conversations, as this really makes the experience a bit nicer.

Technology Extended for Visuals.  Malta is using MP4 technology, which allows users to see images alongside the podcast.  There is also a traditional MP3 option, but the site explains how everything works pretty clearly.  (If you’re a Windows user, you’ll may need to download additional software to play MP4s.  iPhone/iPod/Mac users should be in the clear.)

Contains Local Secrets.  I love that little local secrets are given away; for example, the Ggantija podcast mentions some common misunderstandings tourists first have when arriving to the monument and explains how best to enjoy the experience.  There are also local cafes, hidden streets, and other nice little tidbits hidden here and there in all of the podcasts.

Not Just a One Hit Wonder.  Malta didn’t dip their toes in the water and just put up one podcast, hoping someone would take interest.  They’ve invested some time in a valuable resource and looks like a whole library of fantastic goodies.  Doesn’t this page of 15-odd walks, sights, and to dos look far better than a lonely one off podcast?  Bravo, Malta, well done.

What They Could Do Better

More Obvious Branding.  This is one lonely page within the Visit Malta website.  I’d work on some great sidebar advertisements to highlight these to both new and existing readers.   And while the page is fine as it is now, once there gets to be more than, say, 20 podcasts, they are going to have to think about a more robust organisation of the content.

Bonus Point: Why not kick the brand into overdrive with a separate (but very tightly linked) site, Malta Live? The domain is free, and this could be a portal for all these podcasts with targeted links to the content in each episode.  Win!

Transcripts:  Malta is missing a trick here.  If you use video/audio content, you must have transcripts as backup, for two key reasons:

1) Search Engines will thank you, because for now [but I suspect not for long], they cannot index this kind of content],

2) users who might have a foreign mother language or just don’t like listening can still access the content.

Bonus Point:  Why not make these really nice, downloadable PDFs.  Mini-travel guides almost.  Wouldn’t that be remarkable?

iTunes.  Even if your podcast is free, you can load it up on iTunes and give it access to a wider subscriber base.  In this case, a thirsty traveller who is a podcast lover might be looking for travel content on iTunes and not in Google.  By doing this extra step and uploading the content, Malta gets access to a wider audience, free.

To Learn More…

Want to add a podcast to your online marketing mix?  For do-it-yourself support, check out the How to Nail Travel Marketing in Unfamiliar Territory guide which will help you take over the world.  If a bit of hand-holding and one-on-one support is more your style, our coaching and consulting packages could be just the thing you you were looking for.

Photo by sparetomato