When comparing audio versus visual media, both neurologists and researchers concur that retention of messaging with audio is long-lasting as compared to that of visual media. They also opine that emotions run deeper with audio messaging as it has the ever so sought ability to evoke memories and influence mood allowing the brain to create its own visual impact. Not surprising, the long-proven and reliable format of audio is once again becoming the new way to connect cutting-edge technology with people. This is crucial due to the core power of audio, its ability to engage.
One of the repercussions of the Covid – 19 pandemic was on the way we live. People are now more cautious about screen time opting to rather immerse themselves in audio as screen fatigue has become real for many people. This saw spending on audio marketing increase to an estimated $3.09 billion in 2020 as compared to $1.1 billion in 2016 according to Statista. Gaming, another platform that has gained much prominence lately has an estimated 3 billion people audience. As much as 75% of mobile gamers prefer audio ads to video ads. With the industry keen on toying with audio entertainment in its latest innovation, the metaverse, audio has become huge.
In today’s blog, we will highlight some of the audio marketing strategies marketers could use and suggest a myriad of ways to get the best out of them.
1.Voice search
Voice search involves optimizing sites with the goal that voice assistants like Siri and Alexa respond to a person’s queries raised through speech to a search engine on your phone, computer and other smart voice-enabled devices. This method of searching is perfect for long queries, quick questions and location-based needs and usually involves voice recognition and artificial intelligence technologies. The most familiar are: Google Home and Assistant, Amazon Echo, Cortana, Siri and Alexa. Why use voice search you may ask? It’s simple, really. People prefer the convenience of searching by speech rather than typing. Here are some tips to help you optimize voice search for the business.
- Be conversational – Users here are typically asking google for answers. Being conversational helps in providing direct answers to users’ queries which offer them with much needed solutions to their queries in a timely and reliable way.
- Provide the right keywords – Keywords are quite helpful in identifying the users intent and providing accurate answers easily and at prompt.
- Use long-tailed keywords – Users avoid typing long words when searching by text. They however tend to get longer with voice searches. Having broader content helps in narrowing down inaccuracies with answers which assists in being reliable.
- Prioritize question keywords – Voice searchers ask for products and services by using questions. When deciding on your focus keywords prioritize who, which, what, why, how and where.
- Have FAQ pages – The content in FAQ pages gives conversational answers to the most frequently asked queries as well as helping with getting a more favorable site ranking which in turn attracts more customers.
- Use natural language – Engagement with the user should follow the natural voice of tone so that it is as you are speaking to the audience directly, person to person.
- Be relevant and get to the point – People want answers to their questions and do not want to hear anything irrelevant. Relevancy to user questions provides reliability which is key for success as the user goal is to get solutions from their queries.
- Update your contact information – the near me and other local voice search results, which are commonly used, are only useful if contact information is updated. Otherwise, your business could be losing out.
- Promote your content – studies conducted by Backlinko shows that voice search results typically get a lot of attention on social media. Sharing pages in social media platforms will increase the chances of getting noticed and increase the traffic to the site.
2. Podcasts
Podcasts are collections of digital files made available for downloading on the internet. Unlike regular content production channels TV’s and radios, podcasts are unregulated meaning persons do not need licensing to publish content. Any person with equipment such as microphones and a platform can create their own show. Data shows that there are approximately 850,000 total active podcasts across various platforms. In addition, it is reported that podcast listeners are generally more knowledgeable and considerably wealthier than their counterparts who use TV’s and radios. This positions’ podcasting as an excellent marketing channel for businesses and brands. The underlisted will help you create more value when using podcasts as a marketing channel.
- Use social media as a marketing platform – Creating short clips from your show and sharing them on social media is a great way to entice your audience and reach out to potentially new users by sharing new episodes and content that relates to the podcast.
- Ask people to subscribe – The more the subscribers, the more your following which means your podcasts are more easily available for download to more people as soon as you publish content. Subscribers will also improve ranking in channels making your content more marketable.
- Submit to podcast directories – It is more marketable having your podcast listed in as many marketing channels as possible. Have them listed in apple podcast and spotify which have a large following making them available to many users.
- Share reviews and testimonials – User cases are a great way to invite potentially new users to your content.
- Engage with your DMs – Audiences will normally have questions, suggestions and ideas. Direct messaging is a great way to interact with the audience in social media platforms and provide timely engagements that may prove beneficial.
- Guest networks – People already listening to podcasts are an easily available target market for your show. By being a guest on a show similar to yours, it gives you an opportunity to tap into a new audience and make new connections.
- Send press releases – Media coverage is useful in promoting and showcasing content to a wide circulation.
3. Audiobooks
Audiobooks are voice recordings of the text in books, articles and published works that let a person listen instead of reading the published text. Audio is the fastest growing segment in publishing as book consumption has moved further digitally in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. This is probably one of the reasons why the Audio Publishers Association’s survey has revealed an increase of 25% in audiobook sales in 2021 raking in an estimated $1.6 billion in sales. Some of the most common websites and apps for audiobooks are: apple books, audible.com, nook audiobooks, google play books and kobo. In order to make the most of audiobooks as a marketing team, consider the following:
- Choose a Great Narrator – Different genres are best narrated by different persons with the goal of making the audience enjoy the book. Also, a narrator with a large audience will help attract a lot of new readers who are fans of the narrator.
- Record your audiobook early – Time is of the essence. As soon as you have planned to publish the physical book, it is important to have the audio book ready as this makes it available to all target people at one go.
- Secure Reviews on Audiobook Platforms – Positive reviews from target customers helps in promoting your audiobooks and boosting their sales as reviews prove that the product is trustworthy and worth the time and money.
- Announce your release on digital platforms – Before the launch, it helps with building a buzz as audiobook demand has increased. This will surely help in increasing your audiobook sales and announcing it to all potential clients.
- Add the audiobook retailers on your platforms – Simplifying the purchase process to the consumer is a great step in increasing sales and accessibility of the product.
4. Audio Ads
Audio advertising is the delivery of ads in audio format through online streaming platforms. They help advertisers reach consumers who listen to the radio, stream music, and podcasts. Audio advertisements are placed within the radio or digital audio content in order to reach consumers. The ads can be placed before, during, or after a session or episode. Typical ad lengths are 15, 30, or 60 seconds long. Examples of audio ad channels include: Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, spotify, youtube music, iHeartRadio, soundcloud. Here is how to make the most of audio ads:
- Make the audio the main focus – Listen to it without looking at the visual
- Deliver a clear message – Be simple and straightforward and try to keep it between 15 – 30 seconds
- Maintain a conversational tone – You can easily win people by speaking in a conversational friendly manner. Your message will be delivered and easily understood by everyone
- Create smooth transitions – Your audio ad will play between songs, podcasts and other audio content, hence the need of a smooth transition to fill in the spaces in between.
- Pick a compelling visual – Even if your audio is the most important part of the ad an image can add a compelling mix to it offering a strong back up.
Conclusion
It is estimated that 193 million people listen to online audio on a monthly basis in the US alone. The Infinite Dial 2021 survey also states that in the US, at least 62% above the age of 12, that is around 176 million people, are now weekly online audio listeners. This goes a long way to show that audio has once again, become the consumers’ content of choice. So to say, successful marketers today will be those who will prioritize capturing consumers with the effective use of the wide variety of audio platforms available.
Earlier this year, we launched our very own podcast: Marketing O’Clock with Reationpower. Every week, we share a quick summary of top marketing trends & tips with our listeners. Our goal is to share the latest marketing insights and information with you so that you can take your business to the next level.