Information for this blog post was obtained from Spiceworks, eMarketer, Climb Marketing, The PDMI, and the Amazon Advertising Library.
Give your brand a voice, YOUR voice.
In a world filled with visual stimuli, audio marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their target audience in a unique and engaging way. From the rise of radio and podcasts to the presence of voice-activated assistants within the home, the realm of audio marketing is expanding rapidly with every passing day. In this blog post, we'll explore the concept of audio marketing, its benefits, and how to effectively harness the potential of audio marketing and strategize with a budget in mind.
What is Audio Marketing?
Audio marketing refers to the practice of using audio content and channels to promote products, services, brands, or messages to a target audience. Possess the ability to provide any brand with tone, relatability, and recognition, all without breaking the bank.
What Categories fit into Audio Marketing?
Audio marketing is already globally applied by many various channels. The landscape of audio marketing includes:
Podcasts
Radio
Advertising
Voice Search Optimization
Alexa / Interactive Devices
Podcasting
Podcasts have become a cultural phenomenon in the digital age. Podcasts, a long-form audio marketing tool, offer a unique brand opportunity to create content that simultaneously informs, engages, and entertains their target audience. The long-form nature of podcasts provides a medium for connecting listeners with possible discussions relating to industry trends, expert insights, or brand stories and narration.
Radio
Before the sheer prevalence of podcasts, radio was the manner in which many people became commercially aware. The comparability of long-form audio content found on different platforms can relate to more diverse and different target markets. Radio is often overlooked as a viable means of audio promotion; however, traditional radio advertising involves the purchasing of airtime on radio stations to broadcast commercials, jingles, or sponsored brand content to an already existing and broad audience.
Advertisements
Distinct and recognizable audio elements, such as jingles, sounds, and slogans, reinforce brand identity. These elements are short audio clips, similar to traditional radio ads, however, they can be placed in various audio content channels, such as music streaming services, podcasts, radio, and virtual assistants on mobile and home devices.
Voice Search Optimization
By applying voice-activated virtual assistants with commercially-recognized audio marketing, Voice Search Optimization (VSO) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enable millions of users with a hands-free experience of personal brand interaction.
Alexa / Interactive Devices
Many large corporations and companies utilize the unprecedented rise of voice-activated virtual home and mobile assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, by optimizing their audio content output to be easily discoverable through voice search queries.
Why Invest in Audio Marketing?
According to eMarketer in 2019, more than 75% of all internet users already listen or subscribe to some form of service platform featuring audio content. These millions of digital audio listeners are active members of potential target markets and consumer bases.
Karthik Kashyap, content marketing writer for Spiceworks, also suggests global audio marketing investments are expected to cost $36 million by the end of 2024, emphasizing the growing importance of large and small brands keeping up with the sharing of the content form.
Brand Engagement and Accessibility
Audio content can often reach consumers during activities where their visual attention is limited, such as driving, exercising, and cooking. The brand’s engagement with the consumer is no longer inhibited by the consumer’s visual attention capabilities.
Authenticity and Tone
The conversational nature of non-visual content enables brands with the ability to convey an authentic identity that builds trust with the audience. Listeners are able to feel a personal connection with the host of a podcast or representative of a brand.
Create an Audio Marketing Strategy
Visualize the desired effect when applying audio marketing to your brand awareness campaign. Consider the final image of the brand, product, or service, and the effects it will have when using audio marketing.
Understand the Audience
All marketing strategies necessitate the understanding of the target audience. What style of audio content resonates with the target audience the most? What questions is the brand needing to answer? What problems can the product make promises to solve via audio marketing?
Invest into Quality
The technical quality of audio content reflects directly on the brand's identity. High-quality audio production is crucial to generating positive audience responses, however, this does not mean it is necessary to spend all of the budget on sound equipment and mixing costs. Measure what the expected result of applying audio marketing should be and prioritize the most clear and crisp sound that can be comfortably attained, with emphasis on comfortably.
Be Consistent
Building brand recognition through audio marketing relies on the amount of time and effort put into the campaign. Always be consistent with messaging, brand tone, usage of audio elements, and the upload frequency of content.
Measure and Adapt Content
Measure the effectiveness of audio marketing by using analytics. Is the target audience being reached? Are the listeners engaging with the brand or products? Is the content being talked about between consumers? Adapt content and production based on measurable elements of the audio marketing strategy.
Strategize With A Budget
Small Budget
When making use of limited finances and dedicating the least amount of cash towards audio marketing and brand identity, consider beginning with content that already exists within the brand. Repurpose written-form content, such as blogs or brand stories, and transition the information towards podcasts and audio sharing. Produce the audio mix to include keyword topics and search opportunities. Practice vocal performances with scripting or outlining prior to recording and push repurposed content onto other media channels.
Medium Budget
With a medium budget there often exists space to explore and experiment with audio ads on other predominate spaces. As prices fluctuate and usually depend on the audience size and length of the ad, a medium budget can allow the sharing of audio marketing elements in the advertisement spaces on podcasts, radio, and other media platforms.
Large Budget
This option allows the most creative control involving audio marketing content strategies. With a large budget, it is worth considering all audio marketing categories and experimenting with content and advertisement channels.
How to Record Audio Content
Deliberate on the present audio marketing categories and what fits the preferred brand identity. Consider the required time and funding for all options regarding platform, budget, and audio content that will be generated.
Use Outlines and SEO
Produce an outline of the content that target audiences need to hear. Visualize what the brand identity is, and localize keywords that inbound marketing can associate the brand with. Use VSO and SEO to separate the brand's identity from the rest of the commercial noise.
Practice
Train and practice vocal prowess. Be comfortable with imperfection, not every word will be audibly perfect when recording or speaking live. Learn how to be comfortable with recovery from mumbling, stuttering, and infrequent speech rates.
Operating Necessities
For recording: Microphone with USD and/or XLR input
For music: License Subscription or Single Track License
For editing: Computer - Digital Artist Workstation (DAW)
Recording and Distribution
Short-form radio and audio advertisements often last between 15-60 seconds. Due to their relatively shorter advertising space, the content generated for these methods must make every second count. Be quick, but understandable. Make the message memorable or invite the audience to engage with another brand platform where more information exists. Many companies and brands fill their time with catchy content and a jingle.
Long-form radio and podcasting lies between a comfortable 20-45 minutes. the content can surpass this expected time frame, however, do not cut it into smaller lengths or bits. Utilize highlights and bite-sized bits and repurpose them into other mediums of audio marketing. Make a memorable exchange into a smaller ad that pushes the audience into listening for the full-length podcast or other media.
Services like Anchor.fm or distrokid.com exist where user-generated brand content can be uploaded to one host site where they are spread to various other platforms, oftentimes for a premium, affiliate benefit, or for a fee.
Audio marketing offers a refreshing and innovative way to connect with target audiences on a deeper and more meaningful level. From the investing tones and stories of a podcast host to the catchy stuck-in-your-head jingles of radio ads, sound has the power to create lasting and memorable brand impressions. With the embracing of audio marketing and by crafting a thoughtful strategy, all brands can amplify their message and engage with audiences in ways that resonate long after the sound fades. In short, turn up the volume and make your brand’s voice be heard in the world of audio marketing.
Resources
Kashyap, K. (2020, September 28). The power of Audio Marketing: 6 ways to boost your brand strategy. Spiceworks. https://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/content-marketing/articles/the-power-of-audio-marketing-6-ways-to-boost-your-brand-strategy/
Fisher, L. (2019, July 30). Exploring Opportunities in Streaming Audio, Podcasts and Smart Speakers. eMarketer. https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/digital-audio-advertising
Lopatin, J. (2020, December 18). What is Audio Marketing & How to create an audio marketing strategy for your business. Climb Marketing. https://www.climbmarketing.com/what-is-audio-marketing-how-to-create-an-audio-marketing-strategy-for-your-business/
The PDMI. (2021, November 4). What is audio marketing and how to use it in your campaign?. The PDMI. https://www.thepdmi.com/post/what-is-audio-marketing-and-how-to-use-it-in-your-campaign
Stewart, S., & Small, D. (2012). The library. Amazon. https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/audio-marketing
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