Use Podcasts As A Marketing Tool

Almost a quarter (23%) of UK adults have listened to a podcast in the past month, with 76% saying they have followed up on an ad or sponsored message they heard in a show, according to data from Acast.

The Swedish podcast ad startup surveyed 1,335 Brits in tandem with Ipsos. It found that two-thirds of UK podcast listeners were aged between 16 to 34, with 27% of this group listening to a show once a week, while 29% listened to a show twice a week.

76% said that they had followed up on an ad or sponsored message they heard on a podcast, while 37% said an ad had led them to seek out further information on a product, and 24% were prompted to visit a brand’s website.

Listeners are less likely to skip an ad read on a podcast because they don’t want to miss part of the show. And with the right host + product combo, host-read ads can feel like a natural part of the podcast episode. Additionally, ads are typically read at the beginning, middle, and (sometimes) end of the podcast. With 40% of people listening to entire podcasts and 45% listening to most of the podcasts, that gives you multiple opportunities to leave an impression.

There’s nothing quite like a recommendation from a friend. That’s what great podcast ad reads feel like. Listeners invest so much time in podcasts that they tend to feel a connection with their hosts. These relationships mean listeners trust the hosts and value their opinions. So when all ads are: A) read by the hosts, and B) purposely infused with their personality, it feels like “genuine” word-of-mouth, not just someone selling you a product. In fact, the relationship between the hosts and the brands themselves plays a big part in this. When hosts and brands are a perfect match, everything feels natural, and listeners can tell.

Podcasts are the perfect medium for companies who have a great product but need some help selling the idea of it. If your goals are about driving awareness for your product or service, or you have a proprietary product that requires a little bit of explanation, look no further. Ad spots should be kept short, so they should be succinct and to-the-point while highlighting your product’s best features.

In a survey conducted on 300,000 podcast listeners, it was found that 63 percent of the respondents had bought what the host had promoted. This indicates that podcasts can be used to engage the audience and influence their buying decisions positively.

Most businesses have already started augmenting podcasts into their marketing strategies. It is high time you start implementing them for the growth of your company.

When engagement is becoming the most important measurement for advertisers, podcasts look like the obvious partner for brands seeking to engage with their audiences.Audiences are becoming increasingly difficult to communicate with through traditional forms of advertising, particularly considering that younger generations don’t watch as much linear TV and use ad blockers when online.

Podcast listeners have made a conscious choice to tune in and engage with the content of the show, so brands really have an opportunity to speak to someone who is actually listening and to capture their full attention.

In an advertising climate when most want to shut out traditional methods of marketing, a podcast can really stand out loud and clear as a unique and effective way to reach niche audiences.

Author Sean McClouchan ©