How to create an audio marketing strategy
Audio Marketing Strategies To Start With Today
If you want to boost your content strategy with some audio, there are currently three common ways to do so.
1. Podcasting
Originally known as ‘audioblogging’, podcasting is nothing new. However, it has grown in popularity over the years. According to a 2017 Edison Research study, 42 million Americans over the age of 12 listen to at least one podcast episode each week. Moreover, monthly podcast listening 67 million — that’s double the amount recorded in 2013.
Hubspot's podcast 'Weird Work' is a good example of a branded podcast. The marketing software vendor invited entrepreneurs onto the show to discuss their off-the-wall industries.
It should also be noted that a successful podcast doesn’t need to mimic a radio talk show. Some podcasters indulge in monologues, while others strip the audio from their vlogging adventures or public speeches to form podcast content. Alternative podcasting experiences can be delivered through Facebook Live Audio and Anchor, two channels that are trying to carve out their own spaces in the audio marketing space.
2. Smart Home Assistant Skills
Smart home assistants are bringing audio experiences and voice-activated search into our homes, and 35.6 million Americans will use a voice-activated device at least once per month, according to eMarketer – a 128.9 percent increase since 2016. Amazon, Google and Apple are the three companies making the most noise in the market, and with the Amazon Echo and Google Home already having multiple generations, the future looks bright.
A good example of a brand leveraging smart home assistants can be found in the NBA Alexa Skill. Their skill allows Basketball lovers to hear the latest scores, find out which fixtures are coming up and listen to live games. Notably, all 30 NBA teams are also on the brink of releasing their own Alexa Skills.
3. Audiograms
Publishing audiograms is probably the easiest way to dip your toes into the audio marketing world. An audiogram is just audio that overlays a still image. That image — along with whatever audio message that goes along with it — can be published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
WNYC, the radio and podcast station, has dabbled in audiograms, choosing to publish them on Instagram and Twitter in order to share their audio snippets with a little more swagger. An audiogram may also make sense if the image is an infographic that requires some explanation.
What’s Your Audio Content Strategy?
Consumers are slowly but surely increasing their demand for audio experiences both inside and outside of the home. And now that there are at least three clear ways to add audio to your content strategy, is there any excuse not to?
If you’re already experimenting with audio marketing, or are planning to, we’d like to hear about it in the comments section below.
