Podcasts, more than ever, are becoming a popular form of media consumption among many different demographics of consumers. One of the advantages of podcasts is that there is a virtually unlimited amount of niches that the content can fit into, meaning consumers can likely find a podcast that fits the subject matter they’re seeking easily.
And with the increase in use of podcast streaming platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, users are now able to download entire lists of podcast episodes to catch up on their commutes or while walking the dog.
This ease of accessibility makes a big difference for podcast producers and advertisers vying for consumer attention on each episode. With so few barriers to entry, it’s now easier than ever to reach new audience members through innovative and authentic advertising opportunities.
Podcast advertising is a booming sector of the digital marketing industry that continues to grow as more brands tap into the potential of a captive type of audience. But how can podcast advertisers reach the maximum amount of people?
It’s quite simple, in reality. One of the best places to begin if a brand is new to podcasts is simply to look at its target market and find out where they are spending their time. Perhaps a brand that sells accounting software to younger users would do well to advertise with a more millennial-focused financial or business podcast. Today, it seems that virtually any demographic can find a palatable podcast on virtually any topic — gone are the days of stuffy talk radio that doesn’t necessarily appeal to a younger demographic.
Take the time to think like a consumer: what would you personally listen to? What types of podcasts appeal to the demographic you’re looking to attract? Chances are, there are a plethora of options available that can open up new doors of advertising opportunity.
Tracking the ROI of podcast advertising can be simple, too. Many brands will include a special discount code or tracking code to be read on-air for users to take advantage of. This allows brands to track where traffic is coming from and allows them to quantify the results of a podcast marketing campaign.
And while sales are important, another important metric for brands to measure when it comes to podcast advertising is reach. Reach is relatively easy to measure in the podcast space, as this number can be determined by the number of listens or downloads an episode achieves. While not every platform will be able to track whether or not listeners dropped off at a certain point — before or after hearing an ad, for example — for many podcasts it’s fairly safe to assume that a majority of listeners are sticking around for the entire episode.
Podcast advertising is perhaps one of the more simple facets of digital marketing in existence today. Aside from coming up with the right type of ad that converts — conversational ads tend to be much more authentic and well-received than scripted sound bites — collecting results from a campaign is relatively simple.
The low-risk, potentially high reward idea of podcast advertising is one that many brands are locking on to these days, and for good reason. In order to reach the most consumers, brands have to be willing to go where their target market is going — and a large portion of those consumers are heading for the airwaves in podcast land.