Happy Friday, and welcome back to Marketing Qualified. Let’s jump straight into today’s marketing topics:
The opportunity in audio. Maybe you need to add this to your strategy.
Is social the new search? It might be time to update your thinking.
🎧 The opportunity in audio.
Marketers are always on the hunt for the next great channel. They want to find it, invest in it, and be heroes when the sales roll in.
But sometimes, the best channel isn’t new. It’s old yet underappreciated.
Like audio.
It’s one of the longest-standing marketing channels, but many companies overlook it entirely or barely invest in it.
But we think there’s a lot of untapped value there.
31% of media consumption is through audio.
Why?
Because it’s flexible and portable.
You can listen on your commute, at the gym, while cooking dinner, cleaning the house, or going for a walk, among other things.
However, even though nearly one-third of media consumption is audio, less than 10% of media budgets are allocated to it.
Now, that’s what we call an arbitrage opportunity!
Here are some of the reasons you should take audio more seriously as a marketing channel:
Reach + tracking.
Radio ads were once seen as the ultimate vehicle for increasing reach. However, reaching specific audience segments or obtaining helpful analytics was difficult.
Today, audio is multi-platform and backed by technologies that simplify targeting and performance measurement.
Less crowded.
With social or search ads, your ad gets put in an environment cluttered with other ads.
On the other hand, audio ad slots tend to stand alone. So, your ad makes an impact instead of being lost in the noise.
Plus, audio advertisers have a lot more opportunity to choose the content, show(s), environment, and times their ads appear.
On other channels, you’re at the mercy of the algorithm.
Higher trust.
Consumers tend to trust audio more than other mediums like social or digital.
This could be because listeners spend hours upon hours listening to audio shows. They begin to feel like they know the hosts personally. They come to trust their judgment.
When you advertise on a trusted audio show, that positive sentiment carries over to your brand.
Found time.
Audio allows marketers to hit their audience at different times of the day.
There are certain times when people can scroll on their devices—in the waiting room before an appointment, on a lunch break, or watching TV after work.
But there are vast swaths of the day when people can’t scroll—anytime they’re driving, cleaning, cooking, exercising, etc. Companies can’t use digital channels to reach them during these times because there are no visuals.
But they can use audio.
This creates “found time” for advertisers.
When they leverage it, they can stay top of mind more of the time.
📰 In the news this week.
📈 7 best Facebook ads tactics from demand generation pros.
🔎 How to size up your competitors’ SEO strategy.
🤖 Artificial intelligence is losing hype.
🏀 How sports marketers approach social media strategy.
🛋 How Ikea tricks you into buying more stuff.
📈 Is social the new search?
Social media is killing Google. At least, that’s what some new stats are indicating.
When it comes to the younger generations, an increasing number of searchers rely on social channels over search engines.
A recent Forbes study revealed that 46% of Gen Z and 35% of Millennials now prefer social media sites over traditional search engines.
And these numbers are on the rise.
What does this mean for marketers?
You need to have a search strategy for social, not just Google.
You need to transition from only trying to be first in SERP results to trying to be first on social media feeds.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Every recent decade has meant an evolution in search optimization:
1970s: buy ads in the newspaper and magazines.
1980s: include AA in your company’s name so you’re listed first in the phonebook.
1990s: buy ads on the radio or TV.
2000s: stuff as many keywords on your website as possible.
2010s: nail your technical SEO and include keywords Google likes.
2020s: get to the top of social media feeds.
What should marketers do about it?
Answer questions your prospects have and post them on social media.
This lets you capture attention when the prospect is actively seeking information—a crucial moment!
Do this enough times, and eventually, it turns viewers into customers.
If your company is still only focused on search engines, it’s time to take social search more seriously. Or else your competition will leave you in the dust.
😂 Marketing meme of the week.
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