Supercharge Your Search and Social Campaigns With Audio

For small and medium-sized businesses, spending marketing dollars on search and display ads is a no-brainer. But did you know that adding audio advertising to your marketing mix can help your search and social campaigns thrive? Let’s take a closer look at the power of audio advertising and how it can help drive online searches for you—and even positive ROI.

Audio Introduces Consumers to Your Brand (and Leaves a Lasting Impression)

Humans connect by telling stories and sharing experiences, and audio is inherently a storytelling medium. For advertisers, you can use this knowledge to your advantage, and know that audio is memorable and drives action. In a recent Nielsen study, digital audio ads drove 24% higher recall than display ads, and were 2x as likely to drive purchase intent. ¹ 

It’s no surprise that streaming audio digitally is more popular than ever before, with people spending over four hours a day listening! ² For brands, delivering messages to listeners when they’re enjoying their favorite songs, or bingeing a true crime podcast, will allow your message to seamlessly fit in. The result? Listeners will associate your brand with positive feelings.  

Audio Causes Consumers to Look For You, and Take Action

Think about your own behavior when online shopping: You see an ad on TV, or hear an audio ad on Pandora, which leads you to search for that product online. It’s not just you; the data backs this up. A study by Adobe shows that 1 in 3 consumers search for a product or service details after hearing an audio ad. ³ Audio can get your potential customers interested.

And since it takes at least eight touchpoints to drive a marketing lead, you need an integrated strategy that uses multiple marketing platforms. Even if your social campaigns are getting a lot of attention, seeing a brand solely on social media is not always enough to drive conversions.  First, make your customer aware of your brand (hint: audio is the perfect way to fill in the funnel), and then convert them through search and social media.

And Finally, Audio Shows up, Even When Visual Media Can’t

You know the phrase, “out of sight, out of mind”? Well, this is where audio really shines. 79% of audio consumption happens where visual media cannot reach consumers. ⁴ See, with audio, you could reach your customer while they’re doing chores at home listening to a smart speaker (1 in 3 U.S. households has one, ⁵ or in the morning while they’re going for their daily run. 

Even when a listener’s screen is out of view, audio messaging can still get through to them, reinforce your brand message, and keep you top of mind. 

Ready to Round Out Your Marketing Plan?

For brands that have found success with search or social advertising, don’t stop. Keep up those high conversion rates, but boost them by adding even more leads to your funnel using audio advertising. SXM Media’s large scale (ahem, over 150 million listeners in the U.S.) and advanced targeting capabilities allow you to boost your other existing campaigns and help drive conversions. If you’re interested in learning more about how audio can enhance your next campaign, drop us a note today.

^Sources:

1. Nielsen Media Lab Study, 2019

2. Edison Research Share of Ear Study, Q2 2021, Percent More Time with Audio, Compared to Non-Digital Audio Listeners. Base: P13+

3. Adobe Digital Advertising Study, Marketers & Consumers, February 2019

4. IAB, Digital Audio Buyer's Guide, Nielsen Research

5. The Nielsen Total Audience Report: August 2020