Using audio content in your digital marketing

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Nov 25, 2014 / by
Using audio content in your digital marketing

The ingenuity of using audio content as a digital marketing tool is that the person listening does not have to be fully engaged, unlike when reading a blog post. One in four internet users listen to podcasts, and in the UK 76% of workers (Londoners excluded) travel to work – this represents an awful lot of people who could potentially be listening to exciting audio content courtesy of your business.

Mic and headphonesIn addition to this, the amount of smartphone users worldwide is projected to be 1.75 billion in 2014, all of which will have the technology to download and listen to one of your podcasts instantly, all while simultaneously engaging in another activity if they choose to. Audio as a marketing tool is not restricted to podcasts however; there are many ways this medium can help to raise awareness of your brand, increase your reputation as an expert and generate more leads.

Testimonials

testimonials are highly recommended, and are an important part of building social proof around your brand. While text-based testimonials are perfectly fine, you’ll find that spoken testimonials provide a more visceral and intimate experience for people. By hearing a happy and satisfied voice giving a testimonial, those visiting your site will be able to tell that your clients are real people, providing a deeper level of social proof than would be possible with text alone. This level of authenticity is hard to beat.

Audio products

Long gone are the days when you have to go through the tedious stages of prototyping, development and manufacturing in order to release a physical product. In the digital era, information products are big business. While e-books are a popular method for blog monetisation, sometimes people just don’t have the time or the patience to sit down and read. By releasing an information product in the form of an audio book, your audience will be able to take in all the important details but without the effort of sitting down and giving their full focus.

Bring in the experts

While the SEO value of guest blogging has certainly diminished in recent years, quality content has and always will remain a core facet of successful digital marketing. This is equally true in terms of audio content. Interviewing an expert, or even a panel of experts, can provide you with excellent podcast content and can also dramatically increase your following (provided each invitee promotes their appearance on your podcast). For example, UFC commentator and comedian Joe Rogan has one of the most popular podcasts on the internet, and for good reason. As expected, a multitude of athletes have featured on his podcasts, but he also invites rappers, comedians, philosophers, and a host of other individuals who provide enthralling debates for his audience to enjoy. Joe Rogan’s content is available in both video and audio form, allowing people to pick their preferred medium.

Webinars

The evolution from seminars to webinars means that more people than ever before can tune in and receive information about a topic that they’re interested in, irrespective of their geographical location. Not only do you cut costs on renting a physical location for the event, the webinar can be recorded and then sold separately or provided as a downloadable bonus which can be attached to an information product.

On the topic of webinars, digital marketing specialist Chris Ericksensays:

“You’ll attract those people who are most interested in the subject matter which should shorten your sales cycle. The potential audience here is unfettered by time or location, and bonus, the webinar lacks the associated travel costs of a large marketing event. It’s win-win.”

Conclusion

While audio content can provide a new dimension to your digital marketing strategy, high quality content is still the determining factor. It’s great if your audience are able to reclaim dead time on their daily commute by listening to one of your podcasts, but it’s of no use if your content does not actually add value. Next time we’ll cover the steps to creating awe-inspiring podcasts and how to promote them effectively, boosting your brand awareness in the process.

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