Steps to Integrating Audio to Boost Advertising Results

As more of our daily lives occur online, between streaming, working, shopping, and social media, audio ads have gained popularity and prevalence. The audio soundtrack is the star of these types of creatives, whether or not they have a visual component. Like radio ads, they have a unique ability to reach customers and highlight a brand. However, audio ads have a significant impact on increasing long-term memory.  

Marketers can implement audio ads across a broad selection of mediums. Both radio and digital audio ads can complement each other, extending their efficacy to an omnichannel experience. Adding an audio component to your online ads can improve their performance. They can also serve as standalone advertisements for podcasts.  

Reviewing Audio Ads 

An audio advertisement could be on radio or digital, such as podcasts, social media, or music streaming platforms. Businesses can target audio ads on music streaming services for specific audiences for a more significant impact. It’s as easy as choosing an artist or podcast genre that appeals to your target audience. The ads then air throughout the programming at various intervals.  

Your audio ad campaign comprises its target audience, budget, and other parameters like placement and duration. Radio advertising is an economical yet powerful method of getting your message to a large audience of engaged listeners. You can control your costs by paying careful attention to the audio ad’s placement, length, and production. Choosing a less expensive time to air your ad and keeping production relatively simple can result in a highly effective ad at a reasonable price. 

Unlike radio, there is no specific timeslot for digital audio ads, as listeners can stream at any time of the day or night. Streamed ads are typically from 15-60 seconds. They can be aired before streams as pre-roll, during the stream as mid-roll, or after as post-roll. Both digital and radio campaigns run multiple times per day over several weeks and vary between $200 to $5000. An advantage of audio ads is that you can use a conversational tone to personalize the message for the listening audience.  

Types of Audio Ads 

Audio ads are available for multimedia placement. They may or may not have accompanying visual components. The choices are astounding and can reach a much larger audience in multiple ways due to the vast array of platforms.  

Cross-Device Audio 

Marketers can reach their audience with a consistent message using an omnichannel strategy. The name says it all; these ads can run on tablets, mobile devices, desktops, smart TVs, in-car apps, or gaming consoles. It works by using behavioral data to match to a single device or users, matching all their devices through known user logins.  

Display Ads 

Display ads show up on websites, articles, videos, and many other online sites. Banners are what you see across the top of the screen. They run on free versions of streaming apps. This type of ad may also be in the form of square images with either text or animations.  

Podcast Ads 

Podcast ads, both pre-recorded and host read, generate phenomenal engagement over other platforms. The impact is partly due to demographics. Podcast listeners are typically more educated, old enough to make purchasing decisions, and financially able to make those purchases. It is an excellent medium for consistent and accurate targeting, as the audience demographics don’t vary from show to show. 

Radio Ads 

One of the most effective ways to reach a local audience is radio advertising. You can target your audience by choosing stations in genres that your customers favor. You can even track the efficacy of your ads through special promo codes, phone numbers, or URLs.  

Digital Audio Platforms 

We’ve already touched on radio and podcasts as popular and successful platforms for your audio ads, but other streaming options are also powerful for delivering your message. OTT or over-the-top streaming is the free alternative to subscription-based streaming that plays ads for the listener instead of paying a fee for the programming. Users of popular music streaming sites like Pandora or Spotify are familiar with these ads. Though it can be challenging to attribute impact directly, they offer greater analytics insight by aligning your ads with someone deliberately listening. 

Developing Audio Advertising 

Creating a persuasive audio ad essentially comes down to four primary elements and must be:  

• Unique 
• Relevant 
• Emotional 
• Attention-grabbing 

You can record the ads yourself or hire a production company, and the radio and podcast hosts can read ads on air for a more personal endorsement. However, if you choose to produce the ads yourself, you need to remember that the ad must have a smooth transition, background music must be subtle so as not to overpower the message, and include a specific call to action. Though the costs may be initially higher for hiring professionals, it guarantees more efficiency and better results, leading to increased ROI.  

Audio Can Impact Listeners’ Long-Term Memory, Keeping Your Brand Top of Mind 

Whether you choose radio, streaming, or an omnichannel strategy for your campaign, have the assurance that it will reach your intended audience and have a lasting impact. Because an omnichannel presence allows you to target your message to your ideal customer demographic and choose the platforms where they spend their time, it helps your ads resonate with more people.