Hear Ye, Hear Ye: The Tale of Audio Advertising

Humans have a natural affinity for stories. We gravitate toward hearing the experiences of others. With such an instinctive attraction, using audio formats to advertise can bring effective results to your business.

Once Upon A Time In Radio

Radio is one of the oldest traditional advertising methods. The golden age of radio lasted for 30 years and since then, this medium has been a staple of American culture.

There are two basic advertising formats in radio:

Pre-produced spots:

Script read by characters or announcers
Music and sound effects
Paints a picture in the listener’s mind

Native reads:

Scripted dialogue read by the radio station’s host
Informational, with the host explaining the product or service and other information about the company
Testimonials that add credibility

It’s sold in dayparts, or divisions in the 24-hour cycle. Some dayparts are more coveted than others, for example the Morning Drivetime between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. reaches the largest number of consumers because people are driving to work, while the Overnight daypart between midnight and 6 a.m. is least popular.

Advertising rates differ depending on the daypart, but if you select a preemptible spot, you will pay a lower rate. Preemptible spots are deals offered by radio stations to advertisers in order to fill time slots. Although they are a less expensive buy, the catch is that your spot can be bumped if another business offers more money for that time.

Radio is an effective audio medium because it has low cost per thousand impressions (CPM). This means you can reach a large number of consumers for a relatively low price. Radio ads also have a quick turnaround. Since there’s no visual component, sets and costumes aren’t needed. All you need is a recording room, a voice and a script—courtesy of your Orlando advertising agency.

Radio is also known for its ability to reach extremely targeted audiences. Stations are already divided by interest, for example, Orlando’s Classic Hits 98.9 or Power 95.3. All your business has to do is select the station that best represents its audience. However, because radio is so targeted, there is a large amount of fragmentation—consumers are split into different sections so it can be difficult to reach all of them. This means purchasing radio spots on multiple stations to reach your local consumer market.

Depending on the amount of information you need to convey, radio can be a difficult medium to communicate your entire pitch. With most ads ranging from 15 to 30 seconds, it can be hard to craft a simple message that encompasses all your business’s services, and you have to do so with no visuals. But, with creativity and help from an experienced Orlando advertising agency, your message will be clear and effective.

They Lived Happily Ever After With Podcasts and Music Streaming Sites

Another medium of audio advertising is the world of podcasts and music streaming. Unlike radio, podcasts and music streaming sites offer consumers the ability to pick and choose what song or show they want to hear. This allows greater flexibility for consumers, but could prove challenging for businesses wanting to advertise because it’s hard to pin down your consumer when they’re bouncing all over the place.

There are generally three types of podcast advertising:

Pre-roll:

Occurs before the podcast begins
15-second spot

Mid-roll:

Occurs during the podcast
30 to 60-second segments

Outro:

Occurs during the final moments of the podcast
Acts as a reminder
15-second spot

Ad spots are purchased through the show you’re advertising in or your advertising agency can go through a podcast network. And they’re sold in one of three ways:

CPM – for every thousand listeners, your business will pay a certain amount for the advertisement.
Cost per acquisition (CPA) – your business pays an agreed price for each new consumer.
Freely negotiated price – your business pays a price previously negotiated with the podcast host.

Although podcasts are not the most popular listening medium for consumers, it’s a growing medium—it was estimated that advertisers spent around $35 million in 2015. Podcasts also have a unique ability to reach women and men equally and the age ranges are relatively matched, with ages 25 to 34 in a slight lead. The consumers who listen to podcasts are well-educated with a high income. However, because podcast sponsorship is a new medium, it may be difficult to target your exact audience. But, with techniques such as promo codes, you can offer consumers deals and evaluate how they reached you by tracking the promo codes used; tailoring your marketing plan to the results.

Along with podcast advertising are music streaming sites and apps. With sites like Pandora, Spotify, and SoundCloud, your podcast advertising options are endless. And because this medium is new, you can get in on the ground floor with consumers. Advertising is sold through the site, meaning you have to contact the company and set prices, lengths and times. By working with an Orlando advertising agency, you can avoid the hassle because we communicate with companies and manage difficult negotiations on your behalf.

With music streaming sites, you can advertise on extremely specific stations, such as Morning Exercise, Sunday Afternoon Car Ride or Late Night Sessions. If you know your target audience’s demographics and psychographics, you can identify the stations they’re most likely using with little to no waste in time or budget.

Just like podcasts, music-streaming sites are new and they don’t have the most effective return-on-investment (ROI) tracking methods, but by offering unique promo codes, you can increase the amount of data received, such as location, times and amount of redemptions.

Advertising in audio formats offers your business a chance to join the legions of storytellers that came before you. With the help of an advertising agency that specializes in media buying, you can tell your story, promote your company and gain impactful results.

For your audio advertising needs, we’re all ears. Appleton Creative is an award-winning, full-service Orlando advertising agency that specializes in media buying for local, national and international clients. Appleton leverages relationships with the media to craft a media strategy and plan that is constantly monitored, analyzed and optimized. Appleton delivers multimedia and multi-market campaigns for companies through meticulously placed billboards, advertisements, print publications, radio, TV and online pay-per-click services. Your media planning and buying goals are worth a conversation: contact us at 407-246-0092 or info@appletoncreative.com