Megan Ingram
March 11, 2022
Podcast listening only continues to grow worldwide with 1 in 5 consumers around the world saying they listened to podcasts and in 2021 this number increased in each region of the world. For marketing and business leaders, this doesn’t just have to be a personal hobby, you can build your sales pipeline by launching a podcast show that appeals to your brand’s audience. Further evidence from Global Web Index suggests that the increase in podcast usage is more than a trend to pass time. Here are a few podcast marketing trends that are shaping the podcasting landscape and can help your podcast stand out in the crowd:
While many agencies and brands seem to heavily optimize Facebook, Instagram, and other more prominent social media channels to reach their audiences, podcast marketing and advertising can be an underlooked marketing channel approach. Especially if your target audience is younger. This doesn’t necessarily mean that older B2B audiences aren’t a target podcast marketing audience - but we’re definitely showing higher podcast activity (with more than a few podcasts in rotation daily) among both Gen-Z and Millennial age groups right now. For brands, this is an opportunity to use a different medium in building relationships with younger audiences.
Recent data shows the typical podcast listener is younger and wealthier than the average internet user. 72% of Americans who have listened to a podcast in the past week are Gen-Zs or Millennials, and over 1 in 5 considers themselves to be affluent.
Podcast listeners are not just listening more but they’re engaging more with the medium. Why does this matter? Reaching an audience is one thing but in order to nurture users through a marketing customer journey, a brand needs to establish a long-term relationship. Brands constantly are trying to find ways within content workflows to do this. Before jumping right into leads and conversions, a two-way conversation needs to be started to establish why they should even be considering the brand. Podcast marketing allows a forum to create these conversations with notable thought leaders, influencers, and compelling speakers to draw education and interest. Through quality vetting and podcast development, you can create a podcast marketing journey that builds engagement and sparks excitement in your brand from these conversations.
There are clear differences in demographics that drive listeners to certain podcasts. Pay attention to this data when recruiting guests, picking episode topics, and creating podcast content. For example, female podcast listeners in the U.S. are over two times more likely than men to listen to true crime podcasts and men are over three times more likely than women to listen to sports-related podcasts. Affinity-based data can help you learn more about your audience interests compared to the average internet user. Podcast marketers can use this data to craft podcast content that will generate more audience interest and appeal. Demographic data (i.e. gender, age, income, location) can be good to monitor as you get more listeners, too. Anchor keeps tabs on this data and you can make sure you’re targeting and attracting the right people.
The marketing dream: Keeping users’ attention for more than 10 seconds. It’s harder to do than you think. Content marketing is literally everywhere and brands are fighting for every second of users' attention. Social media, video, streaming TV: users consume content constantly. We’ve seen evidence that brands stand a better chance of doing this with podcast marketing over other mediums. Over half of weekly podcast listeners say they listen at home while relaxing, a number that is far greater than the amount who listen to podcasts while commuting to or doing work. Podcasts not only are a place for less distracted users but those users are more inclined to actually listen to your advertising and not be annoyed. 22% of weekly podcast listeners say they discover new products or brands through podcasts, and this is nearly two times greater than average. Good news for premium brands: Podcast listeners also show a much greater willingness to spend larger amounts for premium products.
The motivation of listeners when choosing podcasts is different than most other digital motivations. 22% of listeners say they prefer long-form content over shorter songs, but mainly podcast listeners say they turn to podcasts for insights into things they wouldn’t find elsewhere. 39% say they listen to learn new things, and 34% say they listen to gain deeper insight into niche topics. This is something to keep in mind when you are building your podcast strategy. Create podcast content that is intended to peak interest about new things and showcase deeper insight into topics. In turn, this will resonate more with your audience and be a catalyst to relationship and brand building.
Looking for business and marketing podcast content? Season 2 of Your Brand. Your Story. podcast is streaming now.
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March 11, 2022
