Why Your Small Business Advertising Strategy Needs Audio

For millions upon millions of people in the US, digital audio is a constant companion. And yet, advertising on podcasts or streaming is often underestimated or overlooked when advertisers are considering their marketing mix. Need help figuring out if digital audio advertising is the right move for your business? Let’s look at how it can enhance your marketing strategy—with far more accessibility, ROAS, and greater impact than you might have imagined.

Why Audio Is the Perfect Addition to Your Small Business Marketing Strategy

Consumers spend 31% of their time with audio compared to other media outlets, which shows just how powerful it’s become. However, ad spend on audio comes in at a mere 9%, with those other media outlets accounting for the remaining 91%. Meaning, companies may be missing out on a prime method of reaching their target audiences. 

But, there’s good news for your small business—an opportunity to introduce your brand to a massive audience who is actually listening—without breaking the bank. 

Digital Audio Consumption Is on the Rise

Audio has the power to follow your audience where TV or social media simply can’t reach, like when they’re commuting, working out, or running errands. People reach for audio to concentrate, learn something new, reduce their screen time, and entertain themselves. This versatility is one of the many reasons for audio’s sweeping and growing popularity. In fact, 76% of Americans listen to digital audio, spending nearly five hours with the medium daily. While other media formats are seeing declines—there’s been a 43% drop in share of time spent with TV in the last decade, for instance—digital audio continues to climb. In that same timeframe, there’s been a 183% rise in share of time spent with digital audio.

Listeners Are Tuned In to Streaming Audio Ads

Streaming is the most prevalent form of digital audio now. For example, in the US, 218M people listen to online audio monthly. But there’s more to advertising with streaming than just the sheer volume of listeners. Brand advertisers of all sizes turn to this medium for excellent targeting capabilities and engaged audiences, among other things. According to studies, audio ads receive 50% more audience attention than TV, social, or video ads.

Podcasts Are Their New Best Friend

Podcasts are a behemoth, attracting 135M American listeners monthly, with a growth of 47% in popularity throughout the last five years. Influential figures from every sphere, such as Oprah, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Conan O’Brien, have turned to creating podcasts to engage their following and win over new fans. Many movies and TV shows have been based on podcasts, and many stars are turning to the medium to explore their popular titles in a new way, such as Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast. 

Available in every genre you can think of, podcasts capture listeners of all ages and backgrounds. These audiences are highly engaged and connected to the content; more than two in three listeners feel a personal connection to podcast hosts. All of this exemplifies the significance of podcasts as a cultural phenomenon—and as an advertising channel. 

Get in the Game with AudioGo

Digital audio advertising doesn’t need to be left to the big teams or the big budgets. Partnering with AudioGo makes it easy. They offer the capability to create ads for podcasts or streaming from scratch. They can connect brands with publishers, help with audience targeting, provide real-time performance reporting, and more. The platform is intuitive and simple, perfect for those just starting their digital audio advertising journey. And it’s a great fit for budgets of almost any size.

Synthetic Voice Ads

By leveraging text-to-speech technology to produce audio creatives in mere seconds, advertisers can choose from a variety of realistic voices to bring life to their audio campaign with 30-second ads—no need to source voice actors to audition and read scripts. 

Small business owners tend to try synthetic voice ads out for benefits such as versatility (in podcasts or streaming) and speed of production. Plus, there’s also the ease of implementing changes. And any script changes or last-minute edits can be done faster than you say “synthetic voice ads.”

Streaming Audio Ads

Want to promote your brand with streaming audio ads? Here’s how it works: AudioGo lets you reach your audience on Pandora, Sonos, SoundCloud, and more, with a total of 100M+ ad-enabled streaming listeners. Come with your own ad creative or simply use the services available through the platform. Next, target your audience using basic options (e.g., location, age, or gender) or dive deeper and target by music genres and behavioral segments. Et voilà! Track the results with comprehensible reporting tools and adjust the campaign as needed. 

Podcast Ads

If you want to tap into the power of podcast advertising to grow your small business, AudioGo is the best place to start. Its partners include 20+ top podcast networks with content in different genres, so you can reach your target listeners no matter who or where they are. And if you want to improve your ROAS even further, give Predictive Audiences a try. It’s an innovative targeting solution that makes podcast targeting even more effective—all to ensure your message reaches the right people at the right time in the right way. 

Take Your Small Business Advertising Strategy to the Next Level

Straightforward, affordable, and effective—digital audio advertising has it all, and it’s sure to become a mainstay for your small business marketing efforts. Not to mention, it becomes even better when you have a trusted partner by your side to help you create and manage your campaign.

SiriusXM Media offers you access to the #1 ad-supported audio network on the market. No matter the size of your business or your budget, with us, you can let the world know about your brand through the most popular podcasts and platforms out there. 

Let’s talk.