When you think about your marketing strategy, what springs to mind first? Is it running social media ads, or sending emails?
They’re both valid options. Yet there are still other forms of advertising open to you.
Look at podcasts. 37 percent of Americans listen to at least one podcast. That’s up 5 percent from 2019.
Connected TV (CTV) offers another opportunity. Fewer businesses currently advertise on the platform.
That means less competition and lower viewer fatigue. So you stand a better chance of converting viewers into buyers.
A good advertising agency can transform your business by adding these media forms to your advertising strategy. Read on to learn how it works.
Why Advertise on Podcasts?
Far from being radio’s lesser-known cousin, podcasts are a booming form of content.
Spotify expanded their offering to include podcasts alongside streamed music. Apple rebranded part of iTunes as Apple Podcasts.
One of the advantages of podcasts is people listen to them in so many places. They might be commuting, walking their dog, or gardening.
Podcasts meet their listeners where they are. This means listeners are primed and ready to consume content when they hit play.
Another advantage of podcasts is there’s something personal about the listening experience. It can feel like a personal conversation between the host and their audience.
This helps to create a bond between podcasts and their listeners. By advertising on those podcasts, you build trust by association.
Listeners are also consumers and almost half of them are very affluent. 45 percent of podcast listeners enjoy a household income of more than $75k.
How Should You Advertise on Podcasts?
Podcasts offer several ways to run adverts. These may vary depending on the show format or the preference of the host.
The podcast host may read your ad during the podcast, or they may weave the content into the episode itself. This has the advantage of feeling more organic.
Some hosts may even discuss their experience with your product or service. This is helpful if you want a more personal recommendation from a trusted host.
Other podcasts play adverts as a separate piece of content. This is closer to the way radio runs adverts. That said, podcasts won’t have several ad breaks through the episode.
They may only include three ads per episode or less. That means less competition for you, and it’s easier for listeners to remember your ad.
Hosts usually run ads at three points of an episode. The pre-roll slot runs at the beginning of the podcast, while the outro runs at the end. Mid-roll ads run during the podcast.
Which Slot Is Better for Your Advert?
The mid-roll slot is usually the longest, running up to 60 seconds in length. This gives you more space for the creative aspect of your ad.
Pre-roll slots are up to 15 seconds, yet it feels the least intrusive. It can set the tone for the episode and doesn’t interrupt the content.
Outro adverts have the benefit of being the final thing listeners hear. This can turn them into a call-to-action, turning listeners into buyers.
A good advertising agency can approach the right podcasts and secure the right slots. They can also craft a professional advert to reflect well on your business.
What About Connected TV?
Connected TVs let users watch TV, access the internet, and stream services on the same device. They may also be known as smart TVs.
They’re a hybrid between traditional television and internet services. These TVs are favored by those who had abandoned more mainstream services. 10 million viewers have cut the cord with traditional cable TV providers since 2012.
Unlike traditional TV advertising, connected TV advertising offers a high degree of targeting. An advertising agency will create your advert and ensure it reaches the right audience.
Choose time slots, programs, and viewer demographics for more success.
Viewers can’t skip ads as they can on platforms such as YouTube. They need to finish watching the ad in the stream to access their content.
That sounds intrusive, but because ads are shown less often, people pay more attention. Viewers are also more likely to watch them because they’re so highly targeted.
Your advertising agency will choose the right slots and streams to suit your target audience. They can also get real-time reporting on the ad’s performance.
That tells them how many people watched the ad in full, and how many viewers would recognize the brand.
Traditional TV advertising can’t offer this level of precision or reporting.
Create Multi-Platform Campaigns for the Best Success
The best way to approach your advertising strategy is to think in terms of campaigns. That means you create a concept to share in different formats across a range of platforms.
This means you reach different segments of your audience wherever they prefer to be. Some of your audience may prefer podcasts while others watch hours of on-demand TV.
Rather than running an ad on one or the other, a campaign lets you reach both. You can repurpose parts of your ads as static ads for print, or targeted social media ads.
Using this approach has another advantage. It turns each advert into a touchpoint. Every time a person sees or hears your ad, they build a stronger awareness of your brand.
It can take seven touchpoints to make a sale. Instead of running seven ads on one platform, you can make those touchpoints across different channels.
An Advertising Agency Helps You to Access These Platforms
Now you know how a good advertising agency can transform your business. They can craft professional content for a range of platforms.
An agency also targets your audience on the right platforms. That means people who are more likely to buy will see/hear your ad. You won’t waste money reaching people who aren’t interested.
All this experience turns your approach into an advertising strategy and not just marketing. You can see a swift return on investment when you advertise on these mass media platforms.
Do you want to advertise across mass media? Contact Optic Marketing Group today and find out how we can help.