When done well, podcasts are one of the most effective channels for brands to reach their target audience when they are most engaged. It’s no surprise that brands, big and small, are devoting more and more marketing budget to podcast advertising. In fact, over the last several years, brand spend on podcasting has tripled. That said, there is also a bit of a learning curve when it comes to podcast advertising and it’s easy to make mistakes, especially if you’re new to the channel. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or launching your first podcast ad campaign, here are a few of the most common pitfalls in podcast advertising and how you can avoid them.
Not providing a unique offer
Unlike other digital channels, the promo code or unique URL is the primary way to track the performance of a direct response campaign. A bad or lacklust offer simply won’t generate good results. So, it’s especially important to customize your offer directly to the audience you’re trying to reach and make sure it’s simple enough to understand and compelling enough to motivate a new customer to take action. Which is why you want to avoid using the same offer that you’re using in other channels or an offer that is readily available to everyone that visits your website. If you’re automatically offering free shipping on all orders, then free shipping won’t be an effective offer for your podcast campaign.
Treating podcasts like other mediums
Many marketers mistakenly assume that they can apply the same strategies from social media and other paid advertising channels to podcasting. But podcasts are different and much more intentional than other forms of media. When someone listens to a podcast, they are highly engaged in the content and much more invested than they would be scrolling through instagram. Podcasts require more of an upfront investment and some patiences, since results tend to drive over longer time periods. It’s also important to be flexible and consider adapting your messaging and strategy to podcasting. You may have perfected your messaging in other channels, but there’s a good possibility that messaging will not translate directly to podcasts.
Making assumptions about your target audience
For a marketer that is passionate about podcasts, it can be tempting to want to advertise on your favorite shows to start. But, just because you like a podcast, it doesn’t mean that it will necessarily resonate and reach your target audience. In order to drive results, it’s important never to lose sight or make assumptions about your target audience when planning a podcast ad campaign. The most critical part of your ad is making sure the show, message, and offer are a good fit for the audience you’re trying to reach. Which is also why it’s smart not to adhere too strictly to a single category of shows. You can’t automatically assume that the health-conscious listeners you’re trying to reach are only interested in health-related podcasts, when you may be surprised to learn they are also dedicated listeners to comedy podcasts.
Prioritizing reach over frequency
Another common mistake marketers make is choosing big podcasts just because they assume that will reach the most people. Just because you’re advertising on Joe Rogan’s podcast doesn’t mean it will automatically drive great results. If the ad isn’t a good fit for the podcast and that audience, it won’t perform well. Instead of focusing on reaching the most people, it’s more important to focus on reaching the right people.
It’s much better to prioritize the frequency of your ad, over the ad’s reach when selecting podcasts for your campaign. No matter how great your ad or your product is, if a customer isn’t familiar with your brand, it’s very unlikely they’ll make a purchase after hearing just one ad. Marketing experts say that people need to hear about your product 7-10 times before they purchase. Which is why it’s smarter to select podcasts where you are able to purchase three to five ads that run consecutively, versus just one ad on a large podcast.
Get more tips on selecting the right podcasts for your campaign, here.
Not testing before scaling
One of the easiest ways to avoid making a common mistake and ensure you’re spending your budget smartly is to be diligent in testing your ad across a variety of shows and audiences before you start to scale your campaign. It’s always best to start small and figure out what exactly is working for your brand and audience before scaling up.
Once you’ve ran a few campaigns and experimented with different messaging, ad formats and podcast categories – it will become clear what is working and what isn’t. Like any other medium in marketing, testing and continuing to optimize your campaign based on the data is key to driving better performing campaigns.
RedCircle’s Advertising platform and team of experts helps you to launch a seamless campaign and save you from frustrating and costly mistakes. To learn more about advertising with RedCircle, sign up and we’ll get in touch!