January is traditionally filled with finalizing media buys in the marketing plan for the year. As you are evaluating your media placements, you might consider a few “eyes up” mediums.
An “eyes up medium” is any platform that doesn’t require the recipient’s eyes to take in the content – like a podcast or online radio ads!
Podcasts are consistently growing in popularity. In just three years, podcast listeners have grown 29.5% (Convince and Convert).
Online radio platforms such as Sirius XM, Pandora, and Spotify are also popular “eyes up mediums” that provide several marketing opportunities. According to Statista, 68% of the United States population had listened to online radio in the past month.
With this kind of year-over-year growth and potential audience reach, there are definitely marketing opportunities to explore. But what are those opportunities and are they right for your brand?
Eyes Up Medium Marketing Opportunities
If podcasts align with your Big Three, it’s time to find out which kind of promotion is best for your brand:
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Programmatic advertising – This kind of advertising is just like a regular/familiar ad buy. You send a recorded spot to a media company and they’ll place it in the podcast/radio stations that align with your goals. Easy peasy. If you’re advertising in a podcast, you can choose where to place these ads within the podcast (beginning, middle, or end). These kinds of ads are usually about 15-30 seconds in length, and they’re a great way to dip your toes into the “eyes up” advertising pool.
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Host-read ads/endorsements – This is the kind of ad where the host will read your script but add their own flair! These types of ads generally perform a little bit better than pre-recorded programmatic spots because they come across as more genuine. Plus, according to The Podcast Host, the FTC mandated that the host must use the products they endorse and must not make any deceptive claims. Otherwise, they could be charged with a hefty fine.
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Be a guest on a podcast or radio show! – If there is a podcast that is relevant to your brand, you can request to join the show and be interviewed by the host. This is great for brands that are making waves within the produce industry and have a story to tell.
Is it Worth It?
- Promo codes – If your website is e-commerce enabled, create a custom code with the name of the podcast/show/station so you can track sales back directly. (Example: A promo code could be MARI20 for a podcast or MARIPANDORA20 for an ad for Pandora).
- Ask your customers how they heard about you – It sounds obvious, but adding a dropdown to the contact forms on your website to ask how your website visitors heard about the brand can be very informative.
- Tracking URLs – As part of the media buy, negotiate that your website is mentioned in the podcast notes and use them to link out in an online radio ad. Create a tracking URL that will let you know easily how many people came from that URL. At DMA, we use Hubspot for this, but you can also use sites like Bit.ly.
