3 Ways a Podcast Improves Customer Engagement
Rachel Downey, Co-founder, and President of Share Your Genius, in this article talks about how marketers can use podcasting as a tool to increase customer engagement and the overall customer experience.
Today, brands have the power to reach their audience in “unreachable moments,” — or all of the places where traditional media cannot, like while they’re making dinner, going for a run or commuting to work — and podcasts give them that power.
Though podcasting is by no means a new medium, podcasts are a rising marketing channel for companies today. With the number of monthly podcast listeners on track to reach 112 million by 2021, there’s a growing need for high-quality, well-executed, impactful podcasts — especially in the B2B space.
When marketers see that 94% of listeners consume podcasts while performing other tasks, it’s hard for them to believe a branded podcast can improve customer engagement.
But, they should.
Those active podcast listeners actually have a higher rate of engagement with the content they’re consuming because they’ve already taken the first step of bringing it into their life. They’re choosing to engage with your content — and here’s what that means for your brand.
1: Podcasts Deliver Better Brand Metrics
The conversational nature of podcasts allows for an elevated state of engagement with brand mentions. In fact, a recent study from BBC, Audio: Activate, revealed that brand mentions within a podcast deliver a 16% higher engagement rate than the surrounding content — which is unique when comparing brand mentions in radio, which typically score 5% lower than surrounding content.
As brands develop stories worth selling, they’re able to engage listeners in a way that doesn’t shove messaging down listeners throats (or require them to stare at a screen) rather ties it to something they are interested in. In turn, this approach generates a positive connotation with your brand. If that sounds unbelievable, BBC’s research also found this engagement drives metrics across the board, with brands seeing improved awareness by 89%, consideration by 57%, favorability by 24% and purchase intent by 14%.
2: Podcasts Increase Memory Encoding
Better yet, brand metrics don’t just improve while the episode is playing. These active podcast listeners retain brand associations even after the fact. According to BBC, when consuming the content while engaged in other activities, the listener is engaged in “low-involvement processing,” which is when we absorb and store information automatically, in a way that is beyond our awareness or control.
During this process, a brand’s message more easily cuts through the noise. So, when listeners are keeping their brains occupied with other activities, content engagement actually lasts longer. With the amount of content available, brands can leverage a podcast to ensure their message sticks.
3. Podcasts Build An Emotional Connection
In this age of information overload, brands are challenged with creating content that differentiates themselves from the crowd and builds a true connection with their target audience. But, traditional content will only get them part of the way there. Marketers who don’t have an audio strategy in place are missing out on an enormous opportunity to establish an emotional connection with their audience.
In a podcast, listeners create subconscious associations with a brand based on the words they hear. So, when done right — by producing a show that informs, educates and entertains — you can express your message directly with a target audience who will, in turn, instinctively associate your brand with that message.
Podcasting is the avenue allowing brands to benefit from a uniquely high rate of engagement, retention, and action. With podcasts, listener engagement, emotional intensity and memory encoding around brand mentions are at least 22% higher than TV benchmarks. This is huge news for marketers. As 17% of marketers plan to adopt podcasting into their marketing efforts, there is an opportunity to create unparalleled customer engagement through audio storytelling.
The best part is, when an audience listens to your podcast, they’re not just choosing your content, they’re choosing an experience with your brand. Now, you can connect with your audience and drive customer engagement better than you ever imagined.
