Generating Leads From Podcasts
By: Terry McDermott
Omnicom’s commitment to purchase $20 million worth of podcast ads with Spotify confirms the streaming platform’s investment in Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI), a new, proprietary podcast ad technology that delivers Spotify’s full digital suite of planning, reporting and measurement capabilities. The technology offers more precise measurement of impressions and may be a key development in bringing large brands into the podcast advertising sphere. But even without the measurement technology, podcasts have worked and will continue to work for advertisers seeking leads.
For example, after Joe Rogan explains to his podcast audience the MasterClass product offering, he then tells his audience they can save 15% when they type masterclass.com/Rogan. SimpliSafe.com/chiclets is the URL the podcasters from Spittin’ Chiclets recite, so its listeners can get a discount from the home security tools provider. And HelloFresh.com/officeladies80 is the URL to which Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey of Office Ladies direct their listeners. Again, to receive a discount.
You can bet the advertiser tracks traffic and conversions at those URLs like nobody’s business, producing ROI reports in a flash. Their continued presence advertising with podcasters helps prove podcasts can be effective for lead generation.
Moving away from the direct-to-consumer advertisers, using podcasts to generate leads requires some additional work. For years, print ads promoted /XYZ after a URL with uneven impact. It turns out even the most “memorable” URLs were difficult to remember. But podcasts visitors can simply hit the rewind button or replay an episode. And podcasters themselves use free podcasts to promote premium services.
With a clear definition of a lead, advertisers can use podcasts to generate leads and do the math to connect those leads to sales. Retailers, such as Trader Joe’s, have advertised their own podcasts on NPR’s podcast network. It is easy to imagine how a retailer can track the confluence of podcast listeners and shoppers by highlighting exclusive offers on their own podcasts.
The absence of real-time conversion data is where the art of media buying and the science of media measurement collide – an advertiser that wants leads can seek the demographic data of the listeners of a specific podcast and match that with the topics typically discussed. If it seems “Blackpacking” has the right audience discussing the right things, an audio ad for travel gear makes sense. But, beyond simply making sense, the advertiser can check to see the total traffic to widgetbrand.com/blackpacking. Those are the leads easily tracked back to the ad on Blackpacking.
For B2B advertisers, where the definition of a lead may require explicit contact information added to a CRM database, similar techniques can be used. SquareSpace.com/StarTalk is the key for listeners of the Neil deGrasse Tyson podcast to unlock a discount. Garyvee.com/marketingforthenow is how Gary Vaynuerchuk advertised his content webinar series via his podcast. Register for the webinar – voila, you are a lead.
A more typical path in B2B will follow the example set out by Adobe in its Experience Essentials series. The series itself burnishes Adobe’s reputation as a thought leader in customer experience, and assists marketers in understanding how multi-channel marketing can boost performance. But Adobe also uses its podcast to drive traffic to https://www.adobe.com/experience-cloud/role/marketer.html
From there, live chat, the contact us button and the ability to register for free virtual events or download analyst reports turn podcast traffic into actionable leads. It may not be certain the lead came from a podcast – yet, if the podcast performs a different role, adding a lead gen component is an easy way to squeeze even more value out of the tactic.
Thus, whether explicitly to deliver leads or serve another purpose, our advice to marketers producing podcasts is simple: create and promote a unique URL extension to which you will direct podcast listeners. From there, promote the same offers that are available to traffic from other sources (paid search, re-marketing banners, trade eNewsletters). Existing tracking can the be used to understand which leads are attributable to the podcast, and marketers have another channel they can measure, optimize and compute ROI on their way to filling the sales pipe. Improvements in ad measurement have arrived, and more may come. But there is no reason to wait.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help your integrated marketing needs, get in touch at terrance.mcdermott@allisonpr.com
Terry McDermott is a digital evangelist with expertise in turning objectives into strategic plans and developing, executing, and measuring demand generation programs. He leverages his background in direct response techniques, including CRM marketing, to develop insights that build lead gen and customer acquisition campaigns. He also creates account-based marketing programs for key prospects, selecting targets via predictive modeling and creating marketing automation campaigns to nurture and score leads. Additionally, McDermott advocates for investments in emerging digital products, technologies and channels, while building and managing teams to generate leads, boost sales and increase awareness.
Category: Integrated Marketing
