It’s important to know where we’re coming from, because it often informs where we’re going.

It’s a consensus that the first known piece of marketing dates back to 3000 B.C. in Egypt. A man named Hapu posted what was, at face value, a typical reward flyer. But in it, he cleverly detailed his fabric shop. He featured its location of course, so people knew where to clam their reward. But he also mentioned its offerings, quality and reputation.

Marketing existed in some form before this 5,000-year-old papyrus flyer, and will exist in a different form 5,000 years from now. However, one thing may stand the test of time - our ears as a crucial part of marketing.

Audio marketing does things that text, video and print simply cannot - and often at a fraction of the cost. It’s intrusive. It captures us, transports us, and speaks to us - literally and metaphorically. And still with astounding potential ahead of it, here are five ways audio marketing can transform your business.

Affordability

Compared to other mediums, audio marketing is absurdly cost-effective.

Do you know what makes modern blockbuster films so dang expensive? It ain’t the latest & greatest microphones, that’s for sure. It’s CGI, as in computer graphic imagery. Cameras, crews, visuals, processing…they all cost boatloads of money. On the other hand, audio and audio marketing are functionally simple without sacrificing any of the effect of an ad, and the allure of a product or service. 

Take podcasts as a window in to this. Hubspot reported earlier this month that the average CPM (cost per mille, which is cost per one thousand downloads or impressions) is $25. $25, for that level of awareness. Take that in for a second, then consider that the entire podcast realm is nowhere near its ceiling.

You could pay less for some aimless and uninformed PPC campaign, and you could pay thousands for a video campaign that will have 19 things go wrong and will have to go full-blown viral to stand out. But in terms of broad-level bang for your buck, nothing competes with audio marketing.

Personalized & Targeted Advertising

Audio hones in like no other.

Social media once rivaled audio in its ability to target consumers. But the early days of social media were a sort of digital wild west. Things got carried away, ethics became questionable, and as a result user opt-out ability eased and increased.

But see, audio targets just as effectively as social media could…without the ethical concerns. Why? It targets demographically, as opposed to individually. There’s no monitoring of Joe and Jane’s personal shopping, web history and Alexa communication. There’s just data of the masses - age, income and gender metrics that are pure gold to a business, especially knowing there’s no moral or legal strings attached.

Whether it’s a dynamite jingle/audio mark, strategically sponsoring that podcast with the perfect audience for your business, or developing a radio campaign to engage that #1 target demographic during morning drives, audio cuts through the noise. It is the definitive route to knowing your message and your company are being heard by those most likely to respond to it.

Sensory and Emotional Experiences

Okay, let’s step away from data for a second and just think feel.

Audio distinguishes itself from other mediums not just with results - but how those results are achieved. It’s sensory, emotional, intense, and as discussed, it’s personal.

It’s also why one niche market is exploding, arguably the strongest sign of all that audio will define the future - headphones.

That video may be long, but it’s full of jaw-dropping stuff. Most memorable may be that airpods - not Apple - airpods alone generated more revenue in 2020 than Adobe, Uber, NVIDIA, Spotify, and dozens of other tech behemoths. Think it’s a fad? Technavio reports that the global headphone market will grow by $77.76 billion dollars from 2021 to 2025.

Convenience

Headphones aren’t racking up sales left and right because people are listening sparingly. They listen on their drives, on their toilets, and on their treadmills. They listen while they cook, clean, babysit, work, wait for the doctor, keep waiting for the doctor, sip coffee, mow the lawn, shave, you name it. Audio is ubiquitous while every other medium is selective.

The guiding principle in the field of behavioral economics comes courtesy of Richard Thaler - “If you want people to do something, make it easy”. Headphones and our modern lives are not just making audio easier, but more prevalent, and of higher quality. For savvy advertisers, it’s simply a goldmine in the making.

Experimentation

A famous concept in technology known as Moore’s Law states that our technological growth will be exponential, as opposed to linear. In more practical terms, it’s why the difference in technology between 2012 and 2022, is far greater than 1912 and 1922.

Because tech & audio capabilities grow while expenses drop, creators and business owners alike get to do one thing more frequently - experiment, and it’s already paying off.

3D audio and augmented reality are here, but could just be the beginning. Now, imagine you run a collection of paintball parks. What would you want to advertise: 

A) A tiny image on a social platform through which most people are mindlessly scrolling,

B) An expensive and time-sucking television ad,

C) A huge billboard off the freeway seen by who knows who, or 

D) A gripping experience where your target audience actually hears the exhilaration of your parks all around them?

Thought so. Iterations of that experience are with us, and will only improve.

The Future of Marketing Audio

In closing, two simple facts highlight just how powerful the future of audio marketing is.

People are watching and scrolling less and listening more. And yet, audio marketing is where electric cars were a decade ago. Very much present but sort of mysterious and still in its infancy…and that’s what makes its future so bright.

If you or someone you know has a small business that wants to capitalize on the intrusive power of audio, we at Iliad Media Group want to talk and hear its story - so we can get everyone else hearing about it. Because after all, a product, service, or even ownership and staff doesn’t matter if you aren’t being heard.