amediamarketing2022-v1

Stimulating Your Cause-Marketing with Graphics

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 22:49:07 GMT

Determine your campaign’s emotional journey and highlight your branding through graphics.

One of the best ways to start a conversation about your cause-marketing is by capturing attention with impactful graphics. But what you really need your graphics to do is evoke a psychologic response to participate. What emotions might your graphics evoke?

“I like this cause”

“I feel an urgency to help”

“I agree that my contribution will make a difference”

“Others are doing it, I should to”

“I will feel guilty if I don’t help”

“I feel good that I helped”

Why Brand Cause-Marketing Materials?

In the first two blogs of this series #1 & #2 , we talk about metrics, forward-facing metrics, and illustrating your progress, and now we want to talk about why having consistent campaign branding makes a difference. Professional marketers know that staying on brand is incredibly important. It builds a visual story, it sets the expectation for participation and price points, it defines inclusion, and it reinforces impressions with the repetitive visual cues.

So how do you mix the emotion-evoking goals of cause-marketing with your organization’s branding? Or do you lead with your organization’s branding and add the cause-marketing?

What Does This Look Like in the Real World?

You may have something as simple as a line on your website or a sign on your register that says Proceeds from Today’s Sales Benefit the Local Children’s Hospital, in a font from your style guide and with your logo on it. Easy enough.

Or you may go a little more custom to grab someone’s attention. Picture Thanksgiving time, you’re in the grocery store where you donate a dollar or two and you write your name on a turkey-shaped piece of paper that has multiple business logos on it. That signed card goes on the wall with dozens of other turkey-shaped pieces of paper, you see your neighbors’ names, you see a photo of a family with food on the table, and you smile because it only cost you a dollar or so to do something good in the world that day and you have proof you did it. (FYI – the psychological term for this is “Social Proof” and it is incredibly important to today’s marketing.) The next time you come in, you smile again because your name is already on the wall on that card with logos you like to be associated with, and there are now hundreds of turkeys on the wall promising even greater good is achieved.

Tip: For those who haven’t ordered these types of cards before, the custom ones come as a die-cut shape and specialty printers often have a selection of shapes on hand, which can be very budget-friendly. Or you can opt to have a new die shape created and that is more expensive and takes additional time. Plan accordingly.

Another Real World Example

Another popular trend is a fundraising thermometer. Some organizations will have a very generic thermometer. Pre-printed and they fill it with a marker as goals are met. Some will invest in an automated digital thermometer. There are online services for that. But why miss out on the opportunity to brand your thermometer? It doesn’t have to be a traditional thermometer shape. It can be the shape of donated car, a saved turtle, a full bowl, a stack of library books – whatever the cause you can reinforce with a thought-provoking image.

Another reason you should have a branded thermometer is because your team will need it for various reasons – websites, social media, newsletters, flyers, posters, etc – and the investment for a graphic artist’s is wise to get the various sizes and messaging done at once. At you plan your campaign, you can order a series of graphics that indicate the progress, and swap out each graphic at your campaign’s pace, rather than having to wait for a graphic artist to come back to you. You can plan ahead for “urgency” posts – such as “We’re 5 away from our first hundred”, “We’re 10 away from our goal!”, and it will all be ready at the team’s disposal.

Participation Recognition

Trophies, medals, ribbons, stickers, and other promotional items are all part of the psychology of marketing and are especially helpful in cause-marketing. People were drawn to you because of an emotion for something they hold dear. Give participants a takeaway that makes them feel like they made a difference. Think of how many “I Voted” stickers fill your social media feed during election time. Something like a branded sticker can be a status symbol or again social proof, they can even be highly coveted. Some organizations, such as marathon events, cover the costs for their medals or ribbons in the entry fees, and you can plan for the same.

Does your logo need to be on every promotional item? No, not necessarily. You make the brand impression when the promotional item is handed to someone. They make the connection as part of the memory.

Take Away

Determine your campaign’s emotional journey and highlight your branding through graphics. You want your branding to continue even after this campaign is done. Drifting too far away from your branding loses the momentum of impressions for your organization.

Budget-Friendly Ideas for Cause-Marketing Campaigns

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:41:05 GMT

We all want to give... the question is how much.

Organizations of all sizes have to determine their budgets for cause-marketing campaigns, and we’re here to remind you that benefitting your community doesn’t have to be pricey or time-consuming.

There are two key points to keep in mind:

With every component, how do you get the word out?
What feelings do you want to evoke? There is a psychology that works with each audience and you’ll need to be mindful of who you are targeting and when.

For example, your cause-marketing can be focused internally, so how do you foster positivity for your team’s morale while meeting a goal? How do you honor their progress and celebrate their success? Do you want them to feel stressed by the added activities or looking forward to it with anticipation?

For external audiences, you may want to give a sense of urgency, such as pictures of empty pantry shelves. Or a sense of hometown pride, like the marching band playing an upbeat school song. Deciding what feelings you want to evoke will drive your campaign messaging and how you deliver it.

Some “low cost” ideas (Remember, it’s about the feelings evoked, not necessarily dollars raised):

Have competing donation jars, e.g., one labeled “Cat Person”, the other “Dog Person” (Tip: Post which jar won at the end of each day for customer-created content.) For locations with heavy repeat traffic, swap out the labels for new competitions every day.

Social media posts – tell the story of why, who, how, and when and highlight those making a difference (the customer making the first tip jar donation of the day, the volunteer coordinator, the team with the most participation)

Email signature lines/graphics – link to your company’s blog about the campaign and/or donation page. If your team is like ours, you send out hundreds of emails a week and it’s one of the most active individualized channel you have.

E-outreach – such as email campaigns, e-newsletter blasts, e-coupons, and even auto responses to all emails can all include information about the cause you’ve chosen and drive them on the marketing journey you want them to take

Website and Point-of-Sale Systems updates – Banners, blogs, POS platform messages, metric progress (such as fundraising thermometers) can all bring attention to the campaign

Signage on the door, on tables, as banners, and at check-outs.
Double-sided signage letting customers know about the community involvement on the way in and thanking them for their participation on the way out is an easy way to ask and show gratitude.
Slips of paper in the menu or posters on the wall give patrons something to read and talk about
Reminders on the POS device or near a telephone can prompt the team to discuss the charitable campaign

Opportunities at already planned events, like having a “Guess How Many Lbs of Trash Removed” contest at the company beach clean-up gets people more involved

Elevate an existing experience to a VIP experience, such as separating out a chef’s table at a dinner or getting a photo with Santa at a children’s event

Detail your progress, especially visually for a quick attention grab – think of fundraising thermometers on a billboard or social media post

Take Away

Like any good marketing campaign, a cause-marketing campaign thoughtfully identifies opportunities, builds upon its impressions, and reinforces the desired emotions. Have your team identify easy, cost-effective ways to bring attention to the campaign. Make it easy for your team to promote the campaign

Cause-Marketing Through the Holidays

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 22:27:41 GMT

First, let’s define cause-marketing:

It is a type of Corporate Social Responsibility where a for-profit business selects one or more nonprofits to receive a benefit achieved through marketing efforts. Oftentimes, it is a gateway to show a shared affinity with members of a targeted community. Some organizations market almost exclusively through cause-marketing while others use it as a supplement, seasonal, or single campaign.

What does that look like in the real world? Some of us are familiar with cause-marketing when we drive through a McDonald’s and we’re asked if we want to contribute to the Ronald McDonald House or we get asked by a cashier at our grocery store if we want to donate a dollar to the charity of the month. We see events around us that benefit a certain group and we know what month the world dons all things pink. Cause-marketing can be very powerful in the ways it draws attention of loyal supporters and in its ability to make an impact.

Of course, it’s best to select a nonprofit who aligns with your social beliefs and has good standing, otherwise, why mindfully select them?

A successful cause-marketing campaign begins with a conversation with the nonprofit. This is where you set expectations, explore what other businesses have done in the past, get a feel for what worked and didn’t work, and understand what, if any, campaign support you can expect from the nonprofit’s side and how metrics can be measured to determine success.

Does a nonprofit have to participate in every cause-marketing idea? Absolutely not. Nonprofits are like any other business and need to keep focused on their work and relationships. They are also not obligated to fulfill collaborative requests. Be mindful that a “no” or “not something our team can do right now” is not necessarily a reflection of your organization but it should be a consideration as you move forward.

Once you meet with the nonprofit and get a snapshot of your involvement together, now’s the time to get creative. Depending on the time and energy you have, this can be something simple like a jar on the counter or it can be elaborate like hosting a VIP event.

Tips:

Keep in mind what has worked for the nonprofit’s base before (they are part of your target audience for this campaign), keep it simple during the holidays and for your team and theirs, and remember to think about impressions you’re making before, during and after.

Once you do select your cause and your team has identified how you want to make your commitment, there are some key steps:

Team Buy-In

Communicate to the team what you are doing and why. Depending on the time you have, you can do this after you have the campaign mapped out or you can ask for feedback and participation from the team.

Analyze Your Campaign Budget and Capabilities

Campaign budgets can vary dramatically – some plan for minimal expenditures while others budget for a Super Bowl commercial. There are “low cost” ideas, such as a social media post, electronic email, or adding a banner or blog to a website. We say “low cost” because while it may be pennies to share a photo on social media, we honor the true cost of time, collaboration, and manpower it takes to craft, dispense and engage with those deliverables. With cause-marketing, coordinating outreach pieces with the nonprofit will take additional time.

Click here for Low-Cost Ideas

Some ideas to coordinate between the two organizations:

Creating a calendar together, such as social media or PR calendars
Having mutually agreed upon mailings or outreach pieces, such as invitations, flyers, postcards, or signage
Inclusion on each other’s websites and at events that occur before, during or after the campaign
Providing in-person or virtual impressions, such as videos or testimonials, of the work being done and what the campaign can/did achieve
Adopting the language that is allowed for the nonprofit, such as “Sponsored by”, “Partnering with”, or “Benefitting” – some organizations are very restricted and will need to adhere to allowed verbiage

Create a Campaign Calendar

Your team has their goals and adding cause-marketing can be an asset to existing goals or it can be an additional asset that requires juggling. Be considerate of stakeholders as you push forward. Some cause-marketing campaigns may involve your team’s physical involvement, such as volunteering at a food pantry, cleaning a beach, or hosting an event. Balancing your team’s joy and involvement with the nonprofit may mean leadership decisions like closing early, and it’s important to work through those details for your team and for your customers’ awareness.

Metrics

Metrics are very important for cause-marketing pieces because they can be forward facing to motivate your team and your customers. These types of metrics are part of the marketing impression plan and it reinforces the idea that it’s a good idea to participate, others are doing it too, adds to the legitimacy of the campaign, and invokes a feeling of inclusion. Being included makes people happy. Read more about forward-facing metrics here.

Behind-the-scenes metrics are obviously important too and you want your team and the nonprofit to have a system in place to determine if this cause-marketing effort was a wise decision. Your campaign will dictate what some of those metrics can be. Examples can include how many times did someone click on a boosted post or select “add a dollar” online check-out, you can ask the nonprofit if they can add a donation line to their giving page that expressly identifies your marketing campaign. Explore the metric possibilities and reports together.

Honor Your Involvement

However your organization participates, you can create joy around your community involvement. Camaraderie makes a difference for your team and your customers. Show your gratitude by illustrating what was achieved and the impact that was made. Detail with real-life evidence how each dollar or minute donated meant more because everyone contributed together. Describe the effort your team put in, such as how many hours your campaign was active or how many employees participated.

Celebrate your team’s work for getting the campaign out and for meeting a goal. Spotlight those who were integral in the development and the delivery of the campaign components. Invest in a memory maker, such as branded volunteer t-shirts or photo magnets, that capture the moment for a long-lasting impression. Record the journey from the start and relive it for your customers, team and leadership; photographs and videos make for great content in between campaigns, as a layer in future campaigns, and in publications, such as Annual Reports.

As part of your Corporate Social Responsibility, you can share your metrics with other organizations so that they see the benefit of community-minded endeavors. As you become masters of cause-marketing you may elect to add more nonprofits to benefit or you may grow your campaign to support a single organization.

Take Away

Cause-marketing is about strengthening relationships, internally and externally for your organization. What that means and the impressions you cultivate should be thoughtfully planned. The real opportunity is how you maximize the marketing you do now and the foundation you can grow on. Be cognizant of the energy that you invest and responsive to the evolution of your efforts.

STOP. PAUSE. REFLECT.

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 22:06:54 GMT

REFRESHING OUR MINDS TO RETHINK OUR WORKSPACE

Since the pandemic, more than half of US Employees now work from home. Some have been working from home for years, while others are stepping into it for the first time, and whether you relate to the former or the latter, it can be a tough balance. It’s more challenging to get into the headspace for work while also thinking about all the things you want and need to get done at the home that is now doubled as your office.

At the same time, we have all experienced a shift in mindset to some degree. We now realize that it’s more important than ever that we not only give importance to our work but also to our mental health. We, at A Media Marketing understand this and have learned some effective strategies to create the balance we all need now. While there won’t be a one-size-fits-all here, it is important to do what we are able to, in the ways that best fit our individual business and personal needs.

CREATE YOUR OWN SPACE OR REFRESH THE ONE YOU HAVE.

Many of you already have a space of some kind that you have been working in.

Is it clean? Messy? Diapers on the table? Morning breakfast mess next to your computer? Papers scattered across the counter? Do you have distractions around you?

If you answered yes to any of this, you are not much different than most of us right now. Not everyone has an extra bedroom to make an office out of. So, the kitchen counter or coffee table has to make do for now. Without designating a space, it will be easy to be unorganized and run the risk of not getting all the daily tasks accomplished. This should be a space where only work happens. When your workday is over, leave the area and close up the computer or laptop. Just as you would if leaving work. Leave work at work and in its place.

STEP AWAY

The hours can melt away some days and before we know it, we have forgotten to eat and have likely been sitting for hours. We ignore our Apple Watches that tell us it’s time to stand up thinking we need to stay and get things done. But stepping away actually will increase your productivity, reduce your stress level, increase your mindfulness and mental health and improve your physical health.

It can be very easy to continue work all day with technology in our hands at all times, so maybe consider turning off notifications and putting in place a protocol for when your boss may need you for emergencies. This is where auto-responses may come in handy, just be kind when creating them.

SET BOUNDARIES

Stepping away for mental breaks goes hand in hand with setting some boundaries. It’s not always necessary to arise from your sleep and zombie-walk straight to your workspace and go zero to one hundred before 8AM. Take a minute to eat breakfast, take a walk to turn your brain on, and get your blood flowing. Create a morning ritual that sets you up for success each day. More flexibility should give you the opportunity to create boundaries for what your day looks like.

Stay within the hours that you normally would have at the office. Studies show that more of us overwork now because we have no commute. This in turn has increased our work stress and caused us to be inattentive in other areas of life. It’s time to recreate our workdays in mindful ways.

We’ve had almost 2 years to see what isn’t working. Now let’s listen to what is. Shut it down. Be present .

Our Home Office Wish List

ARE YOU SHOWING HOW AMAZING YOU ARE?

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 23:21:10 GMT

For years, we’ve heard about the power of SEO and how words matter to make the connection between your customers and you, your products, or services. The right phrase and a photo used to be enough to connect with online shoppers, but as the space gets more competitive and mindsets are changing, more often than not videos and authentic reviews are how businesses are sealing the deal.

SHOW ME MORE

Have you ever been handed a phone and thought “OK, sooo who is going to show me how to use this thing?” We live in a world where we’re expected to know how to use everything that hits the market. But the reality is that “how to boil an egg” is searched for every single day on YouTube. More and more, product/service videos are transforming from traditional commercials to customer comfort tools. Whether it’s a 15 second-long fashion video that shows how a dress falls and swooshes when a model walks or a how-to video about charging and storing batteries for a new device, customers want to know and be comfortable before they buy. Smart businesses use videos to problem-solve through the entire process of selling and retaining a customer.

Businesses aren’t acting alone in digitally displaying their products, and videos from outside sources can be the greatest sale tool or the death of a product line. Giants, like Amazon, are relying on customers to provide customer satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) reviews and have been expanding to allow for more pictures and longer videos. YouTubers have long been monetizing unboxing videos and the concept is popular for nearly every niche. Businesses can get ahead by creating great videos that take out the mystery or solve “issues” for customers before bad reviews can even be created.

Live videos have their place, too. Facebook Live stores, for example, are raking it in with their mini-QVC-esque productions. Customers want to see items glitter under the lights. They want an up-close and realistic review of the size and quality of a product, how complicated something is, and any tips that can make their lives easier. You know you’ve watched a hack video or two and thought “wow, they are geniuses.” (Or maybe you asked who ties their shoes in the morning… we’re looking at you 5-Minute Crafts.)

In Q4 of 2020, YouTube reported that it has an active 30 million watchers per day, watching a billion videos per day, with the average mobile viewing session lasting approximately 40 minutes. The point is people watch videos. They consume them. They will go out of their way to find a video rather than read a manual that is in the box in front of them. Buyers want you to SHOW them your product, the options, the quality, and alllllll of the functions. Much like how a staged house sells a home faster, videos can sell a product faster.

SEO IS NOT DEAD

SEO is still very much alive and important, maybe even more so with video. Think about a basic product and how many ways you could make a video — what is it, how many colors does the product come in, what’s it made of, how do you use it, how do you clean it, what’s the best way to maintain it, how do you install it — just that small list has the potential for seven videos and they can all have value. The phrasing of “how to clean” is very much different than “how to maintain” and that matters to consumers who want to know they are doing the right thing. Answering both questions instills consumer confidence, which is by no means a new concept but accessibility to videos is changing the approach. Video titles, page titles, headlines and descriptions all work together to connect buyers with the “right” videos.

One way to win the SEO game is to pay attention to how your customers search for answers. Do customers search for “how to fix my phone screen” or do they type “phone screen repair”? Vastly different phrases, and one may get you way more views than the other. Search engines recognize these behaviors and are getting smarter but using the correct phrases for your customers now provides solutions today. Does that mean pick one and *fingers crossed* hope it’s the best? No, it means taking the time to create duplicate pages and adjusting each page to match a searched phrases. We’ve talked about this before in previous AMM articles, and it remains true. Don’t fight the process, remain flexible and adapt to how SEO and consumer behaviors modify.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH VIDEOS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TO MAKE?

That is a million dollar question. Maybe more, depending on who is making your videos. Branding videos matters, capturing your target market’s attention matters, absolutely, but, at the end of the day, how many videos do you really need? Start by checking your industry and see what’s trending. It’s a good foundation to learn how many videos are consumers watching. Pay attention to reviews and see if there are videos related to the discussion. Next, do market testing. Testing panelists can help ultimately answer “what do you want to know about this product/service?” Once reviews start appearing, videos can be created or modified to be solution-providers and maximize SEO.

THE TAKEAWAY

By creating their own videos, businesses control the message and the connection.
Videos can help manage expectation, trust, and transparency.
Authentic videos instill consumer confidence and grow customer loyalty.
Investing in video marketing can be time well spent.

2021 SPRING REFRESH – MARKETING TIPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE “NEW NORMAL”

Tue, 18 May 2021 23:27:44 GMT

Birds are singing, bees are buzzing, and your existing and potential customers are exiting their pandemic cocoons. Customers are looking for help and they are very wary because they’ve hit bumps and confusion during the past year. Stores they thought were open were closed, services they counted on were discontinued, and they’ve been staring at screens for way too long. Some are still scared, some are not, but all are ready to return to a “new normal”. What is the “new normal”? Well, that’s the interesting part, customers are willing to flex a little bit, to adapt as businesses have had to adapt, but ultimately, too much change is scary unless it’s managed well. So, when doing your 2021 Spring Refresh, we’re recommending to business owners and managers that they start customers on an informed, well-planned path.

What does that look like? First, it means providing correct information, and providing it as straight-forward as possible. If a service is new, say “new”. If it’s pre-existing but altered, say “updated”. Our post-pandemic brains are exhausted and stressed, and being spoon-fed information is critical to us having a comfortable relationship with it. When something is updated, think about a 1-2-3 infographic to help both your staff and customers understand the new path to success. Publish the infographic on your website, your social media, even as posters and/or pamphlets in your store. If the current way of doing something is temporary, invest in temporary measures that still speak to your brand. Restaurants are still giving disposable menus or have QR code menus that are stylized with their logo, font, and pictures to give the same feel as the pre-pandemic experience but with the facts of what’s available today.

Our team has been very busy helping many companies convert to new responsive websites. Owners, managers and marketers are looking for easier ways to correct their websites. Gone are the days of finicky sites that aren’t responsive. Changes need to happen quickly as businesses are rapidly responding to supply chain issues, staff capacities, and deeper issues, like social justice. Having both the ability and access to change items quickly saves time and money.

A Spring Refresh is the Time to Deep Clean

We’ve been hearing a variety of stories from consumers and owners about outdated or incorrect information and that is leading to frustration, anger, bad reviews, lost sales, and lost relationships. Simple things, like a change in store hours or services, need to be communicated, and this is when you need to rely on every platform you have. Dust off those e-mail lists, sweep through your online listings, and wipe out any old info. Take a hard look at your physical and digital communications, such as hours listed on your front door, billboards and signage, services on your business cards, outgoing messages on your phone systems, and signature lines on your emails and newsletters. It’s too easy to miss a spot so have a couple pairs of eyes and ears help you scour and organize.

And we can never stress this enough, review your online presence from both a computer and mobile device. What may appear fantastic on one device may be absent or appear broken on another. Oh, and through various browsers, too. What looks perfect on one may look terrible on another.

REACH with your Refresh

What’s some of the easiest ways to find new customers? Marketing, of course. You want a good mix of passive marketing (such as your website that is working hard for you 24/7) and active marketing (such as paid advertising). But what if you’ve done those things and you’re still not seeing a huge uptick? It’s time to deep dive into your data and see what does your audience look like. Does it align with how you’ve targeted your audience? If you’re spending money to advertise in AARP, you’d expect to see a portion of your customers to be over 55. But what if your data shows that a good percentage of your customers are 18-25? Or 34-45? What do you have placed to reach those audiences and why haven’t you targeted those audiences before? What is drawing them to you?

We’ve had tough conversations with owners who for their own reasons have had to readjust their business models, and they knew that they wanted their spring refresh to include a more diverse reach. For one customer, a strategic planning session revealed that their competitors were doing an excellent job managing expectations. Changes like creating unboxing videos, adding true-to-life shipping dates, and expanding on to different sales platforms helped to grow their customers’ respect and loyalty.

Expanding reach can mean expanding placement. Some of our clients have become sponsors/advertisers on podcasts and on games, like Candy Crush. Some are diving into cause marketing to find new outlets and alliances. Clients are going with guerrilla marketing, like organizing contactless scavenger hunts throughout a shopping district to increase foot traffic. Landing pages, stickers, sidewalk art, and murals are great attention getters.

Get Emotional

Connecting through emotion is a no-brainer and now is the perfect time to make someone laugh, wipe someone’s tears, or help them focus on sparkle of the “new normal”. We connect through story-telling. We smell babies and pet puppies. We cheer for our favorite sports teams and we bow our heads for fallen soldiers. It’s our human nature and we’ve been on pause for a year. So hit the unpause button and inject some feelings into your campaigns. Who do you support if you support local? Why is a global brand product more reliable now than it was a year ago? Does the world need more dad jokes? You bet your left leg it does, Skippy.

Leave a Lasting Impression

We cannot stress this enough: your front-facing marketing will only help build your business so much, when ultimately, it’s the individual’s experience and the lasting impression that your team/service/product makes on each customer. Do you follow-up a few days later to see if your customer is satisfied with work performed? Are you professionally responding to reviews in a way that encourages repeat business or a chance to resolve and retain their respect, if not their business? Part of your Spring Refresh can be determining what works for you AND your customer, how much can you automate, and who is the right person to deliver the last impression.

We know that your industry or your business may feel like it’s treading water and you may even feel like the water is lapping over your head, but we know that the time and investment that you put into marketing wisely and marketing correctly can make a difference. We’re here for you if you need help.

THE PEARLS OF PODCAST MARKETING

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 23:36:33 GMT

“What’s on your strategic plan?”

“I want to start a podcast.”

“Wow, that’s ambitious, about what?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far ahead, I just think I should have one.”

If you’re a professional anything, that exchange seems very familiar. The “I want this but I don’t really know why or how any of it works” conversation can either make your brain ignite with fireworks or you can feel your whole body cringe. For us, we love podcasts and podcast marketing so we’re often very excited when someone wants to venture into podcasting. We take the “I don’t know conversation” and dive deep into what the person is trying to accomplish. Sometimes, the person truly does want to start podcasting, a few times they just want to work for a podcast. Often times, what business owners really want to do is discuss how they can utilize podcasting to make their business or brand more successful, and that’s when podcast marketing comes in to play.

Marathon or Sprint?

Why wouldn’t we encourage everyone to have a podcast? Running a truly successful podcast means you’re in a marathon running a media empire, not just a quick sprint where you hit record, upload a file, and walk away. Can you hit record, upload a file, and walk away and be successful? Sure, it’s not impossible. Things can go viral, but that is rare and shouldn’t be relied upon. Not everyone has the time, energy, or frankly the content to host a full show. We have worked with organizations who wanted to create a limited series podcast because that’s how they strategized their content and how they managed their time and budget. Perfectly acceptable approach. Doing a short season meant that they were taking advantage of a new platform and reaching a niche audience at the listeners’ convenience.

Guest, Sponsor or Advertiser

We’ve talked about what running a podcast before, but let’s discuss why someone might be better off as positioning themselves as a podcast guest, a sponsor, or an advertiser. Subject matter experts often feel passionate about their topic and can be a good judge if there is enough content to host an entire season. Other times, there are specific actions, like show notes and chapter markers, that work well for SEO and being a podcast guest can help build name recognition. Guests may ask that show notes and chapter markers contain certain words or phrases if the topics are discussed. PR companies can be instrumental in finding podcast guest spots.

That can be one type of marketing but a more effective way for a brand is signing on as a podcast sponsor. Podcasts can be hyperlocal or global, they can be hyper-focused on a topic or they can be very broad. They often have a consistent tone and banter that keeps audiences coming back. By researching podcasts and their audiences, brands can connect with familiar demographics or branch into new demographics. Sponsorship typically provides a spotlight on the brand and content can be ad-libbed or managed like a commercial spot.

The word advertising in podcasts can be synonymous with sponsorship and other types of podcast advertising. In addition to the actual recording, podcasts oftentimes have podcast art, a website, social media profiles, newsletters, and other outreach efforts. When negotiating advertising, it pays to ask for all opportunities and reach per advertising space.

Podcast Ad Insertion

Inserting ads into a podcast is one way that podcasters are monetizing their efforts. Podcasters allow services to place ads in their episodes, much like a commercial during a television program. Brands can purchase ad space, set targeted demographics, and duration, and the services will auto place the ads for the best fit. With data-collection getting more intimate and intensive, services are getting better every day at pairing brands with their desired audiences.

Much like TV ads, the advertising space is competitive. Popular shows earn more for their advertising space than a new show with a lower number of listeners. Not all shows permit ad insertion. Some may want to align with like-minded advertisers and can manage that through sponsorships and other advertising opportunities.

Want to learn more about how podcasting can fit in your marketing plans?

Reach out to schedule your podcast marketing therapy session now!

PODCAST MARKETING

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 23:46:49 GMT

PODCASTS ARE IN DEMAND

There are millions of podcast listeners around the world, and that number is growing every single day. All ages, races, income-brackets, education levels… nearly every demographic can find a subject or niche that interests them and keeps them downloading.

Podcasts are a way for individuals and organizations to deliver content as an easy-to-consume experience. It can be a fresh way to reach your intended audience and gain new followers.

PODCASTS SHOULD NOT STAND ALONE

Marketing a podcast is encompassing and downloads increase when podcasts are part of a larger, more engaging experience. Much like a radio or tv show, a book launch, or a webinar, a podcast should be strategically planned to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

SHOULD I START OR GROW MY PODCAST?

Is podcasting a good idea for you? How do you reach your target audience? What’s the right time and place to promote your episodes? Can you partner and cross-promote to reach your goals? There are a lot of questions, and the answers can be quite technical.

The first step is to listen to a podcast. Ask a few friends which podcasts they listen to. Search for a favorite personality and see if they pop-up as a podcast hot or guest and give an episode a listen. You’ll probably get hooked pretty quickly and your mind will race with possibilities.

Already know you want to podcast or have an existing podcast and want to improve your reach? Let’s get started. A Media Marketing can help strategically plan your podcast marketing. Our team can train you to complete the plan or we can augment your team to manage your efforts.

Contact Leslie Laney today for more details.