Is influencer marketing turning to audio content creators? Besides social media giants like Instagram and Facebook, popular music streaming platform, Spotify, is another app on the list of must-haves on everyone’s smartphone. Moving beyond music streaming, Spotify now has an extensive collection of podcasts and audio content creators on its platform which does not come as a surprise!
With an astronomical increase in podcast listeners, podcast ad spend in the US alone is projected to surpass $1 billion in 2021 according to an eMarketer forecast. More recently, audiences have also jumped on the trend of “live podcasts” on Clubhouse. For brands looking to reach audiences, this shift to audio content signals new opportunities for brands to connect with their audiences.
Curious to find out more about audio content creators and switch up your influencer marketing strategy? Read on to discover how influencer marketing works on these platforms and dive deeper into how these trends are impacting brands around the world!
Ever since music streaming platform, Spotify, took on Apple Podcast head to head, it has amassed over 299 million listeners across 92 markets worldwide. Since the start of 2019, Spotify’s podcast audience has nearly doubled and creators have started their own podcast series to capture the crowd.
Some popular Singapore podcasts by local content creators include Good Hang (hosted by Singaporean entertainers Nathan Hartono and Jon Cancio) and The Thirsty Sisters by Sylvia and Nina from Night Owl Cinematics.
What’s worth mentioning is that besides having active listeners and followers on Spotify, these creators have also built up a following for their podcasts on Instagram. An example is @thethirstysisterstts which now has over 6,579 followers on Instagram and brings up intimate discussions with its followers on Instagram, mimicking the authentic nature of its podcasts.
By engaging with audiences on multiple platforms, influencers can cater to a more diverse range of audiences with different media consumption habits. More importantly, podcasts create an environment of trust which allows influencers to connect with their audiences on a deeper level!
With Clubhouse being the new kid on the block, there is also more for audiences to look forward to as they can drop in on virtual rooms and have live discussions! Termed as a social audio platform, users are “by invite only” and this includes Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, who has 1.6 million followers on the platform.
So, why is it so popular? With the global pandemic increasing the distance between people, the power of Clubhouse is the ability to gather users together, create discussions and forge new relationships. Brands now have the opportunity to converse with their audience and get real-time feedback, while creating a unique social experience for users. Unlike podcasts, such meaningful interactions can help to increase customer engagement and leave a lasting impression.
An example of a successful influencer marketing campaign was done by electronic accessories and software firm Logitech. Incentivising users with interactive polls, engaging sharing sessions and a giveaway event, Logitech worked with 3 influencers, @j.jaikishan, @johnathanchua, and @leeshuhadah. The event helped Clubhouse to engage with Millenials Apple users and lead to over 50% in engagement rate for the interactive polls on Instagram! Making a smart move, Logitech hosted the event on Clubhouse but made users interact with their Instagram stories to increase traffic to their official account.
Below is the screenshot of the Instagram Stories poll on Logitech’s Instagram (Photo taken from Marketing Interactive)
However, brands have to note that the spontaneous and interactive feature on Clubhouse also means that the tone of the content might only be suitable for a casual setting. Furthermore, the exclusive access to Clubhouse might hinder brands from achieving mass-marketing objectives and increasing reach across a wide target audience.
With new platforms like Clubhouse coming into the play, the natural question is whether brands should hop on familiarizing with yet another platform (in addition to TikTok).
In our previous blog, we mentioned that Video Marketing is a key trend to watch out in 2021. In fact, brands have been known to create captivating content through videos to deeply engage with audiences. So, can audio truly compare to video? Not to mention, Instagram rose in popularity precisely due to the visual nature of the platform which allows creators to showcase their life in attractive images. For many brands, visual communication can be even critical for audiences to understand their products.
Hence, before making the switch to create audio content, brands should assess whether audiences need a visual reference for your products. Brands with higher awareness in the market might thus also be at an advantage to convey their messages through audio content. But for those still looking to catch captive podcast audiences on their drive to work, it is important to highlight key product features clearly and create content that resonates with your target audience.
Thinking of whether to work with Podcasters or Instagrammers? Well, the answer is to work with multi-channel influencers! Instead of limiting your brand and influencer marketing strategy to a single platform, creating synergy between multiple platforms can sometimes do wonders.
As influencers diversify their reach and content across multiple platforms, multi-channel influencers are a gem to work with for your brand to have representation across various platforms. By doing what Logitech did in the example above (linking creating complementary visual and audio content), audiences can also gain better awareness of your brand’s channels.
Instead of treating podcasts and Instagram posts as direct opposites, why not find the sweet spot in between where influencers are both podcasters and Instagrammers?
Lastly, while social audio platforms have shaken things up a bit, the truth is that Instagram remains a major platform for content creators (and probably won’t be going away anytime soon). However, what brands can recognise from these trends is that the influence of influencers are no longer solely concentrated on a few social media platforms.
Affable provides in-depth influencer analytics across multiple platforms (including TikTok) so you can always find the ideal influencer for your needs! If you would like to find out more about how to build a successful influencer marketing campaign, feel free to contact us or request a free demo on our website.
Get new blogs, case studies and our Market Landscape reports directly in your inbox.
We don't spam.
.png)
.png)