How Audio-First Experiences are Changing the Social and Marketing Landscape in a Visual-Focused World

Social networks are almost entirely visually-focused. We’re spending an average of 145 minutes per day on social media scrolling through photos, Reels, TikToks, videos, and other heavily visual content.

Users can like, comment, and share this type of content, though it’s often one-sided and leaves little room for actual connection with other people. Now factor in the COVID-19 pandemic and an unquenchable thirst for human interaction amidst lockdowns, quarantines, and ever-changing regulations, and you’ve got a significant uptick in interest—and need—for audio-first experiences. These allow for the easy, commitmentless consumption of media in conjunction with the ability to interact, audibly and in real-time, with others.

Though it seemed for a short while that video calls would be the ultimate solution to staying connected, it was quickly realized that “Zoom or virtual fatigue” was very real and very draining. As such, there’s been a push to create online replacements for in-person interactions, both in 1:1 and group settings—think personal conversations with friends and family, work meetings, study groups, or even academic lectures.

To put it simply, we’re exhausted and crave genuine, authentic connection that allows us to tune in when we want, participate when we feel like it, and show up in sweatpants if we choose. We’re tired of portraying ourselves and our lives as beautifully as possible. This goes for users of all kinds, from influencers to brands and celebrities to the “common folk,” who have long been striving for a perfectly curated Instagram feed that just isn’t real.

We're seeing massive shifts toward audio in an otherwise visual world as authentic storytelling and the sharing of expertise and experiences are no longer reserved for only the conventionally beautiful, wealthy, or well-connected. Audio-first experiences help to make much-needed room for the many people who are experts, creators, thought leaders, students, educators, and more that don’t fit into the stereotypical mold of beauty and influence.

How Audio-First Experiences are Impacting the Social Media and Marketing Landscape

You’d be hard pressed to find a company without an online presence, whether that be on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Clubhouse, or one of the many other social media platforms.?

This is because brands recognize that social media is one of marketing’s most powerful tools, effectively allowing companies to reach vast audiences immediately and at competitive costs. Some businesses even rely on social media pages to act as their main website in place of an official, hosted domain, though this can often leave much to be desired from consumers.

In Attest’s third annual US Media Consumption Report, it was discovered that 92.6% of Americans spend at least part of their day using social media, effectively making it the United States of America’s most popular content consumption medium. The report also states that “Americans are listening to more radio this year. Additionally, for the first time since this report was launched, more than half of consumers say they listen to podcasts (55.9%).”

That means more than half the U.S. population, or over 165 million people, are accessible via podcasts, an audio-first experience. With the average podcast offering several ad spots, this becomes incredibly valuable audio real estate for brands, especially when considering the “ad blindness” or “banner blindness” often experienced when using visual display advertising.

Audio-first mediums provide ample room for audio advertising, which isn’t tuned out the same way visual advertisements are. A shockingly low 14% of Internet users report even noticing visual display ads when scrolling through social media or visiting websites, meaning approximately 86% of ad spend on visual ads is wasted.?

But when people listen to a podcast, for example, they’re typically either listening with full focus, or they’re completing other tasks while consuming the audio content. If they’re listening intently, they may choose to skip ahead when an ad plays, but this takes actual effort and isn’t as simple as scrolling past, so many listeners will simply allow the ad to play through. If they’re cooking dinner, riding public transit, or doing something else, they’re even less likely to skip the ad, which means your brand has a higher chance of successfully reaching your target audience.

“Our research shows that a staggering 81% of listeners have taken action after hearing audio ads during a podcast. These actions include researching a product online, connecting with the brand on social media, and talking about the brand with others,” research from Spotify showed.

Audio-first spaces create abundant opportunities for interaction with your target market once you’ve reached them, particularly through sympaphonic advertising. Sympaphonic advertising involves adjusting the background audio message to align with multiple music genres and different songs, often streamed through audio platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.?

Dunkin’ Donuts was among the first to capitalize on sympaphonic advertising in audio-first spaces, reporting that their audio ads grew consumer engagement by an impressive 238% and proving that audio is a marketing powerhouse when used correctly in audio spaces.

In addition to the power of audio-first marketing and advertising, audio-first spaces are also permitting brands and influencers to drop the “perfect persona” and instead show up more candidly.?

If you spend any time on social media, you’ve likely noticed that more and more, brands are looking for ways to appear more human and less corporate. Companies are realizing they don’t need to take themselves so seriously all the time and are seeking to remind consumers that behind every social media post, slogan, ad campaign, and product are real people, just like them.?

There are few better ways to accomplish this than through the use of audio-first experiences, which generally feel much more personal, approachable, and familiar than traditional visual marketing.?

Austin LaRoche, CEO of ATAK Interactive, mused that “The pandemic-induced lockdown drove people to tune into devotional, spiritual, and motivational content. It attracted a wide range of listeners to audio platforms. Podcasts make you feel as if you're sitting next to the host. This sense of friendship is intense, unlike television and other devices, which demand complete attention.”?

What LaRoche is referencing is a concept known as “parasocial interaction,” a term first coined in 1956 to describe the often one-sided relationship between a regular person and a media personality, particularly on television. Now, this encompasses celebrities, media personalities, social media influencers, or even brands. Though these types of relationships are one-sided, the viewers or consumers are left feeling like they truly know and care for this famous person or brand.

This phenomenon can be observed when a beloved celebrity passes away—Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, and Carrie Fisher are a few examples who come to mind—and we feel genuine sadness and loss because it feels as though we’ve lost a familiar friend.?

With audio-first mediums like podcasts and Clubhouse chats, we’re made to feel as though we’re actively a part of the conversation with the celebrity, influencer, expert, or brand. We aren’t waiting for a reply to a typed question or a like on a comment; instead, we get a front row seat to the nuances of their personality. How do they pronounce “tomato”? How do they laugh? Do they really have that accent? What makes them tick? What sorts of products do they actually use and endorse when they’re at home instead of on the cover of a magazine or splashed across a social media ad?

Ashley Marie Mireles, Director of Sales and Marketing at Familius [Book Publisher], shared “For us, the podcast has become a sort of marketing funnel that leads listeners on a journey to become Familius readers. When you hear an author talk about why they decided to write about blended families, or how postpartum depression has impacted their lives, you get a sense of who the author is beyond just their expertise. You begin to know this author as a person on a much deeper level.”

With social media and the Internet, we have access to our favourite celebrities, influencers, and brands on a 24/7 basis that has never existed before. With audio-first experiences, this is magnified tenfold. Of course, this works in favour of the brands, as well.

Jessica Hanna, CEO of World Chic, puts it plainly: “Brands now have an easier time getting closer to consumers. They have the ability to showcase not only a "look" but also a feel, sound, and culture with audio. Depending on a certain song used in a TikTok to how they may show up in discussion on Clubhouse or how they act and who they are interviewed by on a podcast, the audio element brings brands more to the forefront and reaches beyond the phone screen of an Instagram photo or a Facebook ad.”

In short, audio is candid in ways that visual ad campaigns can never be, and it’s making waves in terms of social media, marketing, and consumer behaviour.

How Audio-First is Impacting Consumers

Consumers are getting smarter about the content they consume and who they’re willing to purchase from. According to DigDev Direct, “consumers are getting more emails and social ads than ever before, so they are more selective about what they respond to...once they visit your site, there’s a good chance that they will head back to Google to research your business before they buy from you.”

This means there’s a good chance your target audience wants to get to know more about you before they enter into a business relationship with you.?

“If anything, audio-first experiences have transformed my approach to being a listener. Having a list of in-depth podcasts and Clubhouse audio has made me more discerning in terms of the content I listen to,” shared Alina Clark, Co-Founder and Marketing Manager at CocoDoc. “Audio-first platforms are currently occupying more than 80% of my media time because I simply can't seem to get enough of the juice from the many content creators. I tune into audio-first platforms even when working because multitasking is easier with audio-only media compared to video.”

Clark highlights something we touched on a little earlier: the ease of accessibility of podcasts. Unlike visually-based social media marketing, which requires actual physical focus from the eyes to see and hands to scroll, audio-focused mediums allow for consumption while doing literally almost anything else. Podcasts and Clubhouse chats can be taken with you, listened to on the go, and consumed passively instead of actively, greatly increasing the opportunity for communication with a target market.

Audio-first approaches are also leveling the playing field for those with different interests or learning styles. Auditory learners are being made a priority with content created in their preferred medium. This is allowing marketers and brands to reach entire target markets with whom visual outreach does not resonate, leading auditory learners to feel included and prioritized.

How Audio-First is Impacting Business and Brands

And it’s not just about the consumers, either. Audio-first experiences are also changing the way businesspeople receive, exchange, or offer information and network with others.

“From a business perspective, I’m able to stay up-to-date on what’s going on in my industry by listening to podcasts,” said Seb Evans, Co-Founder of Banquist. “I don’t always have time to sit and read articles, or connect with other industry leaders, but I do have time to pop in my headphones and listen to an app. Personally, it’s how I prefer to receive my information, so I’m glad audio-first experiences are gaining traction.“

Mark Wilcox, Founder of Camping Forge, credits podcasting with making a life-changing connection that positively impacted his business. “Because I listened to an interview on the Problogger podcast, I was able to make friends with the top Facebook marketer Rachel Miller. Rachel helped me launch my successful Facebook page for my camping blog.”

For digital creators like @rocketgirlNFT, audio-first spaces are creating communities that used to feel out of reach: “[I] use Twitter Spaces for several hours a day. It has dramatically affected my work methods and given me community access that was not previously accessible.”

Some forward-thinking individuals are even optimizing podcasts and other audio experiences to create a volume of shareable content. “The organic content created...can be recycled into various formats on social media platforms: audio clips, video clips, quotes, screen captures, blog posts, etc.,” said Michelle Horlbogen, Chief Empathy Officer at The Gentlewoman Boss.

Audio-first spaces are not only changing the game for marketers, communicators, and social media managers, but are actively shifting the way we conduct business and complete our daily tasks and routines.?

Why You Should Care

It’s clear that audio-first experiences are carving out space for themselves in terms of advertising capabilities, social reach, authentic interaction, brand positioning, and ease of accessibility of consumption.

Whether this means a branded podcast, showing up in Clubhouse chats and Twitter spaces, or employing sympaphonic advertising, the benefits of audio mediums to consumers—and, by extension, to brands—are plentiful.?

But beyond the benefits, one thing is clear: the highly-polished, visually-focused way of approaching connecting with audiences and with each other needs to make room for the more authentic audio-first experiences that are already proving to be powerhouses in their own right.?