Setting Brand Expectations From Podcast Advertising - Part I

 

It's imperative to set brand expectations before starting a podcast campaign. In 2023, you can consume content in almost any format you want. While old media was fairly limited, today, there are numerous ways to consume information in any format you choose; podcasts, social media, online print & audio. Hardly anyone is consuming the same content, let alone the same way. The Internet has caused us to become a fragmented society, making it a challenge for brands to reach exactly who they want.

The first point to make when meeting with a brand is to set advertising expectations. Explore what marketing efforts they are doing now and understand where they came from. What have they done in the past that was successful? What wasn't successful? Is what's active now working for them? Do a deep dive into past and existing advertising campaigns because you'll need to qualitatively understand the brand's efforts to date.

It takes an average of 8 touchpoints to close a sale. If a brand wants to start a podcast campaign but does nothing else to market the brand, the campaign won't be successful, no matter who they partner with. Multiple platforms should be used in parallel with multiple marketing tools to reach the target audience, but they have to be the appropriate platforms. Spreading out marketing dollars without the right frequency and proper platforms will waste advertising dollars. Therefore, your first call with a new brand needs to be exploratory. Find out their pain points and focus on solving their growth goals before discussing campaign ideas.

TWiT.tv - Dyanamic Ad Insertion & Host Read Ads: Part II

 

Here are the critical differences between host-read and dynamic ad insertion ads: Host-read ads are delivered by our broadcast journalist hosts during live shows, so each read is guaranteed to be unique every time. Our hosts provide insights, experience, and a personal or implied brand endorsement. Our goal is to further educate our fans about the sponsor's products and services and how they will benefit them directly. Because our fans trust our hosts, they genuinely listen to what hosts say about a product or service. You simply cannot buy trust, and since our host-read ads are done live, our partners receive live impressions for free, and our live recordings go into reruns, which means we serve additional free ads that our partners did not pay for. And you do not get this with DAI on our network. DAI ads are producer-read ads inserted directly into our shows in post-production. They are fifteen, thirty, or sixty seconds long and are always within these ranges. They are served until the promised download number is reached. DAI costs less than host-read ads, BUT they do not have the audience's trust. Both ads work, depending on what a client is looking for. DAI helps with global awareness, while host-read provides a story about the brand and helps solidify conversions. I recommend that our clients utilize both, as it takes multiple touchpoints to convert a fan, and the more ways you can reach people, the better. Here at TWiT.tv, we care about brand goals and focus on what it takes to help them grow. If you are interested in working with us because you want the gold standard in podcast advertising, please email advertise@twit.tv, and we will set up a time to chat about your growth goals.

TWiT.tv - Dynamic Ad Insertion & Host Read Ads: Part 1

 

When the pandemic first hit in 2020, TWiT.tv lost 60% of its advertising partners in two weeks. As an ad-supported network offering only host-read ads, we quickly realized we were one-dimensional.

Fast forward to 2023, we have added DAI in the form of Advertisecast to sell our residual open audio inventory. Plus, we have diversified our host-read ad inventory by allowing agencies to book small test campaigns to complement their testing phase with new clients.

We approve categories for DAI, and all ads are inserted into our audio feeds by Advertisecast. These ads are 15, 30, or 60 seconds long, producer read ads or commercials. And they can geotarget and are in several countries.

Since 65% of our host-read ads are currently with direct partners. We prefer to partner with direct businesses because having a working relationship with the partner is always better than working through an agency.

Because we have two decades of experience, we find that agencies churn through staff and have representatives who need to learn their brands better. We pride ourselves on openly communicating with our partners and working closely with them to set up campaigns for success. We also ensure over-delivery so our partners never feel their marketing dollars were wasted. We know that pure volume buys only produce satisfactory results. How can anyone build a proper campaign when they do not speak with networks and ignore best practices for tracking campaigns.

If you are interested in our process, which starts with a conversation about your growth goals and needs, please reach out to advertise@twit.tv, and let's chat.

Successful Brands Work Directly With Podcast Networks

 

Being a leader in the podcasting industry since 2008, I know firsthand that brands would benefit more if they worked directly with podcast networks. Established networks, like ours, TWiT.tv, understand what it takes for brands to be successful in podcasting. 

Unfortunately, most agencies that buy across thousands of podcasts do not implement the proper tools for successful campaigns. Instead of wasting marketing money, we know how to position brands properly on our network and help brands meet or exceed their growth goals. 

Here are four reasons why brands should buy direct.

1. Agencies do not implement ALL the tools to gauge podcast campaigns successfully - brands need to implement ad tech to measure proper attribution, have a compelling CTA with a custom landing page, and implement a post-purchase survey. Networks like ours know this.

2. When brands go direct, they can obtain a better deal. Podcast networks will offer discounts and extras and do more for a brand than an agency will to ensure their campaign succeeds.

3. Podcast networks can work with a brand on the exact frequency and messaging they need for ROI. Agencies do not follow our advice or listen to our show recommendations. We have a higher success rate with our direct clients than with agency clients.

4. Lastly, podcast networks know what a brand needs to thrive and grow in this space. Agencies are only focused on volume and buying across thousands of podcasts. Brands would save money by hiring an in-house podcast buyer who can partner with podcasts properly. Here at TWiT, we care about long-term partnerships and ad effectiveness because we want to grow with high-integrity brands.

If you are interested in advertising with TWiT.tv because you want the gold standard in podcast advertising, please email advertise@twit.tv, and let's have a conversation.

Invest In Your Employees

 

Employment standards are at a fascinating crossroads, and many companies need help deciding whether or not to replace current employees with potentially better future candidates. 

During uncertain times, successful leadership has to be comfortable with adaptation, elevating current employees' skillset with company-provided courses rather than replacing them altogether—a much more efficient way of navigating a profitable business. Investing in your current workforce will ultimately serve your company's longevity more purposefully. 

The truth is that all types of positions across all industries are displacing rapidly. However, a poignant example from an interview with Ryan Roslansky, CEO at LinkedIn, stands out: "When the pandemic hit, on LinkedIn, we saw a ton of food service workers out of work…On the flip side, digital customer service roles were the most in-demand. …The average food service worker in that period had 70% of the skills needed to be an entry-level customer service agent."

Long story short, Optimization should be the goal of any company. Nothing beats elevating your current employees' skillset to better serve your company's goals. Investing in existing employees will only help your brand's health and advantage.  

Get exclusive tech updates in Club TWiT, or learn more about our partnership program for your brand by contacting advertise@twit.tv today.  

Guidelines For Brands When Buying Podcasts

 

Having worked in the podcast industry for fifteen years at TWiT.tv and overseeing sales for most of it, I want to provide brands with an outline of best practices when advertising on podcasts because I have learned that all traditional ad agencies ignore them - which is where brands lose. Brands need expertise if they are going to succeed in podcast advertising. I recommend taking it in-house and buying directly from podcast networks that understand how campaigns work.

Here is what you need to know about buying podcasts if you have already determined the podcast network is a good fit for your brand:

• Podcast ads take time to reach their fullest impact.

• Podcasts are on-demand. You have to give audiences time to download the podcast episode, listen to it, then act on any ads they heard. These are not radio/TV ads that someone watched that day. Podcast ad traction builds over time.

• A single podcast ad takes eight weeks to reach its greatest impact.

• Podcast advertising is a slow game. If you see traction in the first eight weeks, you must give it longer to determine its effectiveness.

• Brands should set up custom landing pages for their podcast campaigns.

• Include client testimonials and logos from the podcast network you are advertising with.

• Have a unique offer. Do not expect signups on a landing page if your website has the same offer.

• Monitor the traffic and conversions to it and retarget those who did not sign up immediately. 

• Podcast ad tech is crucial to gauge attribution.

• Every traditional ad agency we work with ignores podcast ad tech stating it could be better. Ad tech is flawed, yet it's vital for understanding podcast traffic.

• Ad tech will give you an idea of how many listeners heard the brand's ad in a podcast episode, and then they track the IP address to see if the listener visited the brand's website.

• You can also gauge shopping cart conversions, which only works well for B2C brands.

• Without ad tech, brands will not know the total traffic sent to their website from podcast campaigns. 

• Set up a post-purchase survey.

• With a post-purchase survey, brands can determine which campaigns worked for them.

• Only a few agency clients use post-purchase surveys, which means brands were not properly informed, and they are unable to truly track the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Here at TWIT.tv, we help brands understand what it takes to review the total impact of a podcast campaign on our network. When brands allow their podcast ads to blossom, set up landing pages with unique offers, and include ad tech with post-purchase surveys - they understand the full scope of their campaign and its effectiveness on our network. If you leverage all the best practices, there will be no gaps in understanding impact. And in today's climate - brands should buy smarter and use all the tools available to measure podcast campaigns successfully.

What's Going On With Tech Layoffs?

 

There was an enormous hiring spree in tech during the unprecedented level of demand for tech during the fall of 2020. While tech layoffs are growing in the media's headlines, the tech unemployment rate is dropping. So what's going on? 

According to the Layoffs.fyi, in April 2023, there were an estimated 17,926 tech sector layoffs. This includes all workers on the payrolls of tech companies; most of those laid off during this post-covid adjustment period did not hold IT positions.  

Meanwhile, in North America, the demand-to-supply ratio for cybersecurity and data scientist talent is 0.4, according to Gartner. You read that correctly; less than one candidate is available for every cybersecurity and data scientist job posting. According to Gartner, this tech talent shortage will affect supply through 2026. 

In 2023, enterprise spending on software and IT services will increase by 9.3% and 5.5%, respectively. Worldwide, that's $4.5 trillion being pumped into technology, up 2.4% from 2022, according to Gartner. 

According to the BLS, "Employment in professional and business services continued to trend up in April (+43,000). Over the month, professional, scientific, and technical services added 45,000 jobs, as employment in computer systems design and related services increased by 13,000."

Long story short: IT and cybersecurity talent demands are as hungry and competitive as ever. Tech salaries are still rising, but so are expectations, so stay caught up. Twit.tv is always here to keep you at the top of your game with the best tech news, analysis, and exclusive offers from our partners.