VOICE MARKETING ON SOCIAL PLATFORMS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

April 21, 2022 | Fox Tales

For several years now, the voice trend has been steadily growing; from the popular voice assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant), podcasts, and voice search industries to the newest voice-based social platforms, voice marketing is one of the most trending social segments online and is growing in popularity every day. Audio-social platforms are the hottest trend right now, and we’re here to explain to you what voice marketing on social platforms is, who the key players are, and how you can use it to build your brand. (You can thank us later!)

Hey Google, what is Voice Marketing?

In simple terms, voice marketing is a way for businesses, entrepreneurs, brands, and influencers to reach their target audiences through live or recorded audio content. Originating from the Radio, the audio marketing segment has exploded in the last couple of years and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Why is Voice Marketing So Popular?

Screen Fatigue is VERY real. Especially today- in the pandemic where the work and personal boundary lines are blurry, people are spending so much more time in front of a screen. Podcasts and audio-social platforms allow you to listen to or participate in conversations that interest with without having to stare at a screen. They are the perfect entertainment option for busy, multi-tasking individuals who prefer not to constantly scroll or be on camera. Voice social platforms actually take podcasts one step ahead, as they allow you to discuss topics of interest with like-minded individuals from the convenience of your home.

What are the Trending Platforms?

1. Clubhouse: One of the most popular audio-social platforms (Instagram is filled with people asking for invitations), Clubhouse is an invitation-only social media app for iOS that facilitates audio communication through rooms that can accommodate groups of up to 5,000 people. This app hosts virtual rooms for live discussions, all provides opportunities for individuals to participate through speaking and listening. It also lets you follow individuals and clubs based on your interest, start your own club, and hop in on conversations ranging from technology and finance to music and astrology!

How can brands leverage Clubhouse? As of now, Clubhouse does not allow advertising of any kind on its app. But there are other ways to get involved and create a presence on the platform. Creating a club for your brand, product, or cause, is a good way to build your community on the platform. To engage with their audiences, brands can host discussions (product usage, testimonials, Q&A sessions, etc.) and speak directly with their end consumers. Brands can also create profiles and add specific interests to their profile. Participating in industry rooms/clubs to understand conversations and trends prevalent in your domain is another way to use Clubhouse to your advantage. Sponsoring existing rooms/clubs is a also a good tactic to build your brand’s presence on Clubhouse.

2. Discord: The oldest of the audio-social platforms, Discord has over 200 million users and is hugely popular, especially among the gaming and tech community. Discord is a VoIP, instant messaging and digital distribution platform designed for creating communities online. Users communicate with calls, text messaging, media (image and video), and files in private chats or as part of communities called “servers”.

How can brands leverage Discord? In addition to the mobile app, Discord has a desktop app and a full suite of moderation tools for community leaders on the platform. While there are currently no display advertising opportunities on the platform, brands can still build a presence for themselves by creating communities to help foster conversation between users with similar interests. Another way to build an engaged community on Discord is to provide exclusive sales available only to community members. Discord does this themselves!

3. Twitter Spaces: Following the success and popularity of Clubhouse, Twitter recently rolled out a competing product in the audio-social industry called ‘Spaces’. Like Clubhouse, Spaces allows a user to create a live conversation which other Twitter users can join. All Spaces are public like Tweets, which means they can be accessed by anyone. They will automatically appear at the top of your Timeline, where you see Fleets, and each Space has a link that can be shared publicly.

How can brands leverage Spaces? Spaces is still in its infancy and is changing rapidly. Twitter announced that they have plans to roll this feature out to more handles as well as branded handles throughout 2021. Once branded handles are established, brands can use the feature to engage with their audiences vocally and enhance their presence on Twitter. If you already have an engaged community of Twitter followers for your brand, Spaces could be another avenue to interact with your community. There are speculations of advertising and brand opportunities on the horizon for Spaces, but no details are available yet.

Most of the audio-social platforms and features are very new and changing quickly. However, brands need to continue to monitor them and think about how they can establish a presence on these platforms. The goal of any good marketing strategy is to meet your audience where they spend time. If audio-visual platforms are where your audiences are, you need to focus on them and develop a strategy for your brand tone, presentation, and audio content. Building a profile and optimizing your presence for potential followers to find you easily is a very important aspect of building this part of your marketing strategy. It is time to start thinking not just about how good your brand (and branding materials) look, but also how they sound!

Let us know if these tips work for you in the comments! If you have other ideas, we would love to hear them. Write to us in the comments or at hello@bombayfox.com

(The Author of this article is Nikita D’Souza, Sr. Social Media Manager, Bombay Fox)