Full-funnel audio marketing strategy: will it level up the game for marketers?

According to Nielsen's Commspoint Influence, audio influences 45% of listeners to make a purchase, outperforming TV, social media, video, and other media.

Brands have always valued audio marketing for the kind of brand impact and engagement rate it could derive. As technology evolves, the way people consume content, especially audio content, is significantly changing. Audio-first platforms like podcasts and clubhouse chats are gaining more popularity than ever.

And the good news is that it multiplies the opportunities for brands and marketers to rely on audio platforms for their full-funnel marketing.

As listeners embrace audio more on their daily journeys, the chances for brands to connect with their audiences through all stages of the funnel are only increasing. In a sea of one-to-many media, marketers don't necessarily need to use radio, podcasts, or any other platforms only for attaining specific objectives.

The full-funnel audio strategy can help brands hit conversion goals effectively, and the renowned fashion company New Balance’s results prove it.

New Balance's full-funnel audio campaign for its WXY v3 sneaker campaign:

New Balance and the Mediahub agency collaborated on a targeted podcast campaign that resulted in an increase in online sales.

To achieve the goal, the media hub agency and New Balance turned to Audacy. As a result of their full funnel campaign, online orders increased and it raised brand awareness and sales, yielding a 342% return on ad spend.

The success of New Balance reveals nothing less than audio's superpowers in this digital world.

To put it straight, YES.

In our opinion, New Balance’s full funnel strategy has shown a phenomenal way for brands to reach their customers at every stage of their buying journey effectively. A full-funnel audio strategy, in particular when it comes to reaching the millennial and Gen Z markets, can open a new door for marketers to attract and influence their younger audiences as audio becomes more intertwined with their lives.

Furthermore, it will benefit brands and marketers in a variety of ways.

Paves the way for enhanced personalization:

Marketers will be able to personalise their messaging based on where their potential customers are in their buying journey when using a full-funnel audio strategy. Thus, marketers can effectively target their audiences with tailored content and different tones of audio messaging as per their audience's specific needs and interests.

This, in turn, will help them meet the desired goal while improving the overall effectiveness of their campaigns.

It can improve conversion rates:

Basically, audio advertising is affordable for brands when compared to linear TV, streaming media, etc. And by using audio content throughout the funnel, brands will be more likely to push their audiences to the next stage of the funnel.

This way, they can improve the conversion rates and make audio advertising even more cost-effective. In other words, with a full-funnel strategy, marketers can possibly reap better results and ROI with an existing budget.

Measurement and tracking the campaign results will become simpler:

When marketers focus on full-funnel audio for running specific campaigns, tracking and measurement will become easier for them. The reason is that it will enable marketers to see a comprehensive view of their efforts for the campaign and assess the results clearly, as it is only audio-focused.

This, in turn, will help them make data-driven decisions and maximize the effectiveness of the campaign over time.

Overall, we believe it is time for brands and marketers to embrace full-funnel audio as part of their comprehensive marketing strategy, as it holds enormous potential to connect with their audiences, influence the audiences’ purchase decisions, and improve conversions.