The social audio boom and how you can take advantage of it

May
17, 2021

5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It seems that lately they only talk about social audio . A few weeks ago, Clubhouse announced that it had closed a new round of financing (the amount was not disclosed) to respond to the exponential growth that the platform has had.

Facebook was not far behind and reported that in the coming months it will launch two social audio products: Soundbites (short audios like reels) and Podcast (a tool to discover podcasts); While Twitter is still standing up to now with the millionaire purchase of an audio application, after having launched Spaces in 2020, a kind of chat rooms with limited capacity.

In reality, this social audio boom has been going on for some time now with the growing popularity of music streaming services, podcasts, audiobooks, and new hands-free hardware like wireless headphones and earphones that have made listening and using voice commands necessary. voice easier.

Podcasts , specifically, have exploded in recent years, largely due to Spotify’s efforts to dominate the audio market by buying Gimlet Media and Anchor, as well as podcast studio Parcast.

I’d say Spotify has been paving the way for platforms like Clubhouse by trying to become the YouTube of audio, creating opportunities for content creators to make money, attracting more creators and getting us used to listening to audio beyond music. .

The new social audio platforms then have come at a time when not only was audio consumption ubiquitous, but people were eager to connect and share experiences.

Social audio and content marketing

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In my opinion, social audio is content marketing . It’s just another form of content, like an infographic, blog post, or video tutorial. It is simply the distribution and sharing of this content in audio format within a social environment.

Among social audio platforms, Clubhouse’s success is evident both because of the novelty, as well as the longing for connection and belonging that people from all over the world have in what has been a time of isolation and uncertainty.

From a content standpoint, brands can start leveraging the app right away by hosting a Clubhouse room at least once a week where they can collaborate with colleagues, make new connections, and lead conversations on topics that matter to the industry. .

Whether you’re hosting a room or participating in someone else’s room, the best tactic is to focus on adding value.

My recommendation to all of us in this industry is to use your experience to share knowledge, provide useful information, and ask questions that enrich the conversation.

Brands can also work on connecting with their audience by sponsoring rooms or chats organized by industry leaders. This collaboration can give marketing executives the opportunity to share your brand story, connect with customers, and have a speaker in the room highlight a product.

The biggest challenge for brands right now is being consistent. Many brands start a Clubhouse room but end up closing it shortly after or without giving it continuity.

Then there is the expectation factor. Even if your brand is successful with its Clubhouse strategy, the maximum capacity of the room at the moment is 5,000 people, so it cannot be compared to the massive audiences of other social media platforms and expect to have the same reach and engagement, and much less access to metrics.

It is still too early to take full advantage of the marketing potential of social audio. At the moment we have to be creative, active and constant.

Over time social audio will pay off as a new frontier for social media.