For the past few years, the growth of spoken word content has been increasing, with social audio providing the most recent boost. Publishers, advertisers, and listeners all now consider the medium to be a crucial component of the media mix.The development and future of listening to audio online will be the new and already popular marketing tool. . You don’t trust me? Here are some facts which conclude the popularity of audio content.

How Much Listening Is There?

Listeners are not only developing but also maintaining a new habit that they have incorporated into their daily routine.

Consumption of online audio listening (including AM/FM online radio stations and streamed audio content only available online) is increasing:

According to Infinite dial 2022,

• They estimate, 193 million people or 68% of the population aged 12 and above – prefer podcasts – a million increase from 2020 till 2022
• In 2022, average daily listening time is anticipated to reach an hour and 37 minutes.
• The reach of podcasting is greater than ever, but listening habits have shifted slightly as Americans return to pre-pandemic routines.
• 62% of Americans aged 12 and up (an estimated 177 million people) have listened to a podcast, up from 57% last year.
• In-car podcast listening has also increased: 32% of those aged 18 and over who have ridden in or driven a car in the last month now listen to podcasts in-car, up from 30% last year.
• In the current study, 38% of those aged 12 and up in the United States are monthly podcast listeners, down from 41% in the Infinite Dial 2021, but still higher than 2020 (37%).

Who All Is Doing The Listening?

There are several listening audiences. Gen Z is leading the way as expected, but Millenials and Gen X aren’t far behind. Additionally, nearly half of senior and older persons are regular listeners.The proportion of each age group’s monthly statistics on Listening age according to Business Community is shown below:

Age Group 12 to 34: 86%

Age Group 35 to 54: 72%

Age Group 55+: 46%

Additionally, 69% of individuals between the ages of 12 and 34 listen to audio with others “often” or “sometimes,” compared to 51% of those 12 and older. To stay on top of the most recent marketing trends, the ideal marketer maintains an eye on marketing data. Whether you’re concentrating on SEO, content marketing, social media, video marketing, email marketing, lead generation, advertising, marketing technology, or sales, we’ve gathered the data and facts you need to help you connect with your customers, understand audio content, reach your target audience, and increase sales, thereby fine-tuning your content strategy.

1. Podcasts Are Popular Among Marketers To Reach A Wider Audience.

Over 222 million people, or 78% of the population, listen to podcasts via a streaming service on a regular basis. Podcast listening continues to grow rapidly and steadily.

According to Podcast Statistics by Trinity Audio

• 162 million people, or 57% of those aged 12 and up, listened to a podcast episode at least once.
• Every month, 41% of the population, or approximately 116 million people, watch it.
• Every week, approximately 80 million people, or 28% of the population over the age of 12, listen to podcasts.
• Weekly podcast listeners typically consume eight podcasts online or 5.1 shows per week.
• In 2021, 56% of podcast listeners were between the ages of 12 and 34, up from 49% in 2020.

• The 35-54 age group accounts for 39% of monthly listeners, down from 40% in 2020 and 39% in 2021.
• Over-55s make up the smallest percentage of listeners, accounting for 26% of monthly listeners, up from 22% in 2020.
• Men account for 48% of monthly podcast listeners, while women account for 49% and non-binary/others account for 3%.
• In 2021, 43% of male listeners were monthly listeners, up from 39% in 2020.
• 39% of females would listen to audio each month in 2021, up from 36% in 2020.

Overall, the podcast audio industry is thriving following the pandemic.

2. Audiobooks are popular in the Digital Marketing Era.

An estimated 131 million people—roughly 46% of the population aged 12 and up—listened to an audiobook in 2021, a 1% increase over the previous year.

Despite the fact that fewer people commuted in 2020 than in 2019, audiobook sales increased by more than 17%.

The audiobook market will be worth $1.3 billion in revenue by 2021.

The market is expected to grow by 5.5% by 2021.

3. Audience Engagement with Audio Content

Trinity Audio conducted research and discovered

According to the Listen-Through-Ratio (LTR) for audio versions of news items and blog entries, 59% of all listeners listened through the entire audio content.

The LTR for long-form content (five minutes or longer) is 70%, while the LTR for short-form content (under three minutes) and medium-length audio voiceover content (three to five minutes) are both 55%.

The CTR for long-form content, such as novels and editorial articles, is three times higher than for short-form content.

Morning sessions (7 a.m.-10 a.m.) and evening sessions saw the greatest increases in listening periods.

4. Audio Content Articles Promote Localization

Although less dynamic than podcasts and audiobooks, audio articles provide listeners with an easy way to obtain information. Audiences for audio articles are typically multitaskers who prefer to listen to the content rather than see it.

Over the last six years, listening to audio online has increased by 30%, and it is expected to increase by 8% in 2020.

43% of people listen to audio content every day, and 75% listen to it at least once a month.

People who listen to spoken-word audio spend two hours per day on average, accounting for 48% of their total daily listening time.

Spoken word listening now accounts for 26% of total listening in the population aged 13 and up, up from 24% in 2019.

5. Radio Is Still An Important Medium

The popularity of cell phones has been critical in keeping radio relevant, even if it now primarily consists of streaming rather than transmission.

Radio regularly reaches 63% of those aged 18 and up.

The average daily audio listening time is 41% spent on radio.

55% of Gen Z listens to AM/FM radio on a daily basis.

For the majority of the time that 13 to 24-year-olds spend listening to audio online in the car, AM/FM radio is preferred over streaming audio, YouTube, and other sources.

The concept of using a car as an entertainment platform is likely to evolve further, allowing radio to maintain its high listening share through 2021 and beyond.

6. Customer Perception

Because audio is a hands-free medium that listeners can follow throughout their day, it is an effective method of connecting with customers. Consumers will listen for a variety of reasons, according to Trinity Audio research:

As the most immersive media format that fosters memorability, trust, and connection, audio, delivered through an video and audio on demand platform, outperforms ad-based video on demand, digital video, linear TV, and social media.

While local text to speech content and host trust are the two most influential factors on listening, audio platforms are more trusted than other media sources. Personal development, superior content, and audio content‘s ability to improve mental health are all powerful motivators for more listening, in addition to the comfort and multitasking benefits that have long been recognized.

7. Influence Of Audio Advertising

As digital audio showed great resilience in 2020, the number of cases for how audio fits into advertising campaigns is increasing. According to the IAB’s annual ad revenue report:

Digital audio advertising revenue increased by more than $350 million in 2020, rising 13% to $3.085 billion.

Mobile devices account for eight out of every ten dollars, with mobile audio revenue growing at a 15% faster rate in 2020 than desktop audio.

Pandora’s research discovered:

Audio ads, according to nearly half of streaming audio habits listeners, are less disruptive than other forms of advertising.

Because of the ability of streaming audio to be highly personalized and dynamic, 43% believe audio ads are more relevant to them.

42% said audio ads are more likely to catch their attention than ads seen or heard elsewhere.

8. Discovering The Power  And Reach Of Voice Search In Product Advertisement

Voice search optimization, also known as voice SEO, is the practice of making advertisements more searchable via voice search, typically through a smart speaker or a virtual assistant such as Siri or Alexa.

When a person searches for something on one of these devices, instead of typing the words, they can speak and do dubbing commands into these automated devices, which recognise keywords and conduct searches on their behalf.

Optimizing for voice searches on Google or Amazon is similar to optimizing for written searches, which involves using a keyword identifying tool on platforms like WordStream or SEMRush to test out ad copy.

However, if you’re optimizing for voice search, it’s critical to understand the common phrases your customers will say out loud and modify them to reflect how they’ll give a command to a voice search device. Consider their thought process. For example, “Alexa, play the Frank Sinatra song Fly me to the Moon.”

You can optimize your voice SEO efforts to promote and direct any voice driven traffic to your video content to improve your video marketing results. Use agency-level SEO tools that can optimize your SEO.

9. The Trend Of Rhythmic Music – Jingle

A jingle is a short piece of music used in advertising to promote a brand or for other commercial purposes. It is known as sound branding, and it is effective because it leaves a memorable impression in the minds of consumers and fosters brand recognition.

As this audio Is primarily used for professional purposes, artists will typically use a program like Mixea to get their music mastered before submitting it.

A good example of a viral jingle is one from Shopee, which aired on the radio and practically set the trend for jingle ads.

Shopee collaborated with an agency to create an ad for Singapore’s upcoming Single’s Day sale that riffed on the popular Baby Shark commercial. It’s worth noting that using music poses the risk of legal ramifications. For instance, unauthorized use of copyrighted music can result in a cease-and-desist order, leading to potential financial penalties and reputational damage. Thus, due diligence and respect for intellectual property rights are paramount. Of course it’s much easier to avoid stepping into the territory of copyright infringement if you’re creating completely original jingles, and with the growing army of AI music tools out there, this is more attainable for large businesses and bedroom producers alike. It’s a case of early adopters getting a major head start.

10. Giving Identity To A Product With Signature Theme Tune

A signature tune is a song that is always played at the beginning or end of a specific radio or television programme, so that the audience will associate a specific tune with a brand, similar to a theme song.

Can’t seem to come up with a memorable signature song? Close your eyes and recall a time when you were a child and you were at home or at the movies with your family. Do you remember THX? THX is a company that certifies that the audio system in the movie you’re about to see meets their high-quality digital sound standards. It is usually shown before a movie. It excites me just to hear it before a movie.

11. Importance Of Sign Off Track In Company Product Advertisement

A sign-off track is a term used in music to bring a song to a close gradually before it ends. It usually appears between 3-4 seconds into a song. Some companies use a sound logo as a sign-off track as well. The goal is to increase brand recognition and recall.

Conclusion

Digital audio content has demonstrated exceptional resilience and adaptability throughout this research window. COVID-19 has had no effect on audio content consumption. In fact, consumers’ behaviors and tastes have shifted as a result of working from home and attending school online.

To summarize, audio content is a truly revolutionary invention, as we are currently inundated with digital content clutter everywhere; it is overwhelming!

When it comes to keeping up with current news, trends, and even your favorite audiobook, audio content, sounds logo are like your partner in crime.

Because audio content is not disruptive, it is classified as a passive form of content. It is referred to as found time and it allows you to listen while running errands, commuting, or walking your dog.

You may be out and about, but once you put on those AirPods or similar devices, you’re constantly tuned in at your leisure.

FAQs

How to use audio content online?

There are 3 suitable ways to use audio content online:

• Obtain a royalty-free music license: providers such as Epidemic Sound allow you to browse and broadcast from their extensive royalty-free music library. Never again be concerned about copyright infringement!
• Copyright-free music library: but proceed with caution! Because not all music libraries are completely copyright-free, you may need to conduct your own domain research for good measure.
• DIY: There’s always music you can make yourself. Because you own all of the necessary rights, you can publish anything you’ve created online.

Why is audio content so popular?

Audiences today are more engaged with audio content than ever before.

From 2014 to 2021, spoken-word audio’s share of digital listening increased by 40%. Almost half of all over-13s in the United States listen to music for 2 hours and 6 minutes every day. ¹ Podcasts, audio books, and narrated content are more popular than ever before.

So, what’s behind this audio boom? Listening needs and preferences are nothing new. It’s referred to as the audio flywheel.

What are types of audio content?

Here are seven used audio file formats: 

• M4A 
• FLAC 
• MP3 
• MP4 
• WAV 
• WMA 
• AAC