An Easy Guide On Using FB Ads To Blow Up Your Podcast

An Easy Guide On Using FB Ads To Blow Up Your Podcast

Podcasts represent the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to marketing your business or product.

Building an audience of rabid listeners, however, takes some careful timing and targeting.

Thankfully, Facebook ads provide a straightforward, cost effective means of acquiring new listeners for your next podcast.

To the surprise of many marketers, podcasts are exploding in popularity.

In an era where traditional radio stations are cutting costs left and right, it seems unlikely that podcasts would become “the next big thing” amongst Internet marketers.

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to podcasting, as the number of podcast listeners in the United States grew nearly 25% within the past year.

Meanwhile, 64% of podcast listeners rely on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Perhaps podcasts represent another shift in the rising mobile marketplace, as more and more marketers continue to devise ways to reach their customers on-the-go.

In other words, the podcasting bandwagon isn’t really a bandwagon at all.

There are numerous advantages to hosting a podcast, each serving a separate purpose for marketers looking to engage their audiences on all fronts.

Take into consideration how podcasts serve to…

Educate – Podcasts serve as the ideal opportunity to educate users on the in’s and out’s of your industry, including current events, meaningful advice, and resources that would benefit your listeners. A podcaster for an SEO marketing company, for example, may discuss the ramifications of a new Google algorithm update and what businesses can to fix their sites.

Entertain Although the traditional radio may be a dying medium, consider that customers have been listening to their entertainment for decades on end. Podcasts listeners may seek you out for information, but they’ll stick around if you prove to be entertaining with a unique voice and perspective on your industry.

Persuade If you’re using your podcast to market your business or lead users into your sales funnel, consider how podcasts can be used as powerful tools for persuasion. Whether you’re looking for listeners to debate, discuss or purchase your product, keep in mind that the end goal is action on behalf of the listener.

In short, podcasts represent a creative and cost effective means of marketing your business.

But If You Build It, Will They Come?

The question remains: how do I build my audience?

Where are my listeners going to come from?

Great question.

The popularity of podcasts is great news for marketers; however, it also means that there’s a lot more potential competition in your space.

As the podcasting community continues to grow, it’s better to get started sooner rather than later before the market becomes oversaturated.

It’s crucial that your podcast stands out from the crowd as you begin building your audience.

Keep in mind that podcasts are prime for social sharing, discussion and debate.

Therefore, the social network represents the best place to begin building your listener-base.

As we’ve discussed in the past, Facebook remains the king of the social sphere when it comes to advertising.

Beyond their highly customizable ad platform, Facebook allows you to track user behavior beyond the click through its pixel functionality.

Additionally, Facebook allows marketers to retarget potential leads and optimize their ads accordingly.

With a slew of ad options and flexibility, it’s no surprise why so many marketers are flocking to Facebook with their ad dollars.

Before You Build Your Ads…

Let’s say you’ve gotten your podcast on deck and you’re ready to advertise.

Hold on.

Before building and running your ads, consider the overall mission of your podcast.

Understanding your goals will keep the message of your podcast focused, meanwhile also keeping you from getting ahead of yourself.

  • Are you looking to gain more followers via social?
  • Are you looking to increase the exposure of your brand, business or product?
  • Are you attempting to catch the attention of your competitor or stand out from the crowd?
  • Are you driving traffic to a particular product or service?
  • Are you using your podcast as a supplement to your blog and content strategy?

These are all appropriate goals for podcasts; however, the answers to each will ultimately decide how you advertise and market your show.

Meanwhile, such goals will also keep you from allocating too many or too few of your resources to your podcast.

While podcasts are relatively inexpensive and simple to run, keep in mind that they can potentially add up to equipment costs and time commitment.

Why Podcasts Are So Facebook-Friendly

Facebook is perhaps the best choice for podcasters as their ad platform allows you to target warm leads who’ve visited your site before or have opted-in to your email list.

However, you can also experiment running ads directed at cold leads as a means of testing the waters of your industry or simply reaching out to new fans.

Plain and simple, Facebook provides you with the flexibility to experiment with your ads.

Regarding your podcast, your experiment will likely be this: can I use Facebook ads to drive more listeners to my podcast.

Chances are, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

Bear in mind, though, that you may need to jump through some hoops to effectively measure the effectiveness of your Facebook ads as they relate to your podcast.

While Facebook’s ad platform is indeed impressive, offering numerous data points, tracking via Facebook’s pixel (for users that leave Facebook and enter your sales funnel) will only work for pages on your website.

In other words, if you direct users from your ad to iTunes or Soundcloud, you would not be able to track them using a pixel.

However, if your podcast episodes are hosted on a specific page of your website, you may use the pixel functionality to your advantage.

This may be especially beneficial if you want your ads to measure truly where or not users are visiting your site and downloading your podcast.

If you run ads and experience a spike in listeners, for example, you can gather that your Facebook ads are working.

ROI can be difficult to measure when it comes to advertising via any social channel.

However, Facebook’s pixel is perhaps the best option out there when it comes to tracking what happens off the page.

Beyond the Pixel

Tracking users through Facebook’s pixel will probably be your best bet for measuring user behavior; however, how are you going to get users to click your ads in the first place?

Podcasts are a different beast when it comes to advertising versus traditional written content for YouTube videos.

While listening may be a passive process as the listener has to sit back simply and enjoy the show, there’s a higher barrier to entry for podcasts.

For example, users have to find your podcast, download it, hopefully actually listen to it and then perform an action.

If users are listening to five podcasts on average per week, how do you break through and make sure yours is one of them?

What imagery and copy is going to appeal to your new listeners? Your Facebook ads should offer…

  • …Exclusive, insider information that will only be discussed on your Make an effort to find insightful interviewees or conduct a case study that nobody else has performed yet.
  • ….Controversy and discussion. Debates drive audiences to talk, act and share. We could stand to learn a thing or two from the current clickbait culture of advertising. Don’t be afraid to put someone on blast, debate “best of” and “worst of” lists and conduct reviews that will get people talking.
  • …A podium for members of your industry, AKA your audience. By engaging with listeners, they feel that their voices are being heard. Such listeners will be much, much more likely to click and share.

Due to its massive base of active users, Facebook represents the number-one hub of discussion concerning just about anything online.

If there’s anywhere users are going to be talking about your podcast, beyond niche forums, it’s going to be on Facebook.

Although Facebook ads have been blasted by some for low click-through rates, consider the fact that your podcast isn’t selling anything on its own.

Therefore, users are much less likely to consider your advertisement to be spam.

Furthermore, by focusing on warm leads versus new traffic, you may stand to increase your conversions based on brand recognition alone.

If you’re looking to use Facebook to promote your podcast, start with your past buyers and your email list.

Success with such users may signal a need to revamp your strategy or provide insight.

As always, encourage user feedback and work to give your listeners what they want.

Is Podcasting Worth Your While?

We’ve discussed how to create a successful podcast in the past and firmly believe that it’s a medium which more marketers should utilize.

Meanwhile, as Facebook’s reach and traffic continue to grow alongside its robust advertising platform, there’s perhaps no better place to run ads for your podcast.

Do you think that podcasting is a worthwhile means of growing your business?

If you haven’t started yours yet, what’s holding you back?

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