In an era of streaming platforms, a lot of people are choosing to listen to rather than watch their content. Podcasts alone currently deliver about 158 million monthly listeners. Other streamers, like Pandora and Amazon Music, also have their slices of the audio audience pie. 

With audience numbers like that, it’s nearly impossible to ignore audio when creating a comprehensive marketing strategy. It’s even more important if you’re trying to reach millennials. 

The “in between” generation has grown up adapting to technology without being digital natives. As a result, they know what it means to struggle with things like screen fatigue, and they’re regularly looking for ways to disengage from the visuals. 78% of Millennials are feeling digital fatigue, and the ability to listen without watching helps ameliorate that growing concern. 

Marketing to Millennials Via Audio Channels

With so many middle-aged individuals turning to streaming platforms, especially audio ones, these areas of the digital landscape are becoming critical spaces where marketers can win over millennial consumers. Bob Pittman, CEO of iHeartMedia, pointed out that audio represents a third of daily media use for the average consumer. This is a crucial touchpoint that allows advertisers to maintain the ability to stay in contact more consistently. 

Along with greater exposure, audio content on platforms like SiriusXM and Spotify offers several benefits that distinguish it as a powerful marketing medium. For instance, it is useful for brand awareness. This is due to its ubiquitous and accessible nature, thanks to mobile phones and a wide variety of content creators. It also empowers marketing strategies by providing cost-effective access to popular consumer channels.

Audio streaming can also be highly targeted toward demographics, location, and even content context. This facilitates a deeper emotional connection and sense of loyalty, which is an important advertising factor for the mid-aged generation.

Jeff Fromm wrote the book “Marketing to Millennials” and recently challenged the concept that younger generations are fickle and trend-chasing. In reality, he said, they have strong convictions and are fiercely loyalty-engaged. He even called Gen Z “the loyalty-native generation.” Millennials are similarly convicted consumers who are looking for reasons to loyally patronize brands. Audio content facilitates a unique connection that can reinforce this brand loyalty. 

How to Engage With Millennial Audiences on Streaming Platforms

While the streaming world is a great way to connect with Millennials in theory, it takes solid advanced planning anchored by specific, achievable goals to drive success. This is largely due to the decentralized nature of the industry, along with its many different forms of content, and the fact that its listeners are spread out across a wide variety of audiences. 

Here are three key steps to help you get the most out of your audio marketing investment.

1. Start Small

Audio advertising scales like no other marketing channel. You can purchase a short ad for a niche audience for pennies on the dollar compared to traditional marketing packages. At the same time, you can spend tens of millions of dollars to scale your reach.

Don’t be afraid to start small. Use each opportunity as an experiment. Test streaming platforms, channels, and podcasts. Track results and measure them against clear KPIs. 

2. Streamline Your Strategy

Technology is a game-changer — and in the area of audio content, it is already making things more efficient and effective than ever before. 

Platforms like AudioGo give you access to more than tens of millions of listeners with hundreds of targeting options. You can even use AI to create ads from scratch. Streamlined options like this make it much easier to execute effective audio ad campaigns with limited knowledge, networks, and resources.

3. Use Trends 

Trends can help you unlock additional synergy in an audio streaming campaign. For instance:

• Placing ads in personalized playlists allows you to curate memorable, hyper-relevant moments.
• Localized ads on national streaming services can now target key demographics, allowing you to tap into larger audio shows and experiences without wasting marketing dollars.
• Interactive ad experiences allow listeners to click or use voice-enabled audio tools to actively participate and engage with ads, rather than passively listening.

Reaching Millennials Through Streaming Audio

Streaming audio channels are an effective way for marketers to reach Millennial consumers. From targeted reach to mass appeal, low cost to scalable strategy, the potential in the audio realm is huge. It is a necessity in any modern marketing plan seeking to reach a digitally-savvy, screen-saturated generation looking for relevance and connection, even in their advertising.