Digital Health

Digital Audio Advertising - Today’s Popular Tactic Among Service Line Marketers

For many years, audio advertising could not be measured. Today, service line marketers can attribute appointment volume to their digital audio ad campaigns.

There are multiple factors that make a service line marketing campaign successful, including the ability to apply HIPAA-compliant targeting and personalized messaging in a one-to-one ad environment like digital audio. Podcast advertising in particular is increasingly leveraged to reach the hyper-engaged, leaned-in audio listener.

Another key factor is a multi-touch attribution measurement solution that audio powerhouses like SXM Media, which includes Pandora, Stitcher Podcasts, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio, offer their healthcare advertisers. Advancements in technology and campaign research now help advertisers see and measure the true value and impact of streaming audio and podcast advertising. 79% of audio listening takes place in moments when consumers cannot be reached with visual media - moments spent driving, exercising, cooking, cleaning, working, etc. - so multi-touch attribution is more important than ever. In today’s zoom and screen-saturated reality, audio has become a particularly welcome escape for Americans. 

According to the recent Q1 2022 Edison Research Share of Ear report, Americans are spending +25 more minutes per day listening to audio, a +11% Y/Y increase compared to Q1 2021, and 63% of all daily audio listening is now some form of digital. Listeners consuming their audio digitally spend nearly 5 full hours per day listening to audio content, which is +43% more time spent listening than non-digital audio listeners. This increased time equates to an additional 1 hour 27 more minutes with audio every single day compared to non-digital listeners.

The increase in time spent listening to digital audio is in large part attributed to the personalization streaming music offers, as well as the explosive growth in podcast listening. 41% of Americans have listened to a podcast in the last month, which equates to 116 million people. Edison Research, the only podcast measurement service that measures the total podcast environment based on listenership (not downloads), recently reported that SXM Media is the #1 podcast network in the U.S. Also noteworthy is SXM Media’s dominance with the female podcast listener, as their network reaches 73% more female listeners than the next most listened-to podcast network. The authentic connection between podcast audiences and podcast hosts creates a personal, intimate environment in which to emotionally engage healthcare consumers. 

With all this time spent listening to digital audio content, it’s important for healthcare marketers to understand that digital audio companies like SXM Media offer ad solutions across the full marketing funnel. Audio is no-longer an upper-funnel awareness tactic only, it is a highly successful tool used to drive lower-funnel conversions for healthcare marketers.

SXM Media’s proprietary pixel enables a healthcare marketer to track up to six different conversions, such as appointment registrations, form fills, and call-back requests. It also unlocks the ability to optimize an ad campaign based on factors like demographics, geography, and devices (iPhone vs. Android), which makes for a smarter and cost-effective campaign.  

Clicks are no longer the only way to track engagements. Ongoing experiments and advanced measurement techniques are proving audio ads have lasting impact long after an impression is severed. SXM Media’s pixel makes it possible to track when a user engages or converts without clicking on an ad, commonly referred to as hear through. It can also determine when a user engages or converts on a different platform than where the impression was served, i.e. cross-platform attribution.

The national need to increase patient volume across all service lines, countered with the pandemic’s significant economic toll on health systems, is driving marketers to be particularly selective about their media partners. Digital audio platforms like SXM Media provide a brand-safe ad environment in which to efficiently reach and resonate with today’s screen-fatigued, audio-obsessed consumers.

Reach out to Anna Clement, Healthcare Head of Industry - SXM Media, for more information: [email protected] 

The editorial staff had no role in this post's creation.