RAB’s Erica Farber Says Audio’s Outlook Is Bright

With advertisers exploring and expanding their audio ad spending Farber is busy talking amp160In the last few weeks several reports including the 2019 Infinite Dial helped back up her claims demonstrating that the audiences for digital audio and podcasting are booming and that radio has staying powerBut the audio field is getting more crowded than ever both within its own world and from other media companies as radio broadcasters go up against podcast networks Spotify and Pandora as well as TV networks newspapers and local TV stations are dabbling in audio To grow or at least hold onto their share of ears and ad dollars Farber says radio companies need to keep evolving and be experts in all new technologyItamp8217s sound advice but also a tall order amp160I got the download from Farber about how radio stations can embrace new platforms sell digital better and be the goto source for podcastsamp160Alli Romano amp160Podcasting is the hottest topic in audio right now amp160What do you see as radioamp8217s advantages with podcasting content and advertising and what should broadcasters do to grow this businessErica Farber amp160There are huge opportunities amp160Every meeting I have it doesn39t matter where in the country everyone wants to talk about podcasting amp160I host a podcast every week amp160If you look at Podtracamp8217s current Top 20 podcasts more than half were produced by radio broadcasters amp160People listen to their local radio stationsamp8217 companionship information or entertainment and now podcasting is allowing those stations to expand their content amp160It also allows the audience to listen at a time that is convenient amp160From an advertising standpoint with influencers being so important a lot of these local and national podcasts are tied to themamp160 That is a great way for a brand to also extend that relationship with that particular influencer or on a particular topic or just be part of that tribeRomanoamp160 With all the research showing audio is growing quickly what are some things youamp8217re emphasizingFarberamp160amp160Radio matters and it works amp160It is very important to listeners and is across all platforms and devices amp160Despite all the other media options radio is still the dominant audio source amp160Especially if people are multitasking and starved for time radio in all forms allows consumers to engage while doing other things amp160So whether it39s in the car or they39re going to work or they39re shopping they can just listenRomano amp160When you dig into the recent Infinite Dial report what were some findings that surprised you and what does it mean for radioamp160 Farber amp160There were a few amp160Smart speaker and voice technology are just growing by leaps and bounds amp160The number of households that have three or more smart devices has doubled from the past year and that struck meamp160 That39s such an exciting thing because it39s helping bring very easy access to radio back into their homes amp160Another thing was incar listening Radio is still very dominant in the car with more than 80 of adults using it amp160There39s no other audio option currently that even comes close to that amp160The last area that I think is interesting is the shift in social media use across platforms especially in the younger demos amp160We have to keep an eye on all of those trends amp160Watching behaviors and what users are going for is really importantRomano amp160Given these shifts where do you see opportunities for radio and brandsFarber amp160Everything is going to voice activation amp160We39re going to see it in automobiles amp160We39re seeing it at home amp160Broadcasters need to start sharing where to find us and many are already doing that amp160We need to let them know weamp8217re here and what to ask for amp160You will start to certainly hear much more of that as you39re listening amp160I think voice will also open up some additional creative opportunities for advertisers amp160Even if theyamp8217re already using audio it amplifies their messages and how they can tell that story amp160The technology is allowing you to hear the spot and say amp8220I want to buy that nowamp8221 or amp8220let me learn moreamp8221 amp160This is a fantastic opportunity for brandsRomano amp160The RAB and Borrell Associates recently published a report about the growth of digital ad revenue amp160How important is it to stationsamp8217 bottom line and how effectively are radio broadcasters selling digitalamp160 Farber amp160Theyamp8217re getting much better at digital amp160The days of going to a client and saying amp8220I want to sell you radioamp8221 are over amp160This past year local radio stations generated over 700 million in digital revenue a 13 increase over 2017 amp160Clients are coming to broadcasters for services like SEO website design and social media engagement along with digital ads and streamingamp160 What broadcasters can do today which is a fantastic advantage is when we39re talking to clients locally and nationally once you understand what the client is trying to achieve we have so many assets available to us at our fingertips to share with that advertiser and that partnership amp160Sometimes it39s digital sometimes it39s traditional and it could even be an event amp160Before all we could sell were radio commercials that ran on our broadcastsamp160 Now we have so many more assets that we can shareRomano amp160So digital is essential to staying competitiveFarber amp160Yes it is amp160Clients have so many different places that they can spend their dollars and no one has the time to visit with every single person who has something they want to sell or share amp160Advertisers are looking for partners who can help them in all these areas and radio is very wellpositioned amp160This is an exciting time for audio and everyone wants to talk about it and it doesn39t matter who it is amp160Again its local advertisers and national advertisers Technology is bringing sound to life and that39s exciting amp160There are so many opportunities that are available to us now that we didn39t have beforeClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160

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RAB’s Erica Farber Says Audio’s Outlook Is Bright

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Alli Romano

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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RAB’s Erica Farber Says Audio’s Outlook Is Bright

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"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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