In today’s housing market, real estate businesses are looking for novel ways to hook buyers and sellers. There’s big money at stake and competition for potential clients is fierce.
But among all the advertising options available to agents, brokers, and mortgage providers, Digital Audio is proving itself to be one of the best for closing more deals. That's because this form of advertising allows you to meet home sellers and buyers where they are: online. Follow along and we'll take you on a little tour of the five biggest reasons you should use audio advertising for real estate marketing.
First off, there are a lot of people tuning into audio content right now. In fact, 218M+ Americans stream digital audio every single month. They listen to music, news, radio, and podcasts on phones, tablets, smart speakers, and computers. As of 2022, more audio is listened to in the U.S. through mobile devices than through traditional AM/FM radio. Digital Audio has become one of the country's top mobile activities.
On top of that, most of today's listeners use free, ad-supported subscriptions to do their streaming. As can be seen in Edison's Share of Ear report, 84% of Americans 13+ will listen to some type of ad-supported content daily, most likely on audio streaming services. Even among the harder-to-reach 18–34-year-old buyer demographics, ad-supported audio is being heard. Fully 82% of this group in the U.S. is reached by ad-supported audio each day. Music to any real estate marketers' ears.
In today’s hectic and competitive real estate world, you need to grab the attention of would-be clients early and often. You also need to give them a good reason why they should do business with you.
The trouble, though, is audience engagement. Many of today's consumers are distracted by multitasking and using multiple screens. It's difficult for marketers to know how to stand out.
While it might seem like real estate is best advertised in a visual medium, that's not always the case. Most people watch visual ads with the sound off. When it comes to retaining audiences through exclusively audio formats, the numbers are compelling. With a streaming audio ad, 61% of listeners are likely to sit through an entire 30-second spot from start to finish. 60% of monthly streaming audio listeners also reported that messages in streaming audio were harder to tune out than other online messages.
Digital Audio helps overcome distractions by offering a one-to-one listening experience. When listeners hear your ad it feels like you’re speaking directly to them, which is the surest way of getting your message heard.
You can use catchy background music that's popular with your target audience, creative sound design, and audio storytelling to give a compelling profile of your brand. Jingles used to be the main way to build a bond with consumers through audio channels. In the modern age, it's shifted to a much more sleek profile with "audio logos." Think of Netflix's loading sound or NBC's three-note audio clip.
By dipping your toes in digital audio advertising, your business has a similar opportunity to build a memorable, sonic identity that lets your audio branding stand out among the rest.
People tend to listen to audio all over the place — at home, in the car, while they do chores. Podcasting has become the biggest way to reach the modern consumer, as the U.S. Podcast Audience reached a landmark 100 million weekly listeners in 2024.
According to Pew Research, the reasons people listen are changing, too. 70% of the youngest podcast listeners (ages 18-29), and 58% of listeners ages 30-49 say having something to listen to in the background is a major reason they listen to podcasts. They could even be listening to a podcast while they're out house hunting or cleaning their too-small house.
The fact is, we take our music and podcasts pretty much everywhere we go. That means more touchpoints — online and offline — to help keep your real estate marketing top of mind. The more encounters these listeners have with your ad, and the more positive brand awareness you can rack up, the more likely they are going to want to take action.
Of course, when it comes to real estate, it’s all about location. This is also true of real estate marketing. After all, clients want to do business with people who are local experts in their communities. They value experts who can guide them through their buying or selling journeys — from judging property listings to handing over the keys.
The good thing about digital audio ads is that real estate marketers can drill down to specific locations to deliver messages to listeners there. And one of the best things about AudioGO is that you can reach homebuyers and sellers with targeted ads in specific neighborhoods with our Zip Code targeting feature. You can’t get much more local than that.
When it comes to digital marketing for real estate, there is no one-size-fits-all ad buy. Young buyers might be searching for starter homes, 40-somethings are getting ready to upgrade, and retirees may be looking to sell their family homes for condos.
If you're looking to send the right message to the right audience, you'll need flexibility. That's something the AudioGO platform offers with our many targeting options.
This includes segments like:
You get to decide who listens to your ad. We'll do our part and deliver them to your target audience on some of the biggest and most-listened-to apps around, like iHeartRadio, SiriusXM Media, SoundCloud, Pandora, and Univision, to name a few.
We know it can be hard to try something new. Especially if you're one of those realtors who relies on magazines or direct mailers as a primary advertising strategy. But that’s also exactly why it could be time for a digital transformation — it could be a great source of new leads and fresh clients. Young people are spending more time than ever with digital audio platforms, and to make property sales, you have to meet customers where they are.
AudioGO brings programmatic advertising to the table. That enables you to automatically buy and place ads on digital audio platforms using real-time bidding, targeting specific audiences using data analytics. Your budget is spent on listeners who are most likely to engage. Plus, it provides real-time tracking, allowing you or your ad agency to adjust and optimize campaigns quickly to maximize results. Whether you’re promoting a new listing or a virtual tour, programmatic ads are a smart, scalable way to grow your reach and drive leads.
What's more, AudioGO makes it super simple to get up and running with an audio campaign. You can get started for as little as $250 and we don’t require any contract or long-term commitments. Not keen on your own voiceovers? With $10 you can get an expert voice talent from our team, or for $0, you can have a synthetic voice read your copy. Launching an ad takes all of 3 easy steps, and we can even help you create your own custom audio ad if you don't have one handy.
Find more information about our ad solutions for real estate businesses