While pondering on operational launch activities, and all the efforts required to properly track and measure (utilizing the principle of fractional attribution, as described in the platformmarketer.com) the efforts in social media marketing or any marketing campaign, such as using different 1800 numbers to properly track direct mail campaigns, or create custom promotional codes to be used online to measure the effort of a specific marketing strategy rollout, I couldn’t help to think of all the times I have heard podcast anchors reading their sponsors and emphasizing in the specific code, which usually include the name of their shows.
For example, the guys at Pod Save America usually invite people to join a service or buy product, like Peloton, or the Cash App, and call the audience to take action by typing peloton.com/crooked or something in that style. “Crooked” being the code word (the name of their company is Crooked Media) that will help Peloton attribute the success of their campaign, and provide the right attribution of their investment to Crooked Media.
In other words, if a significant number of clients are signing up to Peloton, using the Promotion Code or vanity URL “Crooked” that means that their investment with Crooked Media is paying off.
I understand the importance of attributing the effort to the right touchpoint in the customer journey, and I also understand that a lot of podcasters are doing a big effort as entrepreneurs to make a living as independent content producers, so I have to share something I found out in Reddit while doing the research for this write up.
Let’s say that you finally get tired of cooking dinner, and decide to join Blue Apron to give an example (you could also decide to buy a Casper mattress, subscribe to MeUndies.com, or Harry’s, to cite a few). You have heard the commercials in a lot of podcasts but have never taken the time to write the codes. The normal thing you will do is go to Google, type Blue Apron, and subscribe. That will do the work for Blue Apron, and they will probably attribute the ROI to a Google Search campaign, and everyone will go on with their life, except the podcaster who made you aware of their existence.
I say we make an extra effort, Yes… I say consumers that really care about their free content, should make an extra effort and give credit to whoever decides credit.
HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CONTENT PROVIDERS
A Reddit user proposes, and I agree, that before subscribing, we should go to Listen Notes, type PROMO CODE in the Search Engine, look for the right podcast, and use the code to access the website before making a purchase. I know this may sound tedious, but if you really care about independent work as a user you will be doing your share to support the entrepreneurship and effort of your free content providers. If you are a Marketer working for a specific brand you will be thankful to register a more accurate attribution in your campaign, as you should be able to determine the source of the customer.
POST STATUS: Let’s be fair and give credit where credit is due.
Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash
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