Tune into Insights: Harnessing the Power of the Podcast

Listen up! Podcasts continue to enjoy a swift rise in popularity and if you haven’t tuned into a podcast yet then you’re officially in the minority. According to the 2019 Annual Podcast Report by Edison Research and Triton Digital “51% of Americans 12+ have ever listened to a podcast, with 32% having listened in the past month, and 22% in the past week.”

Always on trend, the KNow Research team loves a good podcast, and founder Katrina Noelle has even been featured as a guest expert on the Happy Market Research podcast as well as Flock Stars: Ponderings from the Perch podcast. KNow Research Marketing Manager Leann Donovan has also appeared on Ponderings from the Perch as a part of the Spring 2019 Quirk’s Roundup episode.

Jackie Uwins, Qualitative Expert at KNow and dedicated podcast listener can attest to the power of a quality podcast as a source of inspiration for work and play. She says “podcasts can provide education, humor, inspiration, motivation to get me through the day, help me unwind and relax and make me feel positive and in a better place.”

Benefits of Podcasts for Marketing Research

Aside from serving as an excellent source of personal enrichment and entertainment, podcasts are a fun, impactful and efficient medium to deliver marketing research and consumer insights to clients. KNow has partnered with Casey Bernard, founder of Nimble Modern Radio, to harness the power of podcasting as a medium to deliver breakthrough insights for many of our clients over the past year.

“We need to break out of our comfort zones and add podcasting to our deliverables to make insights easier to share. Some people are visual learners, and some are auditory, so [a podcast] reaches those who like to listen over reading,” says Casey, and we couldn’t agree more.

Here are just a few more ways that podcasts can amp up insight initiatives…

1. Deeper Immersion and Empathy Building

Emphasizing audio removes visual bias. Think of the television singing competition “The Voice” where contestants “blind audition” to judges whose chairs face away from the contestants. Judges must make their selections based on voice quality alone, rather than a contestant’s visual appearance. Researchers can fall victim to visual bias as well (we’re all only human) so eliminating visual judgement can elevate a participant’s story and experience.

Keri Hughes, Senior Researcher at Voya Financial and KNow client, found the inclusion of a Podcast insight summary deliverable to be a valuable asset for immersing her team in the consumer voice. “Hearing firsthand accounts from consumers and advisors allows us to better understand wants and needs and ensures that we are truly listening and hearing their point of view, which ultimately enables us to better serve our customers” explains Keri.

Alternatively, there are plenty of times where extended client teams may not be privy to immersing with consumer experiences first-hand in the field as a result of competing priorities for time or budget. A static, visual slide deck summary of learning is not nearly as powerful compared to engaging the auditory senses to build empathy. Inviting an audience to listen to the voices of consumers allows for gleaning richer emotional nuance and connection. Further, conversational pauses, sighs, voice inflections, laughter and even tears can have an especially powerful impact when isolated to an auditory experience.

“The podcast KNow developed for our project allowed us to communicate key findings clearly and share the voices of actual consumers and advisors that we spoke with, giving our key stakeholders the ability to feel like they were more a part of the fieldwork process,” says Keri.

2. Quick and Easy Access Anytime, Anywhere

Insight summaries in a brief, 5-10 minute (or less!) podcast format can be appealing to time-pressed executive audiences and project stakeholders who don’t need all of the down-and-dirty details, as well as multitasking team members in need a quick research refresh ahead of key meetings and work sessions. Screens and decks are not always easily accessible and can be a time-consuming, laborious channel to download learning, whereas a podcast summary can fit the bill for quick and easy listening anytime and anywhere.

3. Creative and Memorable Storytelling

Casey explains that “audio is more memorable because the listener develops an image in their mind while listening. This creates more connections in the brain and the listener becomes more invested in the story.” Plus, podcasts can offer a range of creative storytelling formats to reveal important details and information, including (but not limited to) communicating expert interviews in a mini-series, amplifying consumer voices in quick snippets or detailed, woven narratives, or unpacking complex stats and figures in a digestible format.

For more great insights into how podcasts can power up your research, check out Casey’s recent article written for the QRCA HERE.

Harness the Power of the Podcast for Your Business:

Are you interested in powering up your research and insights with podcasting included as a deliverable? Contact the KNow team today to get started: admin@knowresearch.com and don’t forget to read Tune into Insights Part 2: Podcast Favorites for Inspiration & Elevation