Spotify Ads: How They Can Help Earn the Trust of Millennials & Gen Z (PART 2)

WELCOME BACK!

In the first installment of this blog series, you learned how Spotify can be a valuable channel for healthcare systems to reach Gen Z and millennial prospects. Now, let’s look at the seven different types of ads that this streaming platform supports and seven tips for crafting ads that inform, entertain, and, most importantly, convert.

7 TYPES OF SPOTIFY ADS

Spotify offers your health system a variety of creative and strategic advertising options. With a minimum ad spend of $250, most campaigns can either be launched with Spotify’s self-serve Ad Studio or through managed services. You can upload your finished audio and video files or get some professional help for free by using Spotify’s Ad Studio’s production tools and professional voice actors.

Here are the seven different kinds of ads currently available on Spotify – and our recommendation for getting started with your first campaign:

1. Audio Ads (With Companion Display Ads): This is the leading ad format on Spotify and a great choice for first-time health system advertisers that want to turn 70 words or less into an engaging brand story. These ads are 15 to 30 seconds long and are served to music listeners between songs. These ads are complemented by a clickable display ad, so users who interact with the Spotify app or site during commercial breaks can tap to visit your website or other digital destination.
2. Long-Form Audio Ads (With Companion Display Ads): You can tell more of your brand story with this option that allows you to deliver ads up to 60 seconds long. More in-depth messages can help your healthcare brand make stronger connections. However, listeners can skip these ads after 30 seconds, so deliver your most vital info upfront. This format is not currently available on Ad Studio.
3. Video Takeover Ads: These audiovisual ads are 15 to 30 seconds long and are only served to users who browse a Spotify catalog for music or podcasts. This format includes a companion banner and a customizable call to action. A big advantage of this ad is that most users will already have their volume up. Like audio ads, video ads are priced on an auction-based CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model when you use Ad Studio.
4. Sponsored Session Ads: Interested in being the only commercial message listeners hear during a 30-minute session? Then this option is for you. You’ll be able to leverage exclusive video ad placement at the start of mobile sessions. After your full video plays, users can further engage with your healthcare brand by clicking your display ad.
5. Spotify Audience Network Podcast Ads: While Spotify is best known for music, it’s also Gen Z’s go-to podcast platform. With so many popular and niche topics to choose from, the podosphere presents an unmatched opportunity for sophisticated reach and scale. With the Spotify Audience Network, you buy podcast ads at fixed rates based on your ideal audience’s demographics, location, topics, and platform preference.
6. Title-by-Title Podcast Ads: For even more granular targeting and enhanced brand credibility, you can use title-by-title buying to align your healthcare brand message with specific podcasts or hosts. Ads can be recorded with voice actors and dynamically inserted into podcast audio, or they can be read by the host. These ads can’t be managed with Ad Studio.
7. Custom Experiences: Bespoke ads may be a great Spotify option if your healthcare organization has already experimented with a few of the more straightforward formats described above and has an extraordinary message to share. Options include playlist sponsorships, immersive display ad units, 24-hour homepage takeovers, clickable leaderboards, and custom microsites. These require a direct sales relationship with the Spotify team.

7 TIPS FOR CRAFTING SUPERB SPOTIFY ADS

Every health system brand and campaign requires a different strategy – but you can almost always put these best practices in play:

1. Define Your Goal: It’s important to understand the two ad delivery options available on Spotify. The impression strategy will aim to serve as many ads as possible to your target audience. The reach strategy will help you engage with as many unique users as possible. If you’re an established healthcare system looking to drive brand engagement, impression is probably your best bet. If you’re an emerging health system or have undergone rebranding, consider building awareness with reach.
2. Know That Time Is on Your Side: Spotify ads are short and require to-the-point messaging. Focus on delivering a concise and conversationally paced message. For a 30-second audio or video spot, we recommend a script of no more than 65 words.
3. Consider the Context: Conventional radio ads often try to stand out from regular programming with amped-up music, voiceovers, and sound effects. But Spotify listeners are more receptive to messaging when it complements the style of music or podcast messaging they are listening to. Choose background music that’s consistent with the genres you’re targeting. For podcast ads, consider the “neurosignature” of the content – factual, suspenseful, irreverent – and have your voice actors match that vibe.
4. Choose a Strong CTA: Be crystal clear about what you want your listeners to do – whether it’s learning about new care options, making good health choices, or checking out a wellness podcast. Remember that listeners may not see and click on your companion display ad, so it’s good to mention a URL that’s short and memorable, with a minimum of slashes and dashes.
5. Go Multiformat: Audio and video each have their strengths, and one might be better suited to a specific campaign goal or target audience than the other. But we’ve often found that running dual campaigns delivers the best results – and Spotify’s own data indicates that audio plus video is more than the sum of its parts, producing a 2x increase in brand awareness.
6. Dive Into Analytics: It’s worth taking a close look at the performance metrics that Spotify provides, so you can find out what’s working, what’s not, and why. These stats go way beyond overall conversion rates – they give you insight into how your message is being served and received across different age groups, genres, and platforms. This data enables you to make quick course corrections and optimize every advertising dollar.
7. Collaborate With a Skilled Team: Lightstream functions as a seamless extension of your in-house marketing team, deepening your bench with 50+ experienced digital strategists and creatives who are focused on the healthcare sector. Every business day, we enable healthcare organizations like yours to leverage powerful channels like Spotify and accomplish more with their marketing budgets. Reach out and learn more today.