The age of audio has arrived!
Whether it's podcasting, microcasting, voice assistants on smartphones (such as Apple Siri, Google Assistant, or Samsung Bixby), websites that enable visitors to listen to content, or hardware such as earbuds and smart speakers (such as the Amazon Echo or Google Home), audio is clearly a modality that content consumers are taking seriously.
Witlingo is taking the next step in the rise of audio by enabling consumers of audio content to themselves be generators of audio content.
The rise of audio is only half of the story.
The other half is the rise of User Generated Content (UGC).
UGC is compelling for your business for several reasons:
First, content created by your audience -- your customers, your fans, your followers -- is a powerful way to social proof your product or service, and therefore your brand. Such proofing is pivotal during the consideration phase of a potential buyer’s journey. It could mean the difference between a buy decision or a decision to pass.
Second, UGC is a cost effective way to create content -- and content that is authentic. One could say that UGC is to traditional content creation what earned media is to advertising. You get a whole lot of bang for the dollar that you spend to gather and distribute UGC.
And third, seeking and highlighting UGC creates a bond between your brand and your audience. Customers, fans, and followers who put in the effort to record something for you and then see that what they had to say is being taken seriously by you (e.g., you published it on your website, your social media), will feel appreciated and respected. Their bond with your brand will strengthen.
Watch this.
Clubhouse and other Social Audio platforms are services that enable synchronous conversations. The focus in those platforms is on enabling live interactions and back and forth discussions between the participants.
In the case of Witlingo, the participants post asynchronously and the audio is available on demand.
The participation, moderation, and listening experiences on Clubhouse are different from those on Witlingo.
In Clubhouse, one has to raise their hand to be given an opportunity to speak.
In Witlingo, anyone can post an audio. In Clubhouse and Discord, the moderator gets to select who can speak and also is the one who can mute someone if they decide that what the speaker is saying is not appropriate or relevant. In Witlingo, the moderator (we call them "the station manager") curates the audios submitted to them and selects which ones to push into the stream and which ones to archive.
And third, in Clubhouse and Discord, the listener is listening to live conversations, while with Witlingo, the listener is listening to recorded audio content from people who share a common interest with the listener.
Clubhouse and other social audio platforms are great for intense, interactive sessions that typically last an hour or so, are usually facilitated by a moderator and animated by a small number of active participants (called panelists), with a larger group of users who are listening. In this context, a Witlingo audio station can be used as a companion channel that enables people to post their comments prior to the opening of the social audio session and then after the session, enabling the audience and the active participants to prime the conversation ahead of the Clubhouse session, and then to continue the conversation in a less intense way after the session. (It is also a great way to enable those who are shy and don't wish to engage live, to express themselves with less pressure to perform.)
Unlike Clubhouse and other social audio platforms, podcasts are asynchronous channels that enable listeners to listen to your podcast on demand and at their own convenience. What could be of value to you as a podcaster is to enable your listeners to not only post their comments about your podcast whenever they want to and at their convenience, but also to listen to comments from other listeners.
One thing you can do is to stream the audio of your audio station into your Amazon Alexa skill or Google Assistant action. If you don't have a skill or an action, Witlingo would be happy to launch you one so that your audience can listen to the flash briefing news that stream from your smart speaker.
You can go here to see our current pricing.
No, your audience members don't need to pay anything. They can post and listen for free.
Please fill out the form below and let's talk.