In this week’s Programming To Win column, Paragon Media’s Michele Tharp asks if broadcasts are truly ready for the “mobile revolution.” From websites optimized for mobile viewing to social media, Tharp looks at multiple digital categories that PDs should be aware of.
Michele Tharp
By Michele Tharp, Paragon Media Strategies
The average person spends 90 minutes a day on their phone. That figure may not sound like a lot, but that amounts up to 23 days a year and 3.9 years of the average person’s life is spent staring at their phone screen (source: mobileinsurance.com). And as Smartphone penetration continues to rise, currently 60% of the US population has a Smartphone (source: comScore), and with the evolution of technology and apps, the amount of time attached to our phones is only going to increase and become the norm, ultimately leading to more mobile media consumption. So, are you ready for the mobile revolution?
Here are a few strategies and tools to help your radio station engage, navigate and compete within the mobile world.
Responsive Designed Website
Americans are using mobile devices and notebooks to access the mobile Web more than ever before. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of cell phone owners now use their phone to go online, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Additionally, one third of these cell internet users (34%) mostly use their phone to access the internet, as opposed to other devices like a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer. This means radio websites are going to become more important in defining the overall reach for a radio station or radio group. So not only is it important to have a radio station website that is clutter-free, concise and contains content that supports your on-air programming, it also needs to be responsive (provides a lay out that changes according to the user’s computer screen resolution and size) for the mobile phone or tablet.
Mobile App and the Car Dashboard
“There’s an App for that“, a common phrase these days. With Apple’s App Store’s Historic 50 Billionth Download occurring earlier this year, we are learning that consumers are downloading more than ever…800 apps per second at a rate of over two billion apps per month (source: Apple) and now 82 percent of time spent with mobile media happens via apps (source: comScore). That is a lot of downloads and a lot of competition. Now is the time to take a closer look at your station app and make adjustments.
Your mobile app should offer new value to your listener by giving them something they do not already have. It also should incorporate a good user-interface and be an app that functions well. And of course, don’t forget to promote your app.
Did you know that you need an app for your station to be accessed via the Car Audio Dashboard?
At CES earlier this year, Scott Burnell at Ford clarifies how your radio app appears on the car dashboard. “We don’t actually put the apps in the car dashboard. Your station app is still running on the user’s smart phone device. Ford simply locks out the user’s device screen and then we extend command and control from the application running on the mobile device to the vehicle controls such as voice command, steering wheel buttons and radio buttons. This takes the device out of the hand of the driver in the vehicle, keeping drivers’ eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”
Interactive Radio
Interactive radio is already happening, but most in the business have never heard of it. Interactive radio is a huge leap in the consumer experience of listening to radio. Listeners determine how to interact with radio station content via their smart phones by allowing the listener to pull digital content to their smart phones while listening to radio, and then interact with that content whenever and however they want. Interactive Radio can also live on the automobile dashboard via voice command.
Thirteen radio stations in Portland and San Diego now have fully interactive content via their new station apps that all have a “Clip It” button that allows listeners to clip whatever content they hear…and right off the on air radio broadcast where over 90% of radio listening still occurs (it also clips from the stream). This new Clip It feature on apps for radio stations listens to the radio when it happens, always identifies the station where content was heard and clipped, and provides a digital clip of that content straight into the listeners smart phone. From a consumer standpoint, think Shazam or SoundHound for local radio, but always with station attribution and with all radio contact being interactive, not just the music. Now listeners can hear a song on the radio and download it into their phone, hear a commercial on radio and immediately receive a coupon into their phone, or enter a contest by simply clipping an on air promo. And yes, interactive radio is tailor-made for the auto dashboard via voice activation. From a consumer and business model perspective, if your station app is simply a streaming app, then it’s time to make them interactive. Emmis’ plans for the FM chip are pointed in the same direction. Get on board!
Social Networks
Of course we cannot ignore the social networks (even though some of us would like to). Social networking is proving to be a particularly popular activity on smartphones. Facebook leads the pack among social networking brands, with the average Facebook mobile user engaging for more than 7 hours via browser or app (source: comScore). The 25.6 million Twitter mobile users have an average engagement of nearly 2 hours per month and by comparison, people visiting on their computers spent just 20.4 minutes on Twitter.com, highlighting the importance of mobile engagement.
Start thinking about the mobile user when developing your social campaigns. Mobile users are more likely to engage in location-based (check-in) activities and posts. Sharing photos and videos also produce high activity and always listen, respond and reward your loyal followers.
With fast-moving advancements in both mobile and digital media technology, it’s not important to do everything. It’s simply important to do the right things. In 2013, this means having a website that is optimized for the phone screen, having a mobile app with a unique consumer proposition (not just streaming) that will get you into car dashboards, starting to make your content truly interactive, and merging social media and mobile activities. Doing so keeps your radio station in the palm of listener’s hands.
Michele Tharp has spent over 20 years in marketing, public relations and promotional capacities within the radio and entertainment industries. Beginning her career as a Promotion Director in local radio, Michele has held marketing positions with several media companies including Capitol-EMI Records, Jones Radio Network, Showtime Networks and currently with Paragon Media Strategies and Media Mechanics.
