Month: August 2017

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Key Takeaways From PRPD Content Conference

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Washington D.C. was the temporary home to more than 400 public radio broadcasters last week for the annual PRPD Content Conference. The main topic discussed was the intriguing line being blurred by public/commercial radio broadcasting vs the podcasting world, or rather, the bridging of the two worlds. Examples of this were evident in the revealing moments showcased in the panel, “Podcast to Radio, Or Vice Versa? Exploring Potentials and Realities” moderated by Nathan Tobey. Specifically, when Molly Wood and Kai Ryssdal, a savvy veteran anchor, teamed up to do the “Make Me Smart” podcast, they found their styles and delivery set the stage for the flow of the podcast.
Podcasts and radio shows differ in the fact that a great podcast will move their listeners to search for it, download it and listen to it. While there is vast audience for radio, podcasts create a more interpersonal community that supports the podcasts they subscribe to and continue to come back to them. As audiences crave a more personal connection to the radio stations they listen to, the stations must adapt their delivery styles to convey a more personal relationship with their listeners. And of course, the majority of people consume their favorite podcasts on their mobile devices, so one way to cut through is to feature your podcasts on your app, or even create an app specifically for your podcast(s).
The Podcast Movement conference in Anaheim, CA wrapped up yesterday and we will provide highlights of the event next week.

Podcast Movement 2017: Broadcasters Meet Podcasters


The key to staying connected starts with us! Click here to reach out to us today. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com to learn how your station can stay connected.

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Techsurvey13: What devices are your listeners using to listen to podcasts?

Side view of beautiful young woman in sunglasses adjusting her headphones and looking away with smile while sitting outdoors

Every year, our sister company, Jacobs Media, presents Techsurvey, the radio broadcasting industry’s largest online survey. Now, in its thirteenth year and with over 50,000 respondents, it identifies key consumer trends in the mobile, social, and connected car spaces. Techsurvey has helped radio stations better understand their brand and, more importantly, their audiences in a world where technology changes quickly. Podcasting has been central to Techsurvey the past several years. We asked respondents about their preferred podcast listening device. The responses say a lot about which piece of technology is (literally) closest to their hearts:

  • 51% of respondents prefer to listen to podcasts on their smartphone.
  • 30% reported that they listen to podcasts on their desktop/laptop.
  • 11% enjoy listening on their tablet.
  • 6% prefer listing on their in-car audio system.
  • 3% prefer to listen on their in-home audio system.

The number of active podcasts and their audiences continues to grow. Effectively reaching these listeners allows radio stations to grow their audience and spread the word about their station.
We will be attending the Podcast Movement in Anaheim, CA from August 23-25 and provide highlights of the event next week.  And, if you work in/around radio and would like $100 off your Podcast Movement registration, our sister company, Jacobs Media, was nice enough to provide a discount code. Use JACOBS100 for the $100 discount when you register here.

Podcast Movement 2017: Broadcasters Meet Podcasters


The key to staying connected starts with us! Click here to reach out to us today. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com to learn how your station can stay connected.
 

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Podcasting Radio Techsurvey

6 Ways Podcasting Can Help Your Business Grow

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With the growth of smart technology, podcasting has exploded in popularity.  The number of active podcasts and their listeners has skyrocketed, creating more opportunities for businesses to reach their target customers.  As Small Business Trends reports, there are 6 major benefits for companies that create podcasts:

  1. Alternative to video
    • Creating an attention grabbing video can be challenging for some businesses, as well as expensive.  Since we live in an “on the go” world, it can be more effective to provide audiences with content to listen to rather than watch.
  2. Audience generation
    • There are many opportunities to reach new audiences through podcasting.  Podcasting is a great way for interested people to sample your content.
  3. Build audience relationships
    • People form relationships with the podcasts they subscribe to.  They want to gain a sense of familiarity and trust from who they’re listening to.
  4. Easy to create
    • Podcasting is a cost effective way to reach your audience.  Most equipment is reasonably priced and basic editing software is free.
  5. Engagement tool
    • As previously stated, people want a sense of trust with the podcasters they listen to.  Products promoted on air are likely to be purchased by frequent listeners.  A survey conducted on 300,000 listeners found that 63% of listeners that responded purchased the products promoted by hosts.
  6. Improve public speaking skills
    • Hosting podcasts allows you to develop confidence in public speaking.  Speaking effectively to your target audience helps you to promote your business.

So, what’s the best way of delivering podcasts and other on-demand content to your audience? With a mobile app, of course. And an app that puts you front and center in the connected car ecosystem. More than a third of respondents reported driving while listening, so the car is an important place for your brand to deliver its content.
If you’re currently involved with podcasting, or looking to get involved, make sure to check out the largest gathering of podcasters in the world at Podcast Movement. This year, it takes place in Anaheim, CA from August 23-25. And, if you work in/around radio and would like $100 off your Podcast Movement registration, our sister company, Jacobs Media, was nice enough to provide a discount code. Use JACOBS100 for the $100 discount when you register here.

Podcast Movement 2017: Broadcasters Meet Podcasters


As always, you can reach out to us by clicking here. Or, you can give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.

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Amazon Echo Google Home Mobile UX Voice Commands

What is a “Template” vs. a “Platform” App?

Man using mobile payments online shopping and icon customer network connection on screen, m-banking and omni channel

Each type of app can bring different advantages for your company. Understanding those advantages help shape the goal of your app.

Deciding which type of app is right for your company is crucial  

When jācapps was formed back in 2008, we built every app from scratch. Development took a long time, repairs and updates were tedious, and flexibility was minimal. As we became more sophisticated, our development leaders had a vision to create a platform that would enable us to not only build, service, and update apps faster, but also provide an incredible amount of flexibility to our clients in layout, design, features, and functionality.
Concurrently, other developers were working on their own version, and a few have created a “templated” approach. In this model, app design, features, and functionality are uniform. The only thing different is the content in the app (the stream, links to social media, etc.).
Two approaches – both are credible and deliver on the promise to clients. Our approach is a modular, customizable platform. The other approach is a template.
Here’s why we believe the modular platform approach delivers more advantages to our clients than a template:

  1.  No two radio stations are the same. Sure, most radio station apps have streams, podcasts, social media, and more. But each radio station is its own brand. A Top 40 station in Wichita should reflect their brand and their market, and shouldn’t look like a Christian radio station in Madison. Some stations have huge morning shows that should be featured. Others should highlight social media. A template can’t provide that flexibility. A platform can.
  2. Different formats require different functionality. When our partner company, Jacobs Media, began conducting the TechSurvey, it became clear to us that audiences of different formats interact with their favorite radio station in unique ways. For example, Twitter use by Sports radio fans is through the roof, so our sports station clients can feature that on the main screen in their app. News stations in commercial and public radio feature a headline news feed on their main page, and music-oriented stations feature last-song played. A template can’t provide that flexibility. A platform can.
  3. A platform app can best reflect what’s on the air. One of the main advantages of a platform app is that it can be “programmed” to be responsive to what’s on the air. So, if the morning show has a special guest, the app can instantly be changed to feature a picture of the guest prior to them appearing, and then taken down when the interview is complete. Station promotions, contests and events can be showcased, and removed when the event is over. Templated apps are static, and cannot promote the station in as timely and effective a manner as a platform app.

 There are many other reasons why a flexible platform is the best solution for your mobile strategy. We have been fortunate to work with hundreds of radio stations over the past 8+ years, and they have inspired us to design our platform with the unique needs of their business in mind. The result is the most flexible, customizable, and reasonably priced solution going.
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of the jācapps platform, contact us at sales@jacapps.com.