By: Bob Kernen
A new report from consumer research company Parks Associates finds that 68% of smartphone users listen to music on their phones daily. That’s right, daily. This is huge news for radio, and a real call-to-action for stations to look closely at what they’re doing with their mobile apps. What this adds up to is an audience that spends, on average, 45 minutes a day listening to music.
Of course your station should be part of that mix, which means giving listeners a great mobile experience. That experience should include not just be access to your stream(s), but also on-demand audio and social engagement that will keep them listening longer.
You also need to remind your listeners about your mobile “accessibility” with frequent, creative on-air promotion. Remind listeners about all the places they can take you, whether it be to the beach, the gym, in their cubical, or in their home. Be specific with your promotions in order to plant the seed in the audience’s mind of where and when they can enjoy your station.
In addition to the time spent listening, mobile users are also consuming about 24 minutes of video per day. With production costs nearly negligible these days, there is no reason your station can’t be creating video content regularly. Whether at events or in studio, someone should be able to record some simple video with their own smartphone to post on your website and mobile app. The CPMs for video on mobile are impressive.
Parks Associates’ research also found that the highest usage was on carriers T*Mobile and Sprint. Could this perhaps be because those networks consumers skew a little younger? More importantly, this could be an opportunity for your sales department to be creative in developing partnerships with the carriers.
Finally, smartphone users are spending about 28 minutes a day playing games on their phones. At jacapps, we think there is a huge opportunity here for radio to create fun, engaging branded games that can extend time spent listening and just with your brand in general. This is definitely something to think about as you work on your mobile strategy.
If you want input on your mobile strategy, or want to learn more about monetizing your mobile assets contact Beth Ayers or me at 248-353-9030, or email sales@jacapps.com.
