jācapps

by: Bob Kernen

We frequently get calls from our clients asking why nobody is downloading their apps anymore. Our response is always the same, “How are you promoting it?” Promotion. Obvious, right? But usually, the response is, “Oh, were we supposed to do that?” Typically a station promotes their app when it’s new, which makes sense, but it’s really something that needs to be done both creatively and on a consistent basis. In order to drive those extra listening occasions you have to regularly remind your listeners not just that your app exists, but why it’s useful to them.

In that spirit, here are some ways to promote your app on air.

• “Take us with you” – the best thing about mobile apps is that they’re, well, mobile. So it’s easy for your listener to take your station to places they might not normally think of. Let’s face it, people used to have radios everywhere. Not so much anymore. Whether it’s at home, in the gym, or on a run, lots of people don’t have a radio there. But you can bet they have their smartphone. So remind ‘em:

          o “Take us with you to the gym on our mobile app.”
          o “Drop your smartphone into your home listening system and pull up the <station name> app.”

• Create occasions for interaction and then talk about ‘em – Think of the listener’s smartphone as your custom tool for engaging them. Start a conversation and drive them to tweet you, or send a text. Post a piece of content on your app or to your Instagram account and send them there. Any chance to get ‘em to pull out that smartphone, use it.

• Listen on the road – If you have a signal that doesn’t get into every nook and cranny of your market, remind your users that if they can’t pick you up over the air, chances are, they can dial you in on their smartphone. And if you have listeners who frequently travel out of your broadcast area for vacation, remind them to take your station with you, whether it’s to the Hamptons, the lakes or Up North, your station can go with them.

• Content extras – Send your users to the app to get more content about what you’re talking about on-air. “Go see today’s rock girl,” or “Check the community calendar” or “weather when you need it on our app.”

• On-demand listening – Your listeners miss a lot! Most people’s commute won’t cover your entire morning show, so put that content into a podcast and put it on your app. Encourage your listener on-air in the morning to listen to the last hour of the morning show on the way home. Remind them exactly what they want to hear is there for them 24/7 on the app.

by: Bob Kernen

The H&R Block man’s rallying cry is “Get your billions back, America!” Well, to borrow the tone, if not the content of his ubiquitous-this-time-of-year yawp, c’mon “Get your listening occasions back, radio.”

At one time, everyone had transistor radios, boom boxes, Walkmans, even stereos. Now most people under the age of 20 don’t remember any of those things. But those were the devices that made radio king. Wherever you went, a radio was near at hand, but not anymore. The car is the last piece of prime real estate that still has a radio, and even that territory is threatened.

But you can fight back.

Luckily, that demon iPod has been assimilated by the smartphone, and on that particular battlefield your station app has equal footing with any other audio content. Finally, a fair fight. To get your audience back on those oh-so-important listening occasions, you’re going to have to remind them that they’re there.

• That means driving your listeners to boot up your app when they’re at the gym.
• Reminding them that they can listen to you at home by dropping their smartphone into their Bose or Sonos dock.
• Opening your stream when they go for a run.
• Plugging the earbuds into their phone and opening your app at the office.

All places where radio traditionally provided audio accompaniment. And thanks to that ever-present, ever-more-central device, the smartphone, you can have them again. But you have to tell ‘em and tell ‘em again. New habits can be just as hard to break as old ones, especially when the new habits are so convenient. But you don’t have to concede anything.

For years we’ve heard from clients that streaming listening, particularly mobile streaming, weren’t optimal places for listeners. “What if a meter-holder starts listening the app with their earbuds in?” That last excuse to drive your user to mobile is going away courtesy of Nielsen who will begin measuring mobile listening via a special bit of software in your app later this year.

No more excuses. Leverage that smartphone to put your product in your audience’s ears wherever they go. You just have to give them the right reminders to “get your listening occasions back.”

We are delighted to offer a new way to monetize your apps. XAPP Ads are interactive audio ads that enable you to respond using just your voice.  It is simple. If the advertisement interests you, simply speak to engage. No more fumbling with unlocking your phone or trying to remember a URL or phone number. Sounds pretty neat, right?

Want to learn more about this innovative new way to advertise? Click here to read about how XAPP ads are making a splash in the mobile space.