Posts

3 ways radio brands can build audience and revenue with podcasting

3 Ways Radio Brands Can Build Audience and Revenue with Podcasting 

/in , /by

We all know the stats: audio consumption has never been higher, and that makes it even more critical for radio brands to have a strong podcasting strategy. The popularity of podcasts, both original podcasts and your time-shifted key content being made available on-demand, continues to grow—particularly as listeners and creators find themselves stuck at home in quarantine. Using podcasts and audiograms are an excellent way for radio brands to recycle their brand across multiple platforms (especially social) to build brand audience and loyalty, and keep your fans engaged 24/7.

But as we also all know, efforts that don’t drive real audience and revenue growth can sometimes turn a high priority into a nice to have. Fortunately, Futuri Media has a suite of tools that make it easy to podcast with purpose. 

1. Schedule or Work from ANYWHERE.

The entire world is adjusting to our new need for more work-at-home (and in some cases, broadcast-from-home) options, which can be challenging for radio stations that are used to creating and scheduling all of their content in-studio.

But, thanks to Futuri’s POST, your station can have a single system solution to manage and publish original podcasts from wherever you want. If you’re struggling with bandwidth or staffing reductions, POST will save you time, it’s work-at-home-friendly, and it gives you the flexibility your station needs right now. POST lets you easily publish and schedule publishing content without neglecting your advertisers or leaving your distribution channels asleep at the wheel. 

Speaking of being asleep, publishing content around the clock to stay top of mind with your audience doesn’t mean you actually have to work around the clock. Especially if you find yourself performing as the one-man-content-creation-band with your stations, be sure to lean on the POST Episode Scheduler function, which can help you manage the flow and content delivery to your social platforms. POST also makes it simple to create a video file of your podcast or export it to your station website, RSS feed, social accounts, or wherever else you need it. 

Keep publishing that content consistently and you’re in a great position to take advantage of the growth in audio consumption driven by adults working from home. Here’s an overview from Futuri’s TopLine, which uses data-rich insights to help sales professionals articulate the unique value of their audience to advertisers. 

 

  

2. Become the Next Great At-Home Content Creator.

One of the most exciting aspects of the current podcast boom is how many content-creation opportunities it opens up BEYOND the actual podcast itself.

Think of the creators who are killing it right now when it comes to connecting with their fans. They’re creating original podcasts, videos, and even whole shows from the comfort of their own home. Creating a plan that pairs POST, with its video creation capabilities, with live platforms like Instagram Live allows your entire team to do the exact same thing.

And we’re not just talking about publishing videos of your talent recording their shows. Does your team have talents that could inspire content to engage audiences that are working from home and/or sheltering in place? Maybe they’re amazing at cooking or know everything about wine, the golden age of a sports team with an upcoming anniversary, or music? (Speaking of which, a recent Futuri / University of Florida study of country radio listeners who have listened to a podcast in the last month named music as their favorite podcast topic genre [more on that here]. For most stations, chances are your team really knows how to talk about music!)

POST gives you the tools you need to create original podcast series or videos—right from home—and allows you to share your knowledge with others, grow YOUR brand, tie it back to your radio station, and create new revenue streams for both you and your station brands. 

This is a great time to be thinking through branded content that’s a programming fit and a home run for advertisers as well. That wine expert on staff? How about a podcast series done in conjunction with a local wine shop? Have a fitness junkie who’s adjusting to not being able to hit the gym? Why not develop a series around working out at home with a local gym doing virtual training sessions? These are excellent ways to grow your brand’s audience while capitalizing on growing audio ad spending. Here’s another overview from TopLine that breaks that down.

 

 

3. Engage and Educate Your Audience.

One of the great things about POST’s content tools is that they’re easy for anyone to use. In minutes, you can create a simple podcast or video designed to get your audio on platforms like YouTube, or you can spend a little more time using its advanced tools to create visually engaging, content-rich videos for your socials and website.

So why not take advantage of those robust tools for the good of your workforce and your community during the pandemic?

You can maximize the productivity of your newly remote employees by providing them with content creation tools that allow them to publish daily video and audio content on your website, social channels, Spotify, or wherever else you want to engage your audience. (And they don’t even need to put on pants!)

Or, if you’re looking to help your community during the COVID-19 crisis, your station can utilize POST to create free online classes in partnership with local schools or universities. You can help educate your listeners with on-demand content, grow enrollment in nearby educational programs, and even use these opportunities to generate revenue at the station level.

It’s good for you, good for your staff, and good for your audience. That’s win-win-win!

Radio stations are adjusting to the world’s “new normal” just like everyone else. Thankfully, with tools like POST and the rest of Futuri Media’s software solutions, you can create better, more engaging content from the comfort of your own home in a way that makes sense for your listeners and your revenue growth.

You can learn more about POST and everything Futuri can do for your station HERE.

 

6 reasons your station needs a better audio strategy

Six Reasons Your Station Needs A Better Audio Strategy Now

/in /by

Audio is the “it” media of the moment and radio stations are primed to be the go-to source for all audio – from on-air to on-demand to podcasts. AM/FM stations are experts in high-quality, local audio and feature charismatic hosts who connect with listeners and feel like trusted friends. These ingredients make for great radio, as well as time-shifted audio and podcasts, allowing more listeners to find content they like and to listen on their schedules.

Time-shifted audio and podcasts can attract new audiences, generate incremental revenue, and increase brand engagement.  How much upside is there? According to a new study by Futuri and Nielsen, about 80% of radio listeners said they would listen to time-shifted radio content. Podcast listening is booming as well. In a survey of podcast listeners, the University of Florida and Futuri found that, on average, podcast users listen to 4 podcasts per week for either 30 or 60 minutes.

Despite radio’s built-in advantages, many stations are missing out on on-demand audio’s potential. Still need convincing? Here are six reasons why your station should dive into time-shifting and podcasting:

You can leverage content you’re already creating   

Stations produce hours of programming, but once the live broadcast is over that content is history. By posting segments to your website or social media for future listening, you can extend the life of your audio.  Hosts can take bite-sized snippets of popular benchmarks or post segments that might be too long for radio such as an interview with musicians or local personalities. Either way, fans can listen on their own time and you’re expanding the reach of your content and brand.

Time-shifted audio can expand your social media reach

By posting radio segments across social media your station can attract more users and extend engagement. In fact, more than half of radio listeners say they’d listen to short, time-shifted radio segments on social media, per the Futuri and Nielsen study. Users who tune into time-shifted audio are also more likely to share that content on their own social accounts, the report noted. Radio content can also be posted to podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, as well as YouTube. To boost engagement consider adding photos, video, and station branding. These are all things made super easy by our software POST.

Younger listeners gravitate to on-demand audio

Younger Americans consume audio when and where they want on their digital devices. Time-shifted audio and podcasts cater to these preferences and can help stations connect with elusive young adults and male listeners. In fact, the Futuri and Nielsen study showed men 18 to 34 years-old were most interested in time-shifted radio programming. The University of Florida and Futuri podcast study also noted that self-identified podcast listeners (meaning those who consider themselves to be podcast listeners, whether or not “true” series-style podcasts or other on-demand audio — consumers often don’t differentiate) tend to be younger audiences who overwhelmingly listen on mobile devices. Podcast listeners are also educated, with about half holding a college degree, the study noted.

Grow your owned digital platforms

With original podcasts and time-shifted audio, you can use your content to populate your websites and mobile apps, increasing the value of these channels. By driving more traffic to your owned platforms, your sales team can leverage increased audience to generate more ad revenue. About 80% of podcast users listen via mobile devices, according to the University of Florida and Futuri study, creating added incentive to post content to your website and mobile app.

Digital audio can grow your ratings

Digital content is obviously important for developing new and creative opportunities for your partners to advertise, but when time-shifted audio is PPM-encoded and distributed quickly, it can have a positive impact on your ratings. Stations receive PPM credit for any listening within 24 hours of the content’s initial broadcast. Also, according to the Futuri and Nielsen study, almost half of listeners who have accessed your time-shifted content will share it on their social media channels, easily broadening your station’s reach and impact. POST software is integrated directly with your station’s board and specifically designed to directly capture your PPM-encoded audio for easy use on all digital platforms.

Strengthen your position as local experts and trusted friends  

Radio listeners value AM/FM stations for their local expertise and their familiarity with hosts and DJs. Similarly, podcast listeners value hosts who are knowledgeable and trusted sources of information. Who better than radio personalities to extend those talents to podcasting? Hosts can take topics they are passionate about and create podcasts thereby creating a new community of listeners. Stations can also produce audio around off-air activities to give listeners more access to engage more deeply.

****

Once you’re creating and posting time-shifted audio, make sure to promote it on-air. The Futuri and Nielsen study found that only three out of ten radio listeners were familiar with time-shifted audio, and only 16% have listened in the last month. This leaves a lot of room to raise awareness and educate audiences.     

At Futuri, we’ve developed tools to help radio stations create on-demand content quickly and easily. Our POST podcasting and on-demand management system allows hosts and producers to grab PPM-encoded audio segments and seamlessly post them to social media and online channels. Nielsen reported that stations that use POST attracted three times more time-shifted listening within 24 hours of the original broadcast than other stations, and those numbers were even higher among the key 18 to 49 years-old demographic.

With POST, you can add licensed images and graphics, as well as station branding and text to make your audio segments stand out. Basic, station-branded video and the ability to send content to YouTube is now included with POST, but for videos that really stand out with high-quality, fully-licensed clips and images customized directly to your audio our premium POST Video features are an absolute necessity. In the race to attract listeners, promote sharing and go viral, speed and appearance are what matter.

By embracing on-demand audio, stations can move beyond focusing on day parts and shows and focus on content distributed on multiple platforms. In the race to stay ahead of pure play audio companies and other local media outlets, these strategies are crucial.

Scott Lindy

Scott Lindy joins Futuri Media’s Partner Success team

/in /by

Longtime radio programmer brings his talents to Futuri

Veteran programmer Scott Lindy has joined the Partner Success team at Futuri Media. In his new role, Lindy will work with Futuri’s radio partners to devise station-specific strategies for using the company’s audience engagement technology, like POST, TopicPulse, and #engage, to drive ratings and revenue growth.

Lindy, most recently Program Director at Cumulus Media’s country WKHX Kicks 101.5 Atlanta and Cumulus corporate Program Director, adds his more than 30 years programming experience to Futuri’s Partner Success team. In addition to Cumulus, he’s held programming positions at companies including iHeartMedia and SiriusXM Radio, and he’s served on the boards of directors for several industry organizations, including the Country Music Association and Country Radio Broadcasters.

“I’ve been a fan of Daniel Anstandig since the day we met,” said Lindy of the Futuri Media CEO. “I’m so excited to join the talented team and invigorating culture he’s built here, and to help our partners best use Futuri’s truly innovative technology solutions to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.”

post

Podcasting Plus: Futuri Media’s POST System Adds Logger Capabilities to Podcasting and On-Demand Tools

/in /by

Latest product enhancement uses POST’s patented technology to make airchecking talent and pulling other audio assets easy.

Cleveland, Ohio, September 28, 2018 – Futuri Media, a global leader in technology designed to drive audience and revenue growth for broadcasters, today announced POST, the leading system for instantly converting broadcast content into podcast and on-demand content and distributing across multiple platforms, has added logger capabilities to its feature set.

Thanks to POST’s complete integration with a station’s audio-chain and board, the system identifies different types of breaks, so talent or producers can quickly grab the segment they’d like to push out – audio that’s PPM-encoded in relevant markets – add a fully-licensed image right from the system, and push out onto its websites and social platforms with one click.

Now, POST can also be used as a logger, making it easy for programmers to aircheck talent from anywhere in the world by logging into POST’s web interface. This new enhancement also enables programmers with regional and/or format-specific responsibilities to access all of their POST stations from a single login. A new, streamlined UI also makes it easier for sales teams to pull proof of performance assets from the system.

“POST is a fully-integrated on-demand and podcasting system that maximizes the ROI on broadcast programming in the on-demand space,” said Futuri Media CEO Daniel Anstandig. “By taking advantage of POST’s complete system integration to make logger capabilities available to programmers, as well as making it easier for sales to pull proof of performance assets, POST becomes an even more integral part of today’s radio brand’s daily operations and growth.”

For more on POST by Futuri Media, visit futurimedia.com/POST.

ABOUT FUTURI MEDIA

Futuri Media is a global leader in SaaS technology designed to drive audience and revenue growth by deepening consumers’ trust in, affinity for, and loyalty to brands and the teams who represent them. Futuri Media’s audience engagement and sales technology, for which it holds 11 published or pending patents in 151 countries, is used by thousands of broadcasters and publishers worldwide. Named to the Inc. 5000 List of America’s fastest-growing private companies for four consecutive years, Futuri Media’s best-in-class customer support is a key driver of its growth. Founded by CEO Daniel Anstandig in 2009, Futuri Media is dedicated to driving measurable success for its partners through innovative SaaS technology, proactivity, speed, and trust in all of its relationships.

 

Podcast Reach Blog

How Podcasting Can Reach an Audience of 100 million

/in /by

To boost engagement, broadcasters and digital publishers need to educate consumers

The biggest hurdle to growing podcasting may be helping consumers understand exactly what a podcast is and how to find it.

New data from Edison Research notes that 64% of Americans, of 180 million people, say they’ve heard of podcasts, up from just 22% in 2006, but only 17%, or 48 million, have ever listened. That leaves a lot of room for improvement.

“The number of people who actually listened to a podcast in the last week is significantly smaller than those who are familiar with the term,” Edison said. “The key…is understanding why those people familiar with the term ‘podcasting’ have never listened.”

With producers and podcasters’ help, Edison estimates that podcasting can attract 100-million listeners, a critical threshold to be considered mainstream media.

What are the biggest obstacles to growth? The answer is surprisingly simple: Many Americans don’t understand how to find and stream podcasts, while others have misconceptions, like thinking podcasting will eat up a user’s data plan.  Among those who don’t listen to podcasts, 37% said they don’t really understand what podcasting is, while 48% said they weren’t sure how to listen; while 65% say there are so many podcasts, they don’t even know where to begin.

With high-quality and engaging shows for every niche and interest imaginable, the podcast industry is booming. More advertisers are signing on to the medium and local broadcasters are upping their podcast game, launching new shows and adapting on-air content for podcasting.

To grow the audience, local broadcasters can spread the word, offering tips on where to find podcasts and how to stream, and regularly promoting their podcasts. Use on-air promo time to discuss podcasts and post regularly on popular social media channels. On-air talent can promote their podcasts or talk about their own favorites, then remind listeners how to find their own unique content. Providing the early podcast education is critically important and here’s why: in the recent Edison study, most Americans don’t know that 80% of smartphones are preloaded with a podcast listening app such as Apple Podcast.

At Futuri Media, a global provider of SaaS technology for broadcasters and digital publishers,  our platforms make it quick and easy to create on-demand content for podcasting, and to share that content across all media channels.

Our POST system makes it virtually effortless to produce podcasts for both Android and iOS devices.

“POST is extremely flexible for editing and including OTA or original content,” said Sophie Fry, Futuri’s SVP, Sales. “With POST, we can help broadcasters create, edit, craft, and distribute whatever programming content and advertiser sponsorship platforms the station desires.”

POST provides:

  • In-studio, touch-screen system so hosts and producers to quickly and easily capture audio and convert it into podcasts.
  • Ad-insertion, allowing stations to deliver custom messaging inside podcasts.
  • Easy distribution to multiple digital channels, including Facebook, Instagram, station websites, and more – with fully licensed images available to attach to podcast content to make it even more discoverable.

For high-quality streaming, Futuri Streaming, provides the best-in-class streaming experience available on the market today. And, with our custom-built Alexa skills, we can incorporate your podcasts for playback on any Alexa-enabled device.

Want to learn more about how we can help grow your podcast production and sales? Contact your Futuri Media partner or reach us here.

People at the beach jumping for joy

Summer is the Time to Drive Digital Engagement

/in /by

Consumers turn to digital in the summer more than any other time of year. Engage your audience across all digital platforms using technologies proven to boost both audience engagement and revenue.

This summer, as more Americans stream audio in cars, on smart speakers, Bluetooth devices, and smartphones, online audio is primed to be more popular than ever. For radio broadcasters, this equals new opportunities to engage with audiences and attract advertisers.

In recent years, online listening for both radio broadcasters and pure play services has been booming. About 57% of Americans, or 160-million users, are streaming digital audio weekly, up from 53% last year and just 17% in 2010, according to the latest “Infinite Dial” report created by Edison Research. The average listener consumes more than 13.5 hours of digital audio per week, including music, spoken word formats, and podcasts.

In-car digital audio is also rising in popularity, 44% of consumers listening in-car, up from 40% in 2017 and 21% in 2013, Edison reported.

Meantime, radio stations are working to maximize new revenue streams from digital platforms. Last year, radio digital ad revenue jumped 13.4% to $700-million and is expected to reach nearly $800 million this year, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau and Borrell Associates. On a per station level, digital accounts for 7.5% of the average station’s ad revenues, up from 6.3% last year.

At Futuri Media, a global leader in SaaS software for broadcasters, our solutions make it simple to create, distribute and share content across digital platforms, and to produce and integrate ads for digitals channels.

Futuri Streaming delivers the finest-quality streaming audio to your mobile app and web player through our reliable system and comes with 24/7, VIP support.

Our team can create a custom mobile app just for your station. Optimize mobile with Futuri Mobile, our app platform that boasts more than 50 customizable features, including contests, push notifications, audio and video streaming, and more.  

POST, our exclusive content delivery and management system, enables on-air talent and producers to easily create digital content, including podcasts. The in-studio, touch-screen system makes it simple to grab and upload content for digital and on-demand listening, and to create exclusive digital audio.  

To help monetize digital, POST’s audio is PPM encoded, which enables broadcasters to measure their digital listening in the same ratings system as on-air audiences. POST also offers ad-insertion to create custom messages for podcasts and digital audio.

With #engage, our interactive programming tools, stations can keep up with trending topics. Our customized actions, including song alerts, text and email notifications, push alerts, and song voting, boost mobile and social engagement. Stations can sync social posts to song lists.  

Our custom-built Alexa skills can deliver your content, promotions and ads to Alexa-powered smart speakers.

Keep up with your audience’s trending chatter with TopicPulse, a real-time monitoring system that tracks the stories of interest to your listeners and provides fodder for on-air, online and social posts.

Let us help you be the soundtrack for the summer. Contact your Futuri Media partner rep or contact us here.

Man listening to headphones

Google Play Dials Up Podcasts for Android Users

/in /by

Futuri podcast tools can boost engagement on Google Podcast

After a lengthy wait, Google is finally jumping into the podcast space – and its new app could be a game-changer. The tech giant’s Google Podcast app will allow the more than 100 million Android users in the U.S. to stream on-demand content simply by downloading the free app.
 
Google Podcast will offer personalized recommendations, easy-to-to-use search and navigation, and integration with other Google apps and devices, including Google Assistant and Google Home. Also, in a first, podcasts will appear in Google search results.
 
The debut comes as podcast listening is skyrocketing, as nearly 50-million Americans report listening to a podcast in a single week, according to the Edison Research study “Infinite Dial 2018.” Podcast listeners are avid users with the average listener streaming five shows per week, and more than three-quarters finish most, if not all of a single podcast, including advertisements and promotional messaging.
 
At the same time, advertisers are clamoring to jump into the podcasting space, creating enviable revenue projections.  Podcast ad revenue is expected to eclipse $650-million in 2020, up from $402-million this year, per the IAB and PwC.
 
Just how big an impact could Google Podcast have on the podcast industry? 
Consider this:  
 
  • Android is the leading operating system for mobile devices worldwide with a 69.8% market share, compared to 28.2% for Apple iOS. *Net Marketshare May 2018
  • Android boasts 117-million U.S. smartphone users, or 53.2% market share, while Apple has 97.2-million iPhone users or a 44.2% share. *eMarketer 2018
  • Android is expected to dominate smartphone usage through 2020. *eMarketer  2018. 
Until now, Google had made podcasts available in its Google Play Music app, which limited the audience and discovery. Technology rival Apple, meanwhile, launched its podcast app in 2014 and is widely credited with bringing podcasts mainstream.  
 
For its part, Google claims its new app can double podcasting listening over the next few years.  “Google Podcasts is designed to make it easier than ever for Android users to discover and listen to podcasts,” explained Zack Reneau-Wedeen, Product Manager –  Google Podcasts.
 
Google plans to use its AI technology to make content accessible to non-native speakers and people with disabilities. For instance, as voice technology improves, Google plans to add automatic subtitling for users with hearing impairments or listening in loud spaces. Also, using Google Translate technology, the company could add subtitles to podcasts in numerous languages, allowing users to read along while listening. 
 
At Futuri Media, a global leader in SaaS technology for broadcasters, we believe Google Podcast will allow our broadcast partners to deliver their dynamic on-demand content to more engaged listeners and grow their audience.
 
Our POST system makes it effortless to produce podcasts for both Android and iOS devices.  The in-studio, touch-screen system allows hosts and producers to quickly and easily capture audio and convert it into podcasts.
 
Transcription is also available to maximize search results and provides unlimited access to a fully-licensed image library.  POST is designed to drive ratings and revenue with its PPM encoded transmitter enabling broadcasters to measure their digital listening in the same rating system as on-air audiences. POST also offers ad-insertion, allowing stations to deliver custom messaging inside podcasts.
 
Ready to hear how Futuri Media and POST can boost your podcasting? Contact Futuri Media here.
postcast microphone

Futuri’s Tools Help Grow Podcast Ad Revenue

/in /by

As advertisers direct more dollars to podcasts, radio broadcasters dial up new content, ad opportunities

Amid rising demand from advertisers and audiences, podcasts are the hottest topic in the audio industry. In response, radio broadcasters are building up their podcast offerings, and are monetizing that content to grow new business in the podcasting space.

By 2020, podcast advertising revenue is expected to eclipse $650MM, up from $314MM in 2017, according to the latest estimates from the IAB and PwC. The podcasting space offers marketers a unique business proposition: instant access to engaged, loyal audiences who often complete full-show podcast audio content, including listening to the embedded advertisement in its entirety.  

Integrating an an advertiser’s message into a podcast requires different skills and strategies than traditional over-the-air advertising.  At Futuri Media, a global leader in SaaS Technology for broadcast media and digital publishers, we have the tools and expertise to help with our revolutionary POST content management system, and our Futuri Ad Network offers three options to monetize your on-demand content, which are tailored just for your operation’s needs.

POST makes podcasts simple to create, distribute, and monetize.

Futuri’s innovative POST platform is a destination for podcast creation, distribution, and monetization. In less than two minutes, a producer can take original or OTA (over-the-air) content, edit and merge sections of audio, and distribute to any digital, social or RSS platform they desire. In addition, with the seamless ad insertion technology only POST offers, pre-mid-and post-roll audio is instantly embedded within each podcast with a live dashboard to track engagement metrics for immediate ROI to the advertiser.

Using an intelligent, real-time technology, POST provides a in-studio touchscreen making it simple for show hosts and producers to grab portions of broadcasts, in-studio interviews, and performances, and instantly transform them into snackable short audio content or long-form podcasts.

“POST is extremely flexible for editing and including OTA or original content,” said Sophie Fry, Futuri’s SVP, Sales. “With POST, we can help broadcasters create, edit, craft, and distribute whatever programming content and advertiser sponsorship platforms the station desires.”

Monetizing On-Demand Audio

As broadcasters double-down on podcasting, they’re eager to develop advertising opportunities. Both local and national brands are interesting in podcast sponsorships, creating a new revenue line for stations. To execute, local broadcasters need resources to manage ad sales, allowing sellers to focus on developing new business and educating clients. To help, Futuri Media offers three options that leverage the power Futuri Ad Network’s national ad sales platform and simplify on-demand ad sales.

One-Stop Service: Our team can handle all your digital sales needs, including selling the audio and video pre-roll and mid-roll inventory and paying publishers their share of network ad revenue.

Managed advertising operations: We work together to manage and develop your sales efforts. With this hybrid model, stations can submit pre-roll and mid-roll insertion orders, and those always get first priority. Futuri manages start orders are managed for the station, which reduces your workload. And any unsold inventory is sold through the Futuri Ad Network.

Self-serve advertising operations: Broadcasters can sell and traffic all of their inventory directly, but we still offer our support.

“The Futuri Ad Network provides flexible, turnkey options for broadcasters to generate digital revenue with their existing content, no matter how they’re staffed or what their immediate needs are,” explained Futuri Media CEO Daniel Anstandig.

Developing Fresh Advertising Models

Along with different ad sales operations, broadcasters are also tackling a variety of advertising strategies according to POST product manager Clint Marsh.

“Host-read ads are the most popular and most effective form of podcast advertising.  As stations experiment, there are many other options from fully produced short-duration ads, client reads, 10-second audio messaging, to long-form to air as pre-mid-or post roll content,” said Marsh.

As with traditional radio advertising, clients come to expect return on investment from podcasting. With the POST system, dynamic ad insertion capabilities are built-in to easily plug in pre-mid and post-roll audio messaging at varying lengths. To measure results, POST’s real-time analytics dashboard provides live metrics to track audience engagement from listens, to length of engagement, and number of unique downloads from various distribution channels.

“The podcasting audience is a passionate, loyal consumer. Messaging from an ad standpoint needs to speak to them uniquely, and we need to be able to showcase to our client our performance in real-time. POST provides not only the environment to create great podcasts, but provides multiple distribution platforms so advertisers can be a part of the podcast revolution today and see real ROI tomorrow,” said Fry.

people looking at their phones at a train stop

Mobile Usage in America Reaches All-Time High

/in /by

Radio Must Respond with Mobile-Ready Content

How many times a day do you check your smartphone? The answer is probably much more than you think. In fact, the average American checks their phone every 12 minutes, or 80 times per day, and nearly one in ten Americans peek at their phones every four minutes, according to a recent study by Asurion.

Among smartphone users, streaming audio and podcasts rank as top activities. Radio broadcasters are eager to connect with these mobile consumers – and with good reason. Each day, 40% of Americans stream audio on their smartphones, according to the latest findings from Edison Research Infinite Dial. In fact, 75% of podcast listeners engage with programming content on a mobile device more than any other source.

Through mobile apps and websites, radio stations can offer live streams, on-demand music, podcasts and more to their consumers. Mobile serves as a tool to extend the life of on-air content as stations time-shift their most popular shows, or offer replays of live shows and music events.

Now more than ever, radio broadcasters need to be mobile-ready. According to Pew Research Center, smartphone penetration is at an all-time high, with ownership reaching 77% among adults, up from just 35% in 2011. The smartphone penetration reaches its highest loyalty with consumers between 18-29 with 94%; and 89% own a smartphone with adults 30 to 49. The boomer generation of adults ages 65 plus, have yet to make the consumer conversion to smartphones with the lowest ownership rate of 46%. 1:10 Americans are smartphone-only Internet consumers, following an overall market trend to more mobile connectivity and fewer broadband households, according to Pew Research Center.

Media consumption is driving Americans’ mobile usage, with 50% of Americans relying on their smartphones to receive breaking news alerts, while the device also serves as a buying tool with 51% making online purchases via their device, and 28% searched for work.

At Futuri Media, a global leader in SaaS software designed to drive audience and revenue growth for broadcasters, we believe smartphones are key to grow listening and the bottom line.

Futuri Media’s suite of tools can help you create, distribute and monetize your digital content across platforms. Allow us to share a few ideas:

Futuri Mobile:  Our mobile app platform offers more than 50 customizable features, including contests, push notifications, audio and video streaming, and more. Our team can design your mobile app with the features that are most important to your station and audience.

POST: With our exclusive content delivery and management system, on-air talent and producers can easily convert content for on-demand consumption. Producers can grab and upload benchmarks and exclusive interviews, and create bonus content, such as an after-show podcast or in-studio visit from a musician and local personality.

TopicPulse: Our real-time monitoring system tracks the stories your specific target audience is responding to now so you can talk about it on the air, on a blog and on social channels.

Futuri Streaming: Deliver top-quality streaming audio to your mobile app and web player through our reliable system, which includes 24/7 support.

#engage: Stay on top of what’s trending with our interactive programming tools. Designed to increase your mobile and social interactions, we offer customized actions, including song alerts, text, email and push notifications, and song voting.  Stations can even sync their social posts with their song lists so listeners can build their own playlists.

Want to learn more? Contact your Futuri Media partner or reach us here.

 

People speaking at the WWRS Panel

WWRS 2018: Gen Zers, Millennials Use Radio On Their Terms

/in /by

To cultivate young audiences, radio needs to advance new devices, cars and data

Want to reach Generation Z and Millennials? Be authentic, explore new technologies, and use as many platforms as possible. Seeking a better understanding of Gen Zers,at the Worldwide Radio Summit 2018 opening panel, Futuri Media CEO Daniel Anstandig surveyed top audio and technology industry executives. The top finding: To reach these influential consumers (Gen Zers are ages 6 to 23 years old and Millennials are 24 to 38 year olds), radio broadcasters need to adapt — and fast.

“We need to stop just thinking radio. At iHeart, we develop for everything so we are always where the consumer is,” said iHeartRadio President Darren Davis, per Twitter, where the #WWRS2018 hashtag helped spread some of the panel’s best insights.

“Don’t be afraid of Gen Z – they may not be consuming radio in a traditional way… But if you have great content, they’ll find it,” said Elevate Research Founder Nicole Bergen. “They consume content everywhere.”

In a joint study by the R&D lab they developed together, Futuri Media and the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications have learned Gen Zers use media in 8-second bites and juggle five screens at once! They get information from peers and Google, are tech-savvy, and heavy social media users. They start each day with mobile, and use radio to discover new music, connect with favorite DJs, and stay up on local news and events.

On podcasting, Alexa and streaming 

Gen Zers don’t tune in on a broadcast schedule, but stream audio and podcasts on their time. To reach them, iHeartMedia stations offer both bite-sized, on-demand audio and full-length podcasts. It’s one way Davis said radio broadcasters can rethink distribution. “To them, radio is like an appliance, like a toaster,” Davis said. “We all need to stop thinking of ourselves as radio people. Our content goes so many more places than out of that one appliance.”

Think of next-gen tech as potential, not potholes. “Streaming is additive to radio. Alexa has brought radio back to the home,” noted Tim Clarke, Cox Media Group’s VP of Audience and Content for Radio.  And while Nielsen ratings might stay flat, Clarke says streaming audiences were growing.

To serve up more on-demand content, Ben Cooper, Controller for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio1Xtra, and BBC Asian Network, has said he wants to create a Netflix for radio.  That way, Gen Zers stay connected, but on their terms. “For the radio industry, we have to make sure there are things they’re going to miss out on if they don’t listen,” Cooper said.

At the wheel

With Gen Zers relying on smartphones to access entertainment, in-car connectivity is critical. In fact, these young adults say they care more about their vehicle’s connectivity than make and model.

As carmakers innovate, if radio wants to maintain its position as the no. 1 in-car media, they need to pump out premium programming, says Scott Burnell, Ford’s Global Lead, Business Development & Partner Management. “When the vehicle becomes the ‘living room,’ autonomous cars, radio – more than ever – needs to create content people would consume while the auto is driving itself,” he said.  

Stay social

Along with heavy amounts of social media like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram, Gen Zers are glued to YouTube for music, entertainment and even podcasts. Radio stations and talent should engage young adults on social channels, and do it with authenticity, another Gen Z priority. “What radio does brilliantly is connect people to a sense of community,” Cooper said. “If we can make content that makes you feel a part of a community, we will still be relevant in Gen Z’s life.”

Data, data, and more data

With podcast advertising expected to hit $500 million by 2020, per Bridge Ratings, brands are watching closely to see how Gen Zers embrace and use podcasts. That will likely bring new opportunities to radio stations too.

“There are more sophisticated ways to prove the value of radio now. [We can] show a buyer more sophisticated info than we’ve ever been able to, fueled by big data, to continue to prove radio plays an important role in their media mix,” Clarke said.

To help its clients meet Gen Z and Millennials’ demands and more, Futuri Media, a global leader in SaaS technology for broadcasters, offers multiple solutions:

– TopicPulse powers your broadcast with real-time insights into the stories your specific target audience is responding to now so you can talk about it on the air, on a blog and on social.

– Futuri’s POST system makes it simple for radio broadcasters to create and publish podcasts.

– The Futuri Ad Network offers flexible, turnkey options for broadcasters to monetize their digital content in streaming and podcasts.

– #engage boosts mobile and social activity with customized actions on mobile apps and social, including song alerts, and text, email and push notifications. Sync social posts with your playlists, and allow users to build playlists.

– Futuri Mobile creates custom apps with more than 50 features, including audio and video streaming, playlists, weather, push notifications and contesting.

–  With custom-built Alexa skills, stations stations to deliver streaming and on-demand content to Alexa-enabled smart speakers.

– Futuri Streaming offers high-quality streaming with 24/7 VIP support.

 

Want to learn more? Contact your Futuri Media partner or contact us here.

 

Request a Demo

Products

POST
TopicPulse
TopLine
Prep+
Futuri Mobile
Futuri Voice
Tether

About

Overview
Leadership
Timeline
Clients
Awards

Main Pages

Home
About
Products
Jobs
News

Social

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Resources

VIP Support
Client Login
Contact Us
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
DMCA

© 2020 Futuri Media

Futuri is the leading provider of cloud-based audience engagement software for the enterprise. Brands rely on Futuri to make their content more relevant, accessible, engaging, and results-driven. Founded in 2009, Futuri holds 11 published or pending patents in 151 countries. Named to the Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies for six consecutive years, Futuri is the only audience engagement platform that includes solutions for sales, marketing, and content teams.