From App Downloads to Audience Development

The Barrett Media Audio Summit kicks off on June 30 in New York City, and Point-To-Point Marketing is proud to once again serve as the presenting sponsor. Leading up to the event, we’re sharing perspectives on the topics we hope to hear discussed in the sessions, debated in the hallways, and explored during the conversations that happen long after the presentations end.

This week, Point-To-Point Marketing’s Susan Bacich, EVP, Strategy & Audience Insights, shares her thoughts.

As we look ahead to this summer’s Barrett Media Audio Summit in New York City, the industry continues to focus on audience growth, engagement, and monetization. One of the most valuable assets available to broadcasters today often sits right in their pocket: their branded app. While apps are commonly viewed as content delivery platforms, their true value lies in something much more powerful: the ability to create direct audience relationships and generate actionable first-party data that can drive smarter audience development strategies.

The first app I ever downloaded was a solitaire card game. I thought it was so cool that I was able to get it FOR FREE and use it whenever I wanted. I didn’t even think about the fact that I was providing my personal data to a random gaming company—I LOVED THIS GAME! The app had my attention every day while I took the subway to and from my job as Marketing Director for WLTW, WKTU, and WAXQ in NYC. It helped me disconnect and quiet the noise. For a few minutes each day, I was completely present. As time (and updates) flew by, my little solitaire app started delivering ads to me. At first the ads were generic. Gradually, they became more relevant.  

Then…I moved.

And all my data did, too.

I stopped using the app. My habits changed and that game I depended on to get me through my commute lost its purpose. Several iPhones later, I cannot even tell you the name of the app. The app didn’t lose me because it was bad. It lost me because it stopped being relevant. 

This is not an uncommon story. Our phones are riddled with apps that no longer serve us. And this is what most companies miss—the value of a good app extends beyond content delivery. Every interaction is an opportunity to directly engage with your audience. Your branded app provides a unique opportunity to understand audience behavior, engagement patterns, and preferences. In real time! This isn’t third-party data that you rent. This is first-party data that you OWN.

Most audio apps today can provide information on the content audiences consume, when listeners tune in, how often they return, how long they stay, their interest in companion videos, which contests generate the most participation, and what notifications drive engagement. In turn, this information, coupled with data from Nielsen, Eastlan, Xperi, Edison, Triton, and others, identifies your most valuable audience segments.

But you know this, right?

So, what are you doing to make your first-party app data actionable?

At Point-To-Point Marketing, our mission has always been: create additional occasions to interact with your audience, reinforce your brand’s position, and build long-term audience loyalty. The intelligence gleaned from your first-party app data allows our campaigns to evolve into sophisticated audience development strategies.

Through app-focused audience development campaigns, we’ve seen that by combining first-party data with strategic targeting, brands can drive more streams, increase contest participation, improve notification engagement, and create additional listening occasions among their most valuable audiences.

Over the past five years, we have executed hundreds of app campaigns that engage the audience not only on the client’s app, but also on air and in social. In a recent Q2 campaign, we saw a 25% streaming audience lift in the month of a campaign while attracting 10% more app users. We also saw social engagement from app users run 5x that of non-app users. The app is the center, but the benefits surround it.

An app download is more than another user; it’s another direct relationship, another opportunity to drive streaming & viewing, and another chance to capture highly engaged headphone listening that contributes to audience growth.

Are you using your data wisely, or is your app, like my old solitaire game, just another forgotten icon on someone’s phone? Apps don’t create loyalty. Meaningful interactions do.

Don’t just deliver content. Create reasons to come back.

If you are collecting first-party data but haven’t unlocked its full potential, let’s talk!

Susan Bacich: susan@ptpmarketing.com, 201.362.6569