KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s no secret that radio and the entire broadcast industry are looking for new ways to increase revenue and engage listeners. With mobile advertising slated to hit $20 billion in revenues by 2015, radio stations are tapping marketing channels to attract and monetize their listener community.

The Carter Broadcast Group is one of the oldest African-American-owned and operated radio groups in the country, with more than 300,000 listeners a week across the Kansas City metro. Its two radio stations, KPRS(FM) and KPRT(AM), realized the need to expand beyond traditional marketing channels.

The organization recognized mass monetization potential in serving mobile content, from radio feeds to daily deals, to its mobile audience, within Kansas City and abroad.

Goal

Aiming to create an “addictive” user experience for the listener community, CBG partnered with Kickanotch Mobile, a mobile application and advertising software (REVkick) startup based in Kansas City.

CBG set out with several objectives: get mobile; track user preferences; grow mobile (increase brand exposure and consumer engagement); and monetize mobile (develop a strategy to add a new revenue channel).

Together, the companies designed custom iPhone, BlackBerry and Android mobile applications, which included mobile advertising software to increase the stations’ mobile presence.

Once mobile, CBG provided deal alerts, social media connectivity, an SMS text “VIP” club and a bar code/QR code scanner, allowing app users to scan products, receive information, view product reviews and compare product prices.

It also implemented mobile app features that enabled the stations to serve mobile advertising, daily deals video ads and sponsored push alerts, and to monitor real-time analytics and lead generation.

CBG’s mobile marketing used “call to actions” like promotions, “meet and greets” with radio and entertainment celebrities and exclusive sponsorships.

In 120 days, our mobile app was downloaded on six continents and received approximately 35,000 downloads. Within two months of hitting the app market, CBG’s mobile app brought in about $12,000 in advertising revenue and reached consumers in some 50 countries.

We at Carter Broadcast describe our mobile app and Kickanotch as thelifeline for connecting with our mobile listeners and our advertisers’ consumers. Mobile tools and features create a fun and addictive experience for listeners, providing users with engaging mobile features, while delivering new revenue sources and loyal consumers.

Our applications are listened for over two hours per day per user; we have some 1,000 users per day tuning in to our app and 15,000 monthly on a regular basis.

While the future of the radio and broadcast industry remains uncertain, some things are for sure: Consumers love mobile; advertisers can engage on a whole new level with users; and Carter Broadcast Group is proving that this marketing channel is one that will be taken seriously.

Steve Wilson is an interactive marketing executive with Carter Broadcast Group.

For information, contact at Kickanotch Mobile at (888) 910-7226 or visit www.kickanotch.com.