Check this site out: http://www.westwindcos.com/releases/52_Ways_to_Promote_Your_iPhone_App.htm
How will I get advertisers?
On another note, I must also ask myself: How am I going to get advertisers? What set my products apart from others that will make people want to advertise on my platform?
I think using what I know is a great way to get advertisers. After looking up tips on how to get advertisers, I’ve realized that I can utilize my writing skills to gain advertisers. From the website I just looked at (Entrepreneur.com), I realized that using my writing and communication skills is a great way to set my product apart from others.
Since I plan on having a multi-platform product, I can create newsletters or blogs that both promote my product and my advertisers. Seeing ads for companies that I know nothing about is never beneficial; instead, I’d like to explain my advertisers to my audience. I will not only promote my advertisers; I will inform users about these advertisers.
Another way to get advertisers is by using Google Adsense. This is a great way to generate ads that are targeting to specific audiences. Even better, it’s free and Google finds the advertisements for you. I think it’s important to incorporate these types of programs into my product, especially since Google will probably make my app seem more legitimate.
Finally, a last way that I can get advertisers is by building up a team. As I can’t specialize in every aspect of app development, I will definitely need a team of innovators to help me product my app. It’s important to find people that specialize in certain areas- from interface creation to communication skills to multi-platform management. It’s important to have a legitimate team that can maintain specific areas of the app design (once again, incorporating “using what you know” to produce the best product). Having people specialize in certain fields of development will ease the process and allow advertisers to know how serious we are about making the product.
Crowdfunding
Something we talked about in class that I found rather interesting was the concept of crowdfunding. And no, my answer cannot be only advertisements. Instead, I need to find a (hopefully foolproof) way to gain a revenue to jumpstart my product.
After doing a little research on the concept of crowdfunding, I’ve gathered a little incite on some of the best (and most practical) methods for this kind of fundraising. Of course, crowdfunding requires some obvious preparation, including planning the perfect pitch, defining a specific target audience and, most importantly, having a passion for the product. Even though I want to make a profit, my sole goal should not be to make money; it should be to solve a problem that I am passionate about and that I know others can utilize.
Next, it’s important to raise the funds, and this includes utilizing my pitch. In this case, my pitch should also include how I want to spend this money. Sites like Indiegogo or Kickstarter are great ways to raise money. However, I must be able to successfully inform my target audience through social media or advertisements. Not only this, but I have to bring back the idea of working with other organizations on campus, like UPC or Student Senate. It is the perfect way to inform students and raise awareness of my product.
As I continue to develop my product, I have to keep in mind to utilize all of my resources, whether its student organizations, social media (and other marketing techniques) and project starter websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. It’s important to think big, even if my product will start small.
Universality (and why it’s absolutely essential)
I think one of the most important components of developing a successful app is universality. And no, I don’t think this because I want to access millions of people all at once- it’s because I need to access all of the people that will use this app (yes, even if my audience consists of only 21-25 year old Ohio University students).
Even if I start small, I have to think not big, but universal. And I know this will require extra work.
But what, exactly, is a universal app? According to an About.com iPad forum, a universal app is one that runs on the iPhone, iTouch and iPad. For some reason, though, when I Googled “universal app,” the majority of the definitions offered only described apps that run on Apple products.
My definition of a universal app goes a bit beyond this. It means being able to access my app on any device, no matter what brand, product or platform. I want both people using Droids, iPhones and whatever other smart phones to be able to access my app. Apps like this include Facebook and Twitter. I’d like to say that Instagram was the same way, but users don’t have the power to use the same functions on Instagram on computers as they do for Instagram on smart phones.
This universal error in Instagram is something I would like to completely avoid when developing my app. Since I don’t have a smart phone, I cannot use Instagram or make an account (it MUST be done on a smart phone). Even if I could make an account, I can’t upload photos unless I’m on a smart phone. I think this takes away from the “universal” concept of the app- not everyone can be connected; not everyone can use it on multiple platforms.
As this is a problem for me, I’d like to avoid it altogether on CrowdControl. Even though I know it will take more work, I will make it so CrowdControl allows users to access all features at all times AND on all devices. Universality, in my opinion, is one of the most important concepts in developing a successful, user friendly app.
Developing my elevator pitch
As we are getting nearer to the end of the semester, it’s becoming more important that I begin to develop a more structured elevator pitch. After looking up some tips for creating an elevator pitch, I’ve come to the conclusion that I must be aware of a number of factors before presenting to my class:
1. Make sure I have a simple question to answer. Spend my pitch answering this question, including brief details about my product. Identify a goal or a solution to a simple problem and continue talking about that. Don’t stray away.
2. Instead of trying to make my pitch seem really awesome (i.e. “My product is the best”), I have to find ways to briefly explain why my product is the best.
3. Keep my message clear and concise (avoid jargon and common figures of speech).
4. Keep in mind something that makes my product unique/ stand out.
5. Explain my USP, or unique selling proposition. This should be a unique way to sell my product that is different from other people. I should explain how I will market my product and why my way will work.
Although there are a number of strategies I must incorporate in my elevator pitch, I know each of these must be brief in order to give a successful 1-2 minute speech. A great deal of advice exists on developing a solid elevator pitch, and I must find out which techniques are the best. I plan on writing my speech out, practicing it (to people that are not in my class), then choosing the most influential/workable strategies that will appeal the best to my audience.
Brainstorming features (and which ones are feasible)
During class today, we completed a brainstorming activity that was meant to determine the best possible features for our apps. I wanted to keep this list, so I decided to put it on my blog. The list includes:
1. Connect with social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
2. Include coupons where you can just show the bartender your phone to receive discounts
3. Show happy hours, specials, etc.
4. Connect with other users (become “friends” like on Facebook)
5. Let users message each other through the app
6. Include a photo album of each bar
7. Let users synch with electronic gaming machines at the bar (like electronic blackjack, etc.) without paying
8. Allow users to find out the bartenders working that night
9. Feature a rating system of the bar (user ratings similar to IMDB)
10. Feature user comments about the bar
11. Have a cleanliness rating of the bar
12. Show the average age group that goes to the bar
13. Identify the bar as a dance club, casual bar, really nice bar, etc.
14. Synch with the user’s location to determine the closest bar
15. Synch with the user’s interests to find the best bar for their personality, age, interests, etc. (like how Facebook synchs with the user interests and suggests things they may want to “like”)
16. Determine if the bar is 18+ or 21+ and if there are cover charges
17. Find out if the bar has food and, if so, include the menu and prices (including drink prices)
18. Let the users determine if there is a line to get in or if you need to be waitlisted
19. Allow it to make reservations if they are necessary
20. Allow users to find out if there are performers at the bars, including musicians or comedians
As we continued this brainstorming assignment, we were asked to choose two of our favorite options to feature in our MVPs, or minimally viable products.
The top two options that I chose include:
1. Synching with the user’s interests to find the best bar for personality, age, interest, etc.
A common feature of social media, like Facebook and Twitter, is synching your interests to get more connected. They take your interests, age and other demographics to suggest pages to like or events to attend. I would like my app to have a similar feature, where it synchs the user’s age and interests in order to determine what bar would fit best for him or her. My audience for this would be students at Ohio University from about ages 21-25. This feature would be awesome for students going on internships in big cities like New York (where there are too many bars to count) or Chicago. It would be an excellent way to meet new people and find others that are around the same age as them.
2. Feature a rating system of the bar similar to that of IMBD
My audience for this would also be students at Ohio University from the ages 21-25. I like the IMDB aspect because IMDB features many user ratings, as opposed to just using critics. It would be nice for college-aged students to rate the bars based on their experiences in order to get a more accurate rating of the bar (instead of having a critic rating by critics that do not fit the bar demographics). Having reviews from other college students would make it much easier to determine which bar a student would like to go to.
What does my audience ‘NEED’?
After reading an article on the Scringo Blog called App users WANT vs. APP Users NEED, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m going to have to cater to both of these needs to create a universal, successful app. From this article, I found a list that I found very helpful in deciphering what my users actually need in an app. The list goes as follows:
1. KISS: “Keep it simple stupid.”
I think it’s important to keep the app simple, especially since some people aren’t as technologically advanced as others. It’s important to cater to a universal audience, and keeping an app simple is the ideal way to do this.
2. Robust: Build an app with a clear idea of growth.
I definitely need to have an idea of growth in mind. In order to do this, I’d like to start small with Athens, as said in my previous blog post.
3. Dummy Proof: The app should be simple and functional.
As list item one stated, keeping the app simple is important, and I think this item focuses more on having a simple interface so as people can easily gather the information that they are looking for.
4. Go cross-platform: Let every mobile user enjoy your solution.
As stated in an article in Intel, multi-platform means users should be able to reach my app through whatever device they have in front of them. This means making my app available through Windows, Macs, iPhones, Androids and any other platform my users may have. This is important for reaching any audience that I need at any place or time. In doing this, I can make my app more global and available.
Network Effects
One of the most important questions I have to ask myself when making this app is: How am I gonna build a network to make it work? After all, according to Mobile Tuts, your audience matters more than the idea.
I think one of the solutions to this is starting small. In this sense, I would want to begin small by starting my app only in Athens and testing (and testing it and testing it) it before letting it go public. When I test the app, I definitely want to use a random sample of college students and then survey them about the app’s interface and overall quality of the app, including how simple or complex the app is. Not only this, but I can ask for suggestions on improvements that would help.
In most cases, it seems like bouncing ideas off of other people oftentimes results in the best product (just like the story on the founding of Instagram where the founders took what people like most about their first app, Burbn, and transformed it into Instagram).
From there, I would constantly retest and retest and when I’d finally be ready to launch it, do some sort of promo event and offer it free to the first 500 or so students that want to try it.
To limit user comments or not…
When using some apps, I find that oftentimes the user comments are either spam or completely uninformative. I began doing some research on how beneficial user comments actually end up being, and I ended up on a website that provides the “Best iPhone App Review Sites for Developers.”
From the idea of submitting apps to different review sites, I figured that the most advantageous way to get the best feedback possible is by submitting the comments for review (that is, if I do decide to incorporate user comments into my app). This seems like a very small part of my app, but, in reality, having an app filled with spam and unnecessary/ inappropriate/ uninformative comments can make it seem much less legitimate and user friendly.
User comments, in many cases, can be beneficial to the user. However, for this app, I think I would either have to limit the amount of approved comments on the app or eliminate them altogether. Instead of reviews, I think it would be better to give a general overview of the bar, i.e. the age group that goes to it, the price range, etc. This would make my users feel less obligated to filter through numerous and, sometimes, misleading comments. A website like BarMeister would be a great example of the “reviews” that I am interested in providing my audience. Of course, I’d also like to add some other factors, such as Happy Hours, specials and price range.
Product marketability: Advertisements
I’ve been doing some research on product marketability, trying to find out ways to determine how marketable my product actual is and ways to make it more marketable.
From this article, I discovered that one of the main focuses of making my product marketable is making it unique, and I think that this can be done through a number of ways- mainly through advertisements.
One of the ways I’d like to make my product more marketable is featuring ads in a way that isn’t annoying or deters one from using the app. For example, I love using Pandora but hate the ads that pop up every time I play a certain number of songs, especially since it deters me from listening. I’d like to use ads in a more creative way, by using them to display drink specials, etc. on a side bar.
Not only would this make my product more marketable for users, but it would make it more marketable for my clients (a.k.a. the bars I’m getting to use it). Special features like this would set my app apart from others, especially if I could go even further and make it so that specials for a specific bar can come up depending on the user’s bar activity.
Developments on CrowdControl 