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.

 

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.

Creative ways to market my product

In order to market my product, I need to find ways that will get my audiences’ attention.

For example, if I’m trying to get the attention of Ohio University students, it would be pretty difficult to market my product via Facebook and Twitter and make it seem legitimate, especially if I don’t have any money to market my product to begin with.

I think a great (and creative) way to get the attention of students would be to talk to student organizations and offer free trials of my app in repayment for their promotions. Being a journalism student, this could work easily if I promoted it to magazines like Backdrop Magazine or Speakeasy Magazine. Especially in a magazine like Backdrop that gets distributed throughout campus, it’d be great to make a deal with them for an advertisement in the back.

Likewise, it’d be great to get larger promotion companies to help promote my product, like concert promoters such as those in charge of the Number Fests, or, thinking of a more constant way to promote, getting in touch with University Program Council and having them promote it at their weekly and monthly events.

It’d definitely be helpful to have some legitimate authorities on campus help promote my product, as opposed to self-promoting myself, which would probably seem illegitimate, or maybe even a scam. I’d have to get a bigger picture for this, and I think this would be a fantastic way to utilize the university to help.

Involving the bars

Originally, I said that I thought the bars should get technology that keeps track of the number of people entering the bars, like an invisible turnstile.

But after doing some research, I discovered that there are apps that allow users to turn their phones into ID scanners/ age verifiers. This technology could be used to A.) Expedite the process of ID’ing individuals in bars, B.) Prevent underage drinking C.) More easily recognize if a bar is over-limits and D.) Promote the bar through my app.

The app I found online, called DoorMetrics, allows not only the phone to scan IDs, but also has a History option that can let you see how many people are in the bar. If I could coordinate with an app like this, our apps could be linked together so that the DoorMetric information can be transferred to CrowdControl.

Not to mention, DoorMetrics is relatively inexpensive: It costs $84.99 to buy the attachment for iPhones, and now that restaurants and bars are starting to use this technology for other purposes, such as a Buzzer to let one know when his/ her table is ready, it’s only a matter of time until all restaurants and bars begin using this kind of technology.

Most importantly, Using DoorMetrics is simple. The app is easy to use; so easy that minimal to no training would even be required, making it more appealing for bars to begin using it and, as a result, partner with CrowdControl.

The bigger picture: Other directions I can go

My app has the possibility of opening many doors for many, many opportunities, and if CrowdControl is successful, I’d like to pursue them.

Stemming from Monday’s class, I got these ideas with the help of the Board of Directors for Innovation. Since my app will have the ability to report the number of people in a bar, why not use it to report the amount of people entering a classroom? The app could be used as an expedited attendance-taker.

Although this wouldn’t be ideal for students signing each other into classes, it would make a significant profit from colleges and universities around the nation.

Many teachers take attendance, and using the app to find out if a student enters the classroom is the perfect way to avoid organizing hundreds of names on multiple sign-ins or calling out an entire roster, thus taking up half of the learning time in class.

Many teachers like the luxury of not worrying about taking attendance, but this app would give them the chance to A.) Find out who is actually attending class and B.) Give students another opportunity for some easy points.

After thinking about ways to Innovate, I’ve been able to think of different ways to improve my app that would make it much more profitable and appealing.

Behavioralistic Segmentation

A large factor of behavioralistic segmentation includes usage rate, which is something I take note of when choosing OU students (along with other college students) as my primary audience.

According to a stat sheet created by Alcohol 101 Plus, a representative sample of college students showed that 84% of students drank alcohol in the past year, and that includes underage students.

Not only this, but attitudes about drinking have become a primary reason for escalated alcoholism in college students. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher-education experience.”

Finally, OU’s reputation has been the cause for much of my belief that OU students are high consumers of alcohol. Our reputation as a “party school” not only keeps improving, but it brings in a number of non-OU students for our notorious night life. On College Prowler, Ohio University’s nightlife is rated an A+, with over 50 reviews raving our party scene.

“When you think of OU, you think of a top 10 party school. You don’t have to walk very far to find the bars on Court Street. At one point, you can walk 50 feet and pass four bars in a row. The best part is how cheap the drinks are. A drink in Athens might cost $3  while that same drink, and not as strong, would cost $6 or $7  at Ohio State. The best part is, if you don’t like one bar, you can go to another that fits your type of atmosphere,” stated one of the users.

Geographic Segmentation

After getting more familiar with target marketing, I’ve decided to elaborate on each type of segmentation in my consumer market. The first type of segmentation I’d like to illustrate is geographic segmentation.

Since I plan on having college students as my main target audience, I need to choose what kind of locations I’d like to primarily advertise my product. I think a great place to begin finding these locations is by using The Princeton Review‘s list of the top party schools in the nation. Considering these schools are have dominant “party cultures,” it’s safe to say that they have a pretty expansive (and prominent) bar scene.

After focusing on these schools, I’d like to target state universities as opposed to small, private colleges. For example, Ohio State University would be excellent places to market my product: the school has a total enrollment of about 63,000 students with a campus surrounded by over 40 bars.

I’d also like to focus on schools with renowned sports programs. Not only do students enjoy drinking at bars during games, but some schools also recently began selling alcohol during sports games in order to gain revenue. In 2011, West Virginia University began selling beer to students of the legal drinking age to earn a profit. According to an article in USA Today, the number of schools selling beer at sporting events is slowly increasing.

Altogether, these factors will help me target my audience geographically and significantly improve sales on my product.