Using Social Media MarketingTo Spread Your App

Just because you build it, doesn’t mean they will come

@shiraabel

Shira Abel PresidentHunter & Bard – Digital Marketing

@shiraabel

Questions

1. When should I start thinking about marketing for my app?2. How do I encourage people to share?3. How do I test my ideas before spending money on development?4. What do I need to know about packaging my app?5. Ok - I’ve launched – Now what?6. Where does social media marketing fit in?7. What is the cheapest way to get user acquisition? 8. What is the future of app stores and external devices + how to

make the best out of it?9. Viral marketing for close communities - how to get to people

who know each other to share?

@shiraabel

When should I start thinking about marketing for my app?

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

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Create a Product Worth Spreading

An intuitive (and gorgeous) user interface can occasionally get press all on its own.

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Marketing will not save a bad product@shiraabel

How do I encourage people to share?

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Make it Easy for Them

Make sharing a part of the product experience

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Turn It Into a Game

Give an incentive for people to share (leaderboard, badges, etc…)

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Reputation Economy@shiraabel

Give a Warm Fuzzy Feeling

Build a community

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How do I test my ideas before spending money on development?

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Create a Free App (or Several) & Test*@shiraabel

*Disclosure: clients

Test Via Adwords@shiraabel

*Disclosure: clients

What do I need to know about packaging my app? (People need to find & download the app, before they can share the app)

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Naming is Crucial

Make sure you can be found

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What is Your Product?

Descriptive names help you be found in the iTunes store

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What are People Searching For?

Key words in the title and text

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Show the Pretty

Great screen shots will take you far. People react to what they can see.

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Ok - I’m ready to launch – Now what?

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Define Your Objective@shiraabel

What’s Your Strategy@shiraabel

Sample Marketing Strategies

• Create several free apps that have in-app advertisements directing to your paid app

• Have your free app represent a much larger service (store, blog, service, company this is where the monetization is)

• Have in-app rev-share advertising and go for large numbers (Interactive, Admob, etc)

• Have a Lite Free and a Premium Paid version (Lite having advertising – Premium having none)

@shiraabel

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT• What is your objective (SMART: specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic

& time specific)?• What are your strategic initiatives?

– Build awareness– Expand distribution– Build penetration– Build buying rate– Increase loyalty

• Funnel– Where do you want people to go?– What action do you want people to take? – Track the movement– Conversion rate / A/B Testing– Test & iterate

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Where does social media marketing fit in?

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Discovery & Retention@shiraabel

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Give People a Reason To Return@shiraabel

Paid Media/Advertising(SEO / SEM)

Social / Relationship Marketing

Earned Media / PR

•People find you via a search (better) or an ad (hit & miss)•Brings in people•Lower conversion rate•Lower retention rate

•People find you via an article or blog post online•Brings in a lot of people (top tier publication•Higher conversion rate•Higher retention rate•Social proof (so and so has written about you, you must be good)•One time. Once the article has passed, so have the people.

•People come to your website & see your social media profiles•OPT-IN means people are choosing to get your daily updates•High conversion rate•High retention rate•Social proof (your friends are following)

$

Be Where the Customer Lives@shiraabel

Be Where the Customer Lives@shiraabel

Be Where the Customer Lives@shiraabel

What is the cheapest way to get market penetration and user acquisition?

@shiraabel

When You Don’t Have Money

GET TO KNOW THEM AND DON’T ASK FOR ANYTHING!!!!!

Who are the industry leaders / influencers?

Media?Who are your target customers?

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What is the future of app stores and external devices + how to make the best out of it?

@shiraabel

From the App End - Cannibalize@shiraabel

Viral marketing for close communities - how to get to people who know each other to share?

@shiraabel

Getting Started

• Build in social / sharing elements• Start social for feedback & start community• Soft launch – no advertising or buzz (get the

kinks out first!)• Launch• SEO / Media Buy / Earned media• Keep the social going • LISTEN & ITERATE

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Build Community into Product

• Ratings & Reviews (push request reviews)• Game mechanics• Build sharing into the product• Give give give• Build a reputation economy • And when you get comments from users – USE

THEM & TAILOR ACCORDINGLY

@shiraabel

Hat tip:

Take Aways

• Marketing starts the second you have an idea for a product / service / business

• Social is more than just engagement – it’s listening and reacting to criticisms

• When you listen and respond, the result is a better product and a happier customer

• Opt-in is more powerful than push

@shiraabel

THANK YOU

Thank Yous & References & Reads• Hillel Fuld• http://flowingdata.com/2011/09/18/yoda-pie-chart/• http://blog.bitly.com/post/9887686919/you-just-shared-a-link-how-long-will-peop

le-pay• http://www.briansolis.com/2011/09/whats-the-r-o-i-a-framework-for-social-analyt

ics/• http://www.slideshare.net/setlinger/altimeter-social-analytics081011final• Breakthrough Marketing Plans• http://www.seomoz.org/blog/tracking-the-roi-of-social-media• http://blog.inner-active.com/2011/04/a-complete-list-of-app-stores-across-all-mo

bile-platforms/• http://ideas.deloitte.ca/blog/2011/09/social-media-going-beyond-roi/• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/09/20/the-10-key-mistakes-many-bloggers-and-

writers-make/• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/03/01/the-10-best-facebook-campaigns/• http://www.facebook-studio.com/

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