Could this map of the social media landscape be one of the reasons that General Motors pulled its FB ad budget a few months ago?

Digital marketing is confusing—really confusing—as this insane graphic makes clear. Trying to navigate through the various new social media categories, blogs, sharing sites, and social media firms is an absolute mess.

Want our opinion?  There are only a dozen or so things that you need to do to stay ahead of the curve (and your competitors) to get more traffic from this source of noise but if you ignore SM altogether, your brand will suffer.

Have You Got Great Guarantees?

If not, consider the following.

If you want to reassure your prospects and increase conversions, you need to write a kick ass guarantee. Below are three types of product guarantees that we have used for Clients in the past and a few side comments added in for color.

No Questions Asked, Full, Money Back Guarantee

I even amped our guarantee up for a coaching service a few years ago to make it a BETTER THAN MONEY BACK GUARANTEE by offering to donate $100 to my Client’s favorite charity in addition to allowing them to tear up the check they were writing to me (US Customers). Can you guess how many people took me up on that offer? That’s right, ZERO.

Heck, I even have a killer guarantee on my copywriting services and that’s something most copywriters would swear you couldn’t do!

I am NOT saying that no one will ever take you up on your guarantee. More than likely a percentage of people will. Most people who return quality products are freeloaders and moochers who outright plan to rip you off. BUT, the amount of ADDITIONAL SALES you make because of your guarantee will far outweigh any refunds you will need to make if your product quality is reasonable and your bedside manners are a bit above average. 
With that said, here are 7 tips to creating a killer guarantee.

1. Phrase the guarantee to make it exciting, if not dramatic.
2. Make it a long guarantee (90 days at least) – short term guarantees can stimulate refunds.
3. Value: offer a guarantee that means something to your target Customers.
4. Use multiple guarantees when appropriate.
5. Unconditional vs. conditional: Primary guarantee should be unconditioned, secondary guarantees can be conditional.
6. Reiterate your promise in the guarantee.
7. Guarantee plus: offer a money back plus something else.

Gurantees are important when you need to:
Encourage people to buy from a new or unknown company
Encourage people to try a new product or unestablished brand
Remove all risk

The phrasing is important (you need to keep it simple) and you need to be firm about your conditions.

Examples:
“We take the privacy and security of your information seriously. We are independently audited by TRUSTe and ScanAlert regularly to verify that our privacy and security measures are state-of-the-art. Further, we stand by our refund policy 100%. If we don’t honor to the refund promise we have made here, you can report us to GuaranteeGuarantee.   Finally, we are a merchant many years in flawless standing with PayPal. We provide top-notch live 24 hour customer care to protect that status, and more importantly, to protect the trust you, our customer, have placed in us.”

“I’m 99% certain you’re going to love this product, and that’s one reason why my current return rate is so low. I want to make sure that you’re 100% happy with our services, the product and your purchasing experience which is why I always offer a full, no fuss money back guarantee if it turns out it’s not for you for whatever reason.”

“If after my program you are not completely satisfied, I respectfully ask that you tear up my check. I make this bold guarantee because out of the thousands of programs I’ve presented no one has ever requested their money back. Once again, I give you this guarantee so you can feel completely confident in your decision to utilize my services.”

“We’re so sure that you will be delighted with our new widget that we offer a 90 day money back guarantee if it fails to get the job done in your home”

“We are committed to providing products and services that will exceed your expectations. If you are not completely satisfied, you can receive a refund of the cost, minus the processing fee.”

“We are committed to exceeding your expectations. If you are not completely satisfied, you can receive a refund within 30 days of purchase – no questions asked.”

“We do everything in our power to delight your readers with your new App and to relieve you from additional work – making your experience with BoxOnline a positive one. We are 99% certain that you will recommend our services to others but we want to make sure that you are 100% happy with our services which is why we offer a Money Back Guarantee for 90 days after your App has been launched in the iTunes or Google stores.”

“We Transform Your Publications Into Engaging Apps Within A Week. 99% of our Clients are delighted but we want 100% to be happy so we offer a refund if you are not satisfied with our services.”

When it comes to coaching or consulting services where you spend time to help your Client achieve a particular objective, the wording may need to be tweaked a bit more. Here are a few examples that put the ball in your Customer’s court.

The two step legal logic approach:
At the start of our first session I request that each Client signs a Client Agreement. This makes clear what I am able to help them with, the results they can expect and their responsibilities as a Client towards making a given process work. The agreement is more detailed than what I say on the phone and, importantly, it specifies that the Money Back Guarantee relies on each Client doing their agreed tasks outside of our sessions together.

This combined approach is good for the Client because it is clear and easy to understand. And it is good for the Coach because it places the responsibility back onto the Client to contact you if they’re not entirely happy with their results. Think about it, when a client doesn’t contact you after a session you can now rest in peace, knowing that they’re happy with the result. And if they contact you then you’ve got an excellent opportunity for some high quality feedback that will allow you to become an even better coach in the future. A win-win!

“I offer a money back guarantee. What that means is that after we have finished our sessions together that if you are not entirely happy you can contact me within 30 days and I will either work with you for free until you have your outcome, or refund your money if we both agree that your outcome is not achievable together.”

The one step fair and transparent approach:
Never apologize for asking for a retainer, taking a deposit or asking your customer to explain why the product isn’t for you, but do make sure your terms are friendly, fair and crystal clear.

“I always conduct a free 30 minute consultation to make sure my program suits what you want to achieve. When you book a block of six sessions, payment is up front but if you decide after any session that you don’t want to continue, I’ll refund you the cost of the remaining sessions.”

If you get tons of tire kickers – people who never actually planned to make a purchase or better said, people who planned from the very beginning, to return the product for a full refund, then these examples may suit your needs. The approach is called the no guarantee method but it is still a guarantee policy and it is designed to deter tire kickers. It works best if you have an established brand, a passionate following, clear content explaining what the product is in detail and visible results or testimonials.

Many people who implement this form of guarantee, let readers know that they are super confident that the product will rock their world, if they are committed to making it work.

“I want to let you know that this is a no-refund course and the reason I include this statement is because I work people pretty hard to get them the results that they desire and I’ve found that the ones who are willing to jump in and commit from day one, always do amazingly well. If you have any doubt that this may not be for you or you don’t have enough time to dedicate to the course right now, then please set it aside until you are ready to put in the hours. I hope to see you in one of my future courses when it is the right time for you!”

How about you? What guarantees do you look for in products and services that you buy and what kind do you offer to your Customers?

Have you ever not purchased a product because of the guarantee or lack of one? Let me know in the comment section below.

The average Manhattan taxi driver generates $90,747 annual revenue. We have approx 13,327 taxis in NYC. A few years ago, the city forced cab drivers to take credit cards and there were lots of objections mostly due to the fear of reduced tips. The city required a payment system that came with a touch screen and, wouldn’t you know it, the programmers knew about the objection and added 3 magic buttons to the screen to make the transition less painful for the cabby. If you’ve ridden in one of these cabs recently, you are probably well aware of the buttons because they really play with your emotions during the payment process. See the image – there are three blue buttons for tipping: 20%, 25%, and 30%. Now for the magic… when cabs were cash only, the average tip was around 10%. After the introduction of the touch screen with those magic buttons, the tip percentage more than doubled to 22%! Implementing those buttons delivered $144,146,165 of additional tips in a single year. Want a magic button? Let us have a look at your sales process so that we too can apply some predictably irrational magic buttons within your App’s design.

Initially, I set out a few rules for our team when I started BoxOnline in 1999 – we do our best to live by them even today. I was recently reminded to take a more hands off approach with operational tasks such as QA and content implementation and allow my people to lead the way. It was during that week that I decided to make our leadership guidelines more transparent by publishing them for all to see. In politically incorrect terms, they basically boil down to something like ‘Act like a leader or leave the firm’.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.
Business is a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. At BoxOnline we create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, Clients, users and even competitors in order to achieve our objectives.

2. A company is a community, not a machine.
BoxOnline is a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. It is my job to inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community and company at large.

3. Management is service, not control.
I set a general direction and then commit myself to obtaining the resources that our employees need to get the job done. I push decision making downward (using processes like KTDA) and allow teams to form their own rules – intervening only in emergencies.

4. My employees are my peers, not my children.
I treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. Excellence is expected everywhere, from the tech benches to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.

5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.
I inspire people to see a better future and how they’ll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder and smarter because they believe in the organization’s goals, truly enjoy what they’re doing and (of course) know they’ll share in the rewards.

6. Change equals growth, not pain.
I see change as an inevitable part of life. While I don’t value change for its own sake, success is only possible if employees and the organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.
I see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. Our back-office systems are tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.

8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.
I see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of a manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy. At the same time, our focus is delivering value to each of our Clients.

OK, you’ve heard of open rates and click through rates and now, I’m suggesting that it’s time to consider reply rates.

What is your current reply rate?

What percentage of emails that you send out (in your role as a sales exec) generate a response? More importantly, how can you increase your reply rate?

You generally want to send out 20-50 prospecting emails a day, but sending them is not the important part. The important part is getting the readers to reply. If you can start a conversation with a prospect, even just over email, your chance to close the deal skyrockets.

So, if getting a reply is the goal, it’s absolutely worth taking an extra two minutes to customize your introductory emails. Getting someone to reply to your cold email is challenging. Here are five tips that will help.

1. Initiate a conversation based on something they do or just did.

Take a minute and look up the prospect online. Did their company do something recently? Did the prospect? Did their quarter just end? Did their local sports team just win? Find something relevant to them.

If you are responding to inbound behavior or a request, be as specific as possible about what triggered your email. Put this trigger in the subject line so they know you are writing about them.

2. Be timely.

The shelf life of any activity is getting shorter and shorter, and the value of being timely is higher and higher. If you can reach out within a minute after a prospect does something, that’s great. Within an hour—good. Within a day—OK. Within a week? That’s borderline. If your response time is longer than that, find something else to write about.

3. Give them value.

You made a first impression with the trigger event. Now build on that by giving them something of value. Share a great article, website, video, or cartoon.

In 99% of the cases, what you share should not be about your company. Your marketing department should be churning out collateral and white papers, but those reek of self-interest. In order to establish credibility, you have to offer something that doesn’t help you in any way. It’s all about them—your prospect. Go find something that would genuinely help them be more successful, and offer that.

4. Invite prospects into a conversation by asking a question.

Having offered your prospects something valuable, you can then ask them to engage.

The more specific and straightforward your question is the better. You want to make it easy to reply, and you want to make sure they clearly see the benefit of replying.

Ideally, your question links the resource you offered with the services you provide or are selling. But be careful: don’t be too obvious. If I sent out the consultant comic above, I might ask, “Have you had any success with bringing in outside consultants? We’re growing quickly over here and looking for resources or best practices to scale quickly.”

5. Follow up with recipients.

If you can track when the recipient reads or forwards your email, it is worth sending a follow-up email within 24 hours. Even without this insight, you should make it a practice to revisit your prospect list at least four times by email. The good news is that by continuing to offer something of value to the start of your messages, you’ll begin to be seen as a generous and trusted resource instead of just another salesperson.

It’s tempting to meet your daily goals by blasting through as many emails as you can. That’s short sighted. It burns good leads, and it burns you out. Think instead about how you can start a timely conversation and how you can provide something valuable. You’ll find yourself having more genuine conversations and, by extension, closing more deals.

Several requests have come in on this topic, so I chose to address it publicly so that others could contribute to and benefit from a high level checklist of things that we know work well in this space . Below you’ll find a list that we reference when launching Apps. It’s not nearly complete, it’s not rocket science, it will take you some time and effort to complete and with any luck, result in better rankings for your App. The following does NOT yet follow our Product Launch Process format but you can be sure that it will be adapted to our model in the coming weeks. The very first step is to define a clear strategy. Going mobile is not easy. For the enterprise, myriad smartphone devices, tablets and complex workflows, combined with enterprise architecture and security constraints, can make even the thought of a mobile strategy seem overwhelming. And when it comes to developing a useful mobile App, getting the right balance of platform diversity, elegant design, and solid engineering is just plain difficult. Put BoxOnline to work for you: we can help your organization lay out a clear mobile strategy, and build Apps that get the work done. Just to be clearn, when we speak of a mobile strategy, we are referring to something practical rather than some theoretical document. From where we sit, mobile strategies need to reach, engage, build loyalty and monetize and please make no mistake, it costs real money to do it right but the ROI can be equally compelling for brands of all sizes.
Mobile Strategy Consulting. We’ll walk you clearly through the best practices in enterprise mobile App strategy, whether as a means of empowering your employees with mobile utility, or reaching your Customers in new ways. Our fixed-price mobile strategic consulting solution will help you understand your needs and constraints, and lay out the right mobile strategy and a path to getting there.
Mobile App Development. BoxOnline combines our clean information architecture and design for mobile Apps with our proven engineering. It’s more than software, it’s more than design – it’s engineering for mobile devices. Whether you need to develop a completely new App idea or bring your existing workflows and systems into the mobile world, BoxOnline’s got you covered. Using HL7 or other standards, your internally-engineered system, or commercial components, we provide simple integration that builds a bridge from what you’ve got into the mobile experience. We apply stellar engineering with the right balance of usability, usefulness, and elegant design. The result is a mobile App that can – and will – be used by real people.

Contact us right away for a free consultation.

Mobile analytics firm Distimo claims 91 of the top 100 brands have their own mobile app (up from 51 in 2010). On the surface this sounds great. I can use my big brand name to get people to install my App, and then I can market to them via the palm of their hand whenever I want. If you’re a big brand, I have no doubt you will get a ton of downloads. But downloads are a vanity metric; they don’t measure success.

Most brands treat their mobile Apps as advertisements. No one wants to download an ad. Building a mobile strategy is more than just having your own App. It needs to include the option for working with third-party mobile Apps, mobile ad networks, and using offline marketing to drive further mobile App usage and community participation.

Here are three things to remember as you consider a mobile strategy.

No one launches a television station in order to market a brand on television. Imagine you’re responsible for PopTarts. You want to make sure that everyone knows about your new flavor. Do you launch PopTart TV? No! You find television networks and more specifically programs that can reach your relevant consumer demographic. Why? Because even if you did launch your own TV network, it doesn’t mean people are going to watch it. Don’t build an App just to get downloads; build something people will actually use. Utility is important.

Building a mediocre App is just as bad as selling a mediocre product. The power of mobile is that you can interact with a consumer at any moment. However, would you want someone buying your new PopTart if it tasted bad? No! They would never buy it again. So why would you want them to download a mediocre mobile App? If you are a billion dollar company, you should be investing more than $50,000 in mobile. It’s like airing a poor performing TV commercial; it will not deliver the desired result. Quality is important.

Consider giving up some control. Control may be tempting. Creating your own App lets you control the message and the relationship and you don’t have to worry about a third-party partner creating a bad experience for your Customers. And sure, there are major brands that have made some amazing mobile applications. But being big and having a brand name doesn’t mean that you need to control the UX. A big brand in the US recently sponsored a third-party toilet finder app called “Sit or Squat” to reach consumers. Could a toilet paper brand build something more targeted than this? Perhaps there are a few successful third-party mobile apps that can reach your users faster and more effectively than you could on your own. Consider that partnering with a player can be more effective than building from scratch. If you take the harder path, know that some people are going to use the App that you created but others are going to prefer using Apps that offer similar features but deliver a more compelling UX. It’s ok to have your own App, but your mobile marketing strategy should not overlook the option of joining an existing community. If you are going to invest in building your own App, make it something that you would want to use because no one wants to download an ad.

Apps that reach, engage, build loyalty and monetize complete all essential components of the mobile life cycle so be sure to address each of these in your mobile strategy as well as metrics so that you will be able to improve those events that you choose to measure and will know if your ROI was worth the extra effort. So, enough of the soap box session on strategy -  let’s get down to execution.

Phase One: Design

The following items are things that you should design into your application from the very beginning.  Each item should help to spread the word, get feedback and better iTunes rankings for your App.

1.1 Include Social Media Features
Ideas that spread, win. Include ways for people to let others know about your App and what each user is doing with it.  This mainly means including Twitter and Facebook integration.  Try to make this integration meaningful.  I think everyone is tired of seeing things like “Bobby just scored 3 million points in Angry Birds!”.

1.2 Include Features that Bring People Together
Words with Friends require other people to get the App in order to participate in the fun.  Flipboard, Path, Facebook and the uncountable number of different Twitter Apps fit this category as well. By providing a sharing tool for people who want to create their own online community, the developers for this type of App had to plan for viral distribution from the very beginning.

1.3 Include Direct Feedback Elements
Allow users to send feedback messages to you directly from inside the App. This can be via email or submissions directly into your bug tracking system.  Ideally, you should include a way to reply to the users.  Also, provide a way to send news messages to users, either via a push notification or when the App is running and can connect to a server to pull down the latest news.

1.4 Ask Users to Rate Your App on iTunes
The old “rate on delete” feature in iOS prompted users to rate your App as they were deleting it from their devices.  This was the worst possible place to ask a user for ratings and it usually meant one of two things: 1) they either did not like the App that much, or 2) they hated it.  This resulted in unrealistic ratings with more negative feedback than positive feedback in the App store. Fortunately, this has been changed and now the “rate on delete” feature is no longer present in iOS. Today you should make an effort to prompt the user to rate your App on iTunes.  Bring up periodic reminders at times when the user is more likely to feel positively about your App, such as when they just earned an achievement or got a new high score.  Make sure to provide a “Don’t Ask Me Again” option to allow users to no longer receive these prompts, otherwise you might get negative feedback about your App nagging them.

1.5 Create a Twitter Account & a Facebook Page
Twitter and Facebook are the two largest social networks.  People tell their friends about things they like.  If you don’t already have accounts for your brand, create them now.  You might also consider creating another account for each App. The downside for having multiple FB & Twitter accounts is that you will likely have fewer followers and more work maintaining each.  By having a single account, you can be more productive and achieve a larger number of followers across all your App titles.

1.6 TAF Feature
Tell a Friend button is a viral enabler especially if you make it ultra easy to use.

Phase Two: Implementation

During the Implementation Phase of your App, review the items from previous phases to ensure that the ones you’ve chosen to include are on track and being implemented.

This may also be the time to start communicating with your potential audience in what we call the pre-pre-launch phase.  Be careful not to start communicating too early, as you don’t want to waste the enthusiasm of the fans you earn at this stage by having them fade away before your App is ready.

2.1 Maintain A Development Blog and Keep It Fresh
Keep your fans up-to-date on the progress of your App with periodic developer blog entries.  It is up to you to decide how detailed these need to be.

2.2 Organize A Group of Beta Testers
Shortly before the next phase, you need to find beta testers.  You can use sites such as ibetatest.com to help find qualified testers.  Sending messages on game & App review site forums is also often a good way to find people.  Anyone who has contacted you for support questions may also be a good candidate.  Make sure to get at least the following information from each tester: device type (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad), device generation (3rd gen, 4th gen), UDID.

Phase Three: Pre-Launch

During this phase, you probably have a working App prototype and need some user feedback and more testing before launch.  It’s also the time to start ramping up for publicity campaigns and organizing submission to review sites.

3.1 Create IPA Files with an Embedded Provisioning Profile
Use the Build and Archive to build the Ad Hoc version of your App. Then create the IPA file using the Save to Disk option.  This makes it easier to send Ad Hoc builds to your testers.

3.2 Consider testflightapp.com – An Easy Way to Distribute Your Beta Builds & Find Testers
Once you have the IPA file, upload it to the testflightapp.com service.  This allows easy installation by clicking on a link in an email directly on the tester’s iOS device. The code was still a bit buggy in Winter 2012 but, it works.

3.3 Contact Review Sites to Offer them Early Access to Your App
You may want to wait until your App has gone through one round of beta tester feedback, but it’s time to start building the buzz around your App. Having a few preview articles written about your App before its launch can help with this.
Alternatively, you can ask the reviewer to write a full review, but have them hold the article until the day of your product launch.

3.4 Post a “Coming Soon” Preview Thread to App Review Site Forums
Sites like TouchArcade.com have forums where you can post a preview of your upcoming App and start to build a following.  Engage users and get early feedback.  It may be too late to make major changes in your App, but keep note of things that are suggested.

Phase Four: Launch

This phase includes a lot of presentation work where you need to put your best foot forward.  Make the choices mentioned below carefully and deliberately and consider that an App is like a movie. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. You need to launch each App as if it were a movie, with teasers and a big blowout of both paid and earned media. Apps need to be treated like a form of media. To succeed, you will need to generate word of mouth. Traditional ads don’t work nearly as well, they are a reasonable tool for continuous growth, but not good for burst patterns.

4.1 Choose Your App’s Keywords
Choose your keywords very carefully.  You only get 100 characters, including commas, so spend some time thinking about what to put here.  Don’t put any words that are already in your App’s name as those are already searchable.  You can only change your keywords when submitting an App update. Over 60% of Customers buy Apps through search. If the App has good keywords, it will get attention. Conversions require compelling reasons for the download and some effective teaser text.

4.2 Choose Your App’s Category
Look at which categories your competition is in.  See how they are ranked in those categories.  Consider which categories are appropriate for your App. You can only change your category when submitting an App update, so you need to choose carefully.

4.3 Polish Your App’s Icon
Your icon is like a mini-banner ad for your App. Along with the name, it’s the first thing people see to decide whether to investigate your App any further.  Make it stand out.

4.4 Price your App or go with the trendy freemium model

4.5 Craft Your App’s Description
With the way iTunes truncates your App description, the first sentence of your description should be a strong marketing tagline which gets people’s attention.  Once your App has been approved, you should double-check this first sentence to ensure that it shows up well with the truncation and that it presents a strong statement of value. Of course, the entire description is also relevant, but the first three lines of text is what 90% of the market will use to decide if your App is worth their time.

4.6 Create Interesting Screenshots
Once someone has clicked on your icon in iTunes, the next thing they will see are the first screenshot or two of your App. Don’t waste this by showing your title screen or menu as your first screenshot. Be sure to treat this space as an Ad and include additional marketing blurbs in your screenshots and/or make them interesting in other ways.  Some examples:
Porsche Zentrum Zug
Cut the Rope
Baloise
Planetary
X-plane

4.7 Control the Release of Your App
When submitting your App, iTunes will ask you whether to release the App immediately when it is approved, or to wait until you release it manually.  Always control the release manually so that you can coordinate it with your other launch activities.  Have a date in mind and coordinate that date with App reviewers and any other promotion you have planned.

4.8 Post to Forums on App Review Sites
Post your product release announcement on the various iPhone App and relevant industry review forums, magazines and boards.  Ensure that you engage users on the sites and followup and answer any questions.

4.9 Post to Social Networks & Email Lists
Send out a tweet and post to your Facebook page.  Send an email if you have an email list.  Send update messages when you get good reviews or when significant events occur, such as being featured by Apple.

4.10 Create a Product Web Page
Create a one-page brochure for your App. Include screenshots, video, audio as well as a good description of the App. Drive the message home with bullet points on the key features that make your App so fantastic along with the benefits users will enjoy after downloading your App.

4.11 Send Out a Press Release
Send a press release announcing your new App. Many developers rely on prmac.com for distribution to the iOS media, but there are plenty of other options as well as industry relevant PR channels.

4.12 Create a Short Product Demo Video
Short is the key word here.  Keep the video around 1 minute.  Show the most interesting aspects of your App. Don’t go through all the individual menu items.  Focus on the main functionality and try to demonstrate how a typical user feels during and after using your App.  Remember that this is an ad for your App, so make it interesting and something people would consider spreading around to their friends. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing method and most viral App distribution started with short videos. Sure, you can upload the video to YouTube or other video sharing sites, but also be sure to embed it directly on your product launch page.

Phase Five: Post Launch

Develop, nurture and grow a community of people with common interests. Cross promote multiple Apps that serve the needs of this community. Stay in touch with this community through polls, surveys, newsletters and congruent promotions and keep an eye on all the activities that you started during the launch phase.

Every few months, do something that is relevant to the target audience that they did not expect, to create more awareness for your App.  Example: Movie theater running the wrong film for 3 minutes on purpose to create awareness for Alzheimer disease. It doesn’t need to be as extreme as Sasha Baron Cohen’s Dictator spilling ashes on Ryan Seacrest and the red carpet at the Oscars but, it should grab your target audience’s attention in a congruent manner.

A business purposed App exists to either
(a) sell something to a potential Customer or
(b) provide information or an experience that leads to an opt-in

IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.

If the App does not help mobile device owners accomplish at least one of those two things, then the App provides very little benefit to the business and the device owner will likely ignore or delete the App after having the opportunity to share their thoughts about your brand and their experience with your App with the world on the same page where your prospects would be downloading the same App. The world has changed and, like it or not, social media plays a role in the new world order of marketing. The big difference between failing on a website and failing with an App is that your success or failure will be in plain view and nearly impossible to hide should something go wrong.

That’s basically all there is to it.
Buy, join, or delete.

There are no other options.

With that in mind, here are three things to consider:

a) Is your App optimized for converting prospects into paying Customers?

b) Do you already distribute an industry newsletter or other periodical that your prospects value?

c) If you answered yes to both (a) and (b) above, are you looking for more qualified traffic?

Most of our prospects ask us for help with conversions, traffic and process optimization. Here are a few things to get you started in the right direction:

a) Avoid the temptation to create the perfect App. There simply is no such thing. In business, especially small and medium sized businesses, the only thing that counts is leveraging the media to generate more sales. It really is that simple. Sure you can educate your target audience but the purpose of the ‘education’ is to increase the probability that the prospect buys from you. Thus, you may find it helpful to focus on building a screen that converts prospects into Customers on autopilot. Our Clients test such screen designs all the time looking to outperform their controls and improve conversions within their Apps.

b) Every business has some special knowledge (well… almost every business). If you consider that most prospects are not ready to buy from you when you first meet them. They need some time to get to know you better, time to digest the information that they received, time to compare offers, time to decide that they are now ready to actually make a decision. When a person discovers your App, do your best to capture their contact details to be able to follow up with them in the future with information that is relevant to the problem that they are trying to solve. If the average consumer needs to see an ad seven times before acting on it, then think about distributing something like a newsletter to your prospects with tips, ideas, strategies etc that help them move forward in their decision to do business with you by demonstrating your expertise, your Customer service principles and the reason why they should be doing business with you. Have you got a newsletter already? Are you building a list of prospects and Customers? If not, setting up an auto-responder would be a very good first step in the right direction. Always remember to use criteria elicitation and tap into benefit’s based selling methods like WIIFM to get the most out of your efforts.

c) Traffic… the holy grail of an App owner (also known as downloads after the initial conversion occurs). We love to help our Clients generate traffic BUT ONLY if they have reasonable conversions and the desire to build a list. Think about it for a moment, there are really only 2 important processes that you absolutely have to get right when you use Apps in your business and those are conversions and traffic. Hey, it’s not rocket science.. it’s basic maths. You need to track those downloads, keep good clean statistics and test what works best for your business every chance you get then rinse and repeat.

Creating and distributing an awesome utility, game or lifestyle mobile Application is not enough these days. You need to market it effectively in order to monetize it. BoxOnline’s Mobile App Promotion and Marketing services help you design and execute a successful launch for your App. We employ proven tactics to get your App to stand out from other mobile Apps competing for the same eyeballs.

At BoxOnline, we engage in App marketing for almost any kind of mobile Apps – iPhone & iPad Apps, BlackBerry Apps, Android Apps, Windows Mobile Apps and others. Our familiarity with other App stores and their unique ranking algorithms in addition to our more than 15 years of SEO experience help us to guide you with what works today in marketing your Apps.

Mobile App Marketing Process
After having delivered five Apps per week for our Clients to the leading App stores, we developed a pretty good idea of what works well and what needs improvement. If you are planning to build an App, we can provide you with the concept for your App, walk you through our mobile App development process and also, build the App for you. If, on the other hand, you already have an App and want us to promote it, we offer our Clients, App marketing services that help get your App noticed and help increase downloads in your target markets.

Our mobile App marketing process starts with an analysis of your existing App and those of your closest competitors. After understanding your App and your market, we come up with and present what we believe is the Unique Selling Point (USP) of your App. As soon as we have your agreement, we frame out promotional strategies based upon your USP and budget designed to break through the clutter and get your App noticed.

Right now, Apple claims to have 25 billion downloads with more than 500,000 Apps in their App Store alone. Google states 400,000 Apps are available in their store so, in order to stand out from the pack, BoxOnline employs a series of tactics to help our Clients gain popularity among defined and targeted groups of users that are within your target market. Here are a few of the steps we take to get a successful campaign up and running:

• Pre-launch campaign to create expectations and buzz
• Strategically timed product launch to maximize target audience attention in large volumes
• Post-launch evergreen viral campaigns via mobile, web, article marketing, PR, videos etc
• In-App Ad campaigns via App store’s popular Apps
• Purposeful and timely App updates to get existing users to revisit your App
• Upgrade promos designed to hook new users
• Paid promotion and reviews to drive market influencers and increase downloads
• Social media research for new upgrade ideas based on user feedback
• Operate communication channels with users to maintain App popularity
• Establish touch points with users to build value for your brand

Making it into the Top 100 is a metric that we encourage tracking. It requires awareness as well as a significant number of downloads and an ongoing campaign to maintain the position with both in-App promotions as well as good use of channels relevant to your target market. BoxOnline uses legally accepted best practice methods for achieving top positions in App stores in addition to web based marketing activities such as how to videos, contributing to reviews and consolidator sites, creating podcasts, viral campaigns, social media campaigns and more – to ensure that your message reaches target users where they spend most of their time and thus generating more downloads.

Once in the top 100, the challenge to remain on top should be one of your main goals. Recent surveys claim that only 19% of users return to use a free App after downloading it and less than 5% use it again 30 days later. We recommend countering this App-apathy pattern early on by suggesting that you produce something fresh every four to six weeks in the form of upgrades, additions, in App purchases and other value-added features for your users.

If you’d like to learn more about our services, please contact us and allow us the opportunity to bring your App into the Top 100 in the coming months.

2011 was the year where in-app purchases and the freemium business model became one of the most important monetization strategies for mobile developers. Half of the revenue of the 200 top grossing apps in the Apple App Store for iPhone is now generated by freemium apps. This proportion is even higher in the Google Android Market where 65% of the revenue from the top grossing apps is generated by freemium apps. (according to DISTIMO)

The whole purpose of a freemium business model is to introduce potential Customers to a starter version of its product(s), so that they will see its value and hopefully decide to purchase the premium version of the product. This type of business model works great for newer products that do not have established brands, as it gives users the opportunity to try out the product without purchasing it. This allows the product to sell itself and hopefully convince the user that they should purchase the premium version of the product. The key to success with the freemium business model is that the seller is able to differentiate the starter and premium products in a way that encourages users to purchase the premium product. To move to a cause business model, a company simply increases its freemium product price to a minimal fee and gives all proceeds away to a selected charity or cause. The idea is that aligning your company name with a social cause generates positive press and enhances the overall value of your company’s brand, while at the same time still acquiring new Customers through the low overall starter product cost. For most established products and/or brands, the cost-benefit comparison will be positive because the number of Customers lost due to the increased price will be small relative to the number of new customers acquired through the cause generated publicity. The reasons why this works are:

- Customers love deals and equate more value to goods they pay for than free products
- Consumers like to help others, as it produces a feel good sensation, and they are willing to pay a premium on products in return for this feeling.

One company that has benefited greatly from its move to the cause business model is Atlassian. In 2009, Atlassian decided to test the charity business model waters by temporarily converting its JIRA starter software to a cause business model in an attempt to get more traction in the small business segment. They did so by running a 5-day campaign where they charged $10 for 10 licenses and donated all their proceeds to a literacy charity called Room to Read. After 5 days they more than quadrupled the forecasted sales and decided to test the model over a longer period of time. Realizing that the cause model was generating more interest in their products in the small business segment and overall, they decided to extend the test to see if the increased consumption behavior was sustainable. The trends continued and Atlassian decided to fully adopt the cause business model. Atlassian credits the business model for its significant increase in customer acquisitions and upsell percentage. However, this is not a one strategy fits all scenario. The cause business model works best with companies that:

-Have established brands
-Have consumer focused products
-Sell high volume products

On the other hand, if you develop, produce or publish mobile Apps, freemium is the speeding train that you don’t want to miss out on this year.

Right now, 30 out of 40 of the newest Apps are free, that is 75 percent – the highest it’s ever been before. According to IHS, the majority of Apps downloaded in 2011 were free. “Smartphone users overwhelmingly prefer free Apps to paid Apps, as we estimate 96 percent of all smartphone Apps were downloaded for free in 2011,” said senior analyst of mobile media, Jack Kent.

It has become more difficult for App developers to make money on Apps that require an upfront purchase. According to the report, in-App purchases, which is one way developers make money with freemium Apps, accounted for 39 percent of total market revenue in 2011 with a dollar amount of $970 million. Those numbers are predicted to increase to 64 percent and $5.6 billion by 2015.
Freemium Apps are free to download with offers to upgrade an item, buy game coins or points, or unlock additional levels by paying for them through in-App purchases. In 2010, App Store reviews from users were trashing the in-App purchase model as a sneaky way of getting money out of users. Plenty of reviews stating, “Free to download, but you have to buy stuff if you want to get anywhere in the game. No thanks, I’m deleting this App.” can be seen in older review comments for the first wave of “freemium” Apps. Soon it will be difficult to find Apps that aren’t using a free-to-download model.

Even non-gaming Apps have to compete in the freemium market. Just as porn pioneered the web business model, “Games pioneered the in-App business model,” said Kent. “Now, the Approach has proven so successful, companies building other types of smartphone Apps must adopt this strategy if they are to maximize their mobile App revenues.”

The most popular in-App purchase was for game features like unlocking weapons or changing outfits and they accounted for 22 percent of the most popular in-App purchases. Time limited navigation services, dating and premium social networking access, photography and video Apps are also on the list of popular freemium money makers.

Freemium Apps are obviously working both for consumers and developers/publishers, and the trend will clearly continue in 2012. Already of the top-ranked 250 iOS Apps across all categories, an average of 88% are free to download, monetized with advertising and in-App purchases. If current trends continue, this time next year in certain categories all relevant iOS Apps will likely be free.

At the end of 2011, both the Apple App Store for iPad and the Apple App Store for iPhone still beat the Google Android Market in terms of the total revenue generated by the 200 highest grossing apps. IN fact, the Apple App store for iPhone generates about four times the revenue that is generated in the Google Android Market.

The number of downloads in the Apple App Store for iPhone in China increased dramatically this past year. Comparing the number of Apple App Store downloads in the US with the number of Apple App Store downloads in China, we see that China now generates 30% of the total downloads of these two countries in the Apple App Store for iPhone. The number of downloads generated in the Apple App Store for iPad in China are even closer to those generated in the US: China generates 44% of the iPad downloads of these two countries!

Where or where did Europe go?