How-to-Market-and-Promote-Your-App

E-BOOK 20 Winning Strategies for a Successful Mobile App Launch Your app looks great and is ready to go live But getting users to download the app is just as important as developing it So how you get your students to download it and keep using it over time? Here are 20 winning strategies to get you started Build Anticipation Don’t wait until your app is live to get people excited Let potential users know it’s coming and how it will enhance the campus experience, for instance, by placing news articles or pre-announcements on your website or portal Create a Mobile Brand Treat the launch of your app like you would any new product Create a mobile brand for a unified look and feel that runs throughout your campaign materials and events If you’re short on ideas or resources, you can even make it fun and hold a logo design contest Generate a QR Code Creating a QR code for your app is a great way to encourage downloads: with a quick scan, users are taken directly to the app store It’s easy to create a QR code using one of many free QR code generation websites MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE Make a Website Landing Page Create a landing page dedicated to your mobile app and drive all communications here Add links to the app stores for downloads Feature the app on the university homepage and link to the landing page from the main website navigation California State University, Northridge, Del Mar College, and the College of William & Mary have great examples of landing pages Promote it on Your Portal What site your students and employees visit most frequently? It’s probably your university portal Make sure you promote the app and its features here Send Email Announcements Multiple email blasts targeted to different groups of users, such as prospective students, current students, and alumni, are an effective way to introduce users to your new app and its audience-specific features such as Admissions modules for prospective students, or Donation and Networking modules for alumni MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE Hang up Posters, Banners and Other Displays Simple to create and distribute, posters, banners, and tabletop displays are an oldfashioned but still extremely effective way to announce your new app Post them at reception, in the cafeteria, at transit stops, on campus shuttles, in dorms, the library, on napkin holders—and anywhere else students congregate Advertise in Print Place ads in the campus newspaper, alumni magazines, and sports programs with a short link for easy download Don’t forget to include the QR code to make it even easier Advertise Online Create banner ads for your university website or the digital editions of the campus paper or alumni magazine Link through to your landing page with links to the app stores MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE 10 Share a Video In the age of YouTube, Snapchat, and Vine, videos are critical medium for introduce your app to students Videos don’t have to be expensive to create—enlist students to help create them! Watch videos from these schools to get inspired: • University of Notre Dame » • Portland State University » • Colgate University » 11 Spread the News at Live Events Set up information tables in the lobby, dining hall, at orientation or other events Give a personal demo and get users to download the app on the spot You might even consider a “reward” for downloading the app, like a branded t-shirt or sunglasses And don’t underestimate the power of free food, especially on university campuses MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE 12 Get Some PR Make sure the editors of your student newspaper are aware of the app launch and plan to run articles on the app and its many benefits Syracuse University and the College of William & Mary both had informative write-ups in their school papers 13 Share on Social Media Which social media channels you students use? Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine, Facebook, and Instagram are great places to promote your app 14 Create Information Cards or Postcards Printed information cards are easy to develop and distribute in key locations throughout campus 15 Enlist Mobile Ambassadors Staff and volunteers can be valuable ambassadors for your mobile app At William & Mary, mobile staff held trainings where they introduced all Residence Life and Orientation staff and volunteers to the app and its benefits They also provided them with information cards to hand out to students MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE 16 Start Outreach Early Target users early so that using your app becomes routine Georgetown University requests that new students download their app before they even arrive on campus, which in turn fosters lifelong usage The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill uses signage at New Student Orientation to promote the app its newest students 17 Create Special Event Modules Guarantee that users keep coming back to your app by creating modules for special events and programs Colgate University, for examples, provides a reason for users to return by continuously updating its modules They begin the school year with a New Student Orientation Module, which is replaced by Homecoming, and followed by Spring Party Weekend, Commencement, and more throughout the year MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE to create an app that provides valuable information about living on a budget at Harvard Today this is easier than ever as new tools allow non-developers to create new modules from scratch without any coding 18 Encourage Any Department or Student Group to Create their Own Modules You can also encourage any department, student or activity group to fully engage with the app by creating their own modules Harvard College enabled non-technical students, with no programming skills Other ideas for special modules include: • Academic Advising and Support • Career Advising, Career Fairs and Campus Recruiting • Greek Life • International Groups • Religious Life and Societies • Student Organizations and Fairs MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE 19 Use Push Notifications to Introduce New Modules and Onboard Users According to Localytics, users who opted in to push messages averaged 3x more app launches than those who opted out Use this powerful engagement method to alert users to new modules and features - keeping them returning to the app over time Push Notifications can also be used to onboard new users, orienting them to all your app has to offer 20 Keep Gathering Feedback Gather feedback through surveys and focus groups to make sure your app continues to meet user expectations, even long after your launch Cal State Northridge uses a Feedback button in their app that takes users to a quick survey directly within their app MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE REFERENCES http://info.localytics.com/blog/2015-the-year-that-push-notifications-grew-up ABOUT MODO LABS Modo Labs’ Kurogo Mobile Campus powers the mobile presence of a broad and growing range of institutions, from top universities to Fortune 500 companies The platform enables organizations to quickly create powerful multi-site and multi-role apps that work seamlessly with any data source on any device And best of all, non-technical staff can create powerful and beautiful apps that enhance the user experience and increase user engagement in ways previously only possible by hiring expensive mobile consultants and developers Hundreds of universities and organizations in more than 30 countries use solutions from Modo Labs to deliver rich mobile websites and native apps Modo Labs is headquartered in Cambridge, MA Interested parties can learn more about Modo Labs at www.modolabs.com MOBILE APP LAUNCH GUIDE – MODO LABS E-BOOK | PAGE 10