Building mobile communities
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1) Building a mobile community requires engaging existing users through push notifications, interactions on social media, and game mechanics to improve retention rather than relying on paid acquisition. 2) Successful apps often replace or improve core phone functions, get users addicted through check-ins and leaderboards, or fill a niche for a passionate user group. 3) The user interface must be simple, fast, and get users into the core experience without unnecessary tutorials or signups. Touch inputs and minimal text improve the mobile experience.
Building mobile communities
- 1. Building Mobile Communities Engaging users in a world full of apps Emmanuel Bellity, Founder & CEO, HeyCrowd Internet & Mobile World 2012, Bucharest
- 2. The surge of mobile Macworld event 2007 : Steve Jobs announced the iPhone
- 3. The surge of mobile September 2012 : 700K apps on the App Store
- 4. The discovery issue In such a competitive space, getting discovered has become increasingly challenging. - Paid downloads / ads (Tapjoy, Admob, Flurry...)
- 5. The discovery issue Alternative App Stores (Chomp, AppsFire...)
- 6. The discovery issue Promo apps (Freeappaday, AppGratis, FreeAppMagic...)
- 7. App store analytics Distimo for app market analysis, App Annie for motoring your app rankings
- 8. App store analytics Flurry : benchmarked retention stats (general) and analytics on your app 76% of people stop using the app after 3 months
- 9. Retention is key Many overnight hits have quickly disappeared from the app store rankings. Need to improve retention to build an active and engaged community of users. example : Path => half of the total user base is active
- 10. Build a community - Paid downloads acquisition. Few apps can afford it and have positive ROI - Best customer is the one we already have. - An audience is people who interact with a service / A community is a network of people who interact with each other. You can buy an audience but not a community.
- 11. Hits : patterns Many successful applications are replacements / improvements from core functions in native Apple apps. Instagram (Camera), Sparrow (Mail), Whatsapp, GroupMe (Message), Skype, Tango, Viber (FaceTime / Phone), Brewster (Contacts), Spotify (iTunes), Dropbox (iCloud), Batch (Photos) ...
- 12. Hits : patterns Other successes like Foursquare have managed to get their fan base addicted and become part of their everyday lives. Recipe : Built a community, game mechanics, leaderboard, check in with push notifications, fun, early If not a core utility function and doesn’t create a community of users => it’s hard. Example : Banters
- 13. User Interface - Good UI, simplicity, fast - don’t add features, kill features - One main screen - Example : Instagram
- 14. User Interface - Avoid signups when possible - Get right into the core experience. First impression is key - Tutorial is not necessary
- 15. User Interface - Use touch instead of keyboard. Clear. Onswipe. Sparrow. Grid. - Don't make user write too much. example : Quora works better on the web - Short reviews (Yelp), short messages (Twitter)
- 16. User Interface For more UI inspiration : mobile-patterns.com
- 17. Interactions & Notifications «Without promotion, something terrible happens ...
- 18. Interactions & Notifications Nothing !
- 19. Interactions Your toolbox to not disappear : - Push notifications - email, SMS, facebook - Do it from day one ! (blog: Lies that losers tell : Ben Horowit)
- 20. Push Notifications Crucial ! With notification center, it’s less annoying Even if the user doesn’t open, he sees your app exists.
- 21. Interactions SMS & Address Book :
- 22. Interactions Facebook integration : Songpop
- 23. Interactions Facebook integration : HeyCrowd (Timeline / Open Graph)
- 24. Ego It’s all about looking good ! # of followers, # of likes, Klout score, good pictures, winning, rewards..
- 25. Game Mechanics Ranking, levels & Scores, game center. (Angry Birds, Temple Run)
- 26. Game Mechanics Badges & Stickers : Foursquare, GetGlue
- 27. Game Mechanics Compete with friends : Draw Something, Songpop, Zynga with Friends... Almost impossible to play alone. Notifications + Retention + Chat + Ego + Game + Simple + Fast + Facebook => perfect combo
- 28. Focus on a niche Get passionate users who will interact and spread the word Ex: Foodspotting for foodies
- 29. Focus on a niche Other ex : Runkeeper for runners (Here is the founder running with his app costume !)
- 30. Build the community outside mobile Lyft puts a pink moustache on every car to be clearly recognized
- 31. Build the community outside mobile HipMunk logo is also a real mascotte in their office !
- 32. THANK YOU emmanuel@heycrowd.com twitter : @ebellity