Applications in the service of community

Jamie RiddellEntrepreneur

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This presentation is available at www.jamieriddell.com &

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Then vs Now• Last year was about the overall growth of social

networks and how we can harness them for marketing – (find it here: http://bit.ly/goldendove08)

• This year we are talking about the growth within social applications. How the applications are now the thing.

Some definitions for this presentation:

• Applications: Software/Tools/Widgets that allow specific uses within the social network or community e.g. Farmville on Facebook or software to run on mobile ‘phones

• Community: A collection of like minded individuals connecting on a website or communication tool

Why ‘Social’ Apps?

1. Apps are of little value if no-one is using them2. Word of mouth is great/free promotion

Ensuring that your app is socially ready ensures your consumers actions will also work to broadcast [the app] to a wider audience

Ever seen an app?

My App usage for this presentationTweetDeck – Twitter app: Knowledge Share, Promotion of work/links, Distractions!

iPhone Apps – Travel, Budapest, Twitter

This presentation will be uploaded to Slidehare & shared to my business community through Linkedin App

Must stop checking my farm on Facebook, I have work to do!

Why are apps important?

1. Consumers are spending a lot of time within apps

2. Apps are BIG business = $200m revenue for Apple, Zynga – creator of Facebook games like Farmville will turn over $100m this year

3. Apps have the opportunity to bring your brand to a connected audience across multiple platforms

Why should we be thinking about apps?1. Advertising [accountable]2. Brand Immersion/Relationship3. Direct Revenue Streams4. Multi Channel/Platform Opportunities

Advertising Brand Immersion Direct Revenue Streams

Mobile AppsMobile phone apps are available across the major ‘phone operating systems & handsets

Mobile Apps are BIG business• Mobile apps are estimated to be worth c. $200m this year for Apple but

just $5m for Google Android..• If Apple takes 30% of app revenue, that makes app sales worth c. £666m

this year• The social aspect to apps is also very important whether you are part of an

app or you launch your own app

Mobile Apps – Possibilities are endless•Brands can participate in these mobile channels by creating their own apps

•These can either be an extension of the web presence or something related to the business/organisation

•The apps can be offered free or for a price

Examples

UK Newspapers are charging for an app to allow access to restricted content on the web

Brands like Amazon are offering apps as an extension of their existing offering

How can you benefit from a mobile app?

• Advertise on other people’s apps– Many companies can offer advertising

opportunities – Choose the apps you think are right for your

audience, define the purchase model – buy ads– Great for awareness and clicks but not for long

term interaction or consumer ownership

How can you benefit from a mobile app?

• Create your own app– Like a social media campaign, consider:– What you can offer the consumer

• Content, Convenience, Entertainment

– Identify the right app platforms• Just iphone or all platforms?

– Define business model • Is it free? Will we make a return on business

sales?• Will we charge? = Direct revenue, smaller take up• How are we going to promote this?

– SOCIAL!!!!

What App?• Let’s look at my app useage for this trip..

Travel : Brand Relationship. Free app, helps me interact with BA

Maps : Provides information I need for a feePaid App from an unknown brand

Twitter : Premium app to access TwitterPaid App chosen after rave reviews fromother uses on Twitter

Barclaycard Water Slide : Free game taking the aspects of the commercial making it a fun branded game

Web Apps

See the full list from cnet: http://bit.ly/45T61r

Web Apps are increasingly

intertwining with ‘software’ as much

more of the functions or storage are done online ‘in the cloud’

Web AppsWhat to create? • Can you distill your site into an application? • Can we take elements of your site or business and add them

to Facebook/Linkedin etc.• Business Case – will this drive traffic to your site, will it

increase awareness, engagement, can we generate any direct revenue?– The aim here is to make your brand/business, or elements of it

portable

Don’t forget to share! If you are planning on making an app, not only does it need to be portable but also it needs to communicate!

Example: Facebook - Apps• Facebook is now the canvas – the apps are the features you decide

to include to enhance your experience.

• For Facebook read, other social networks

One of the most popular is Farmville – a simple game of building a farm and earning virtual money from it.

62,500,000 active monthly users50,000 ‘tractors’ sold every day

Raise money & awareness from games

By running this promotion, Zynga – the owners of Farmville have donated over $500,000 in just over one month.

Don’t Forget the Social Bit!A successful app need the ability to tap into social networksThis can be a number of ways:

Spymaster – a game played online, connected through Twitter or Facebook Success in the game is particularly calculated by the size of your twitter followers & how many are also on the game Growth achieved through Twitter promotions

Farmville – Awareness of the game & associated events are communicated through suggesting updates to your status (with branding)

Shozu – A mobile application allowing you to upload pictures and send updates to all your social networks

Shozu

Shozu – a mobile app allowing you a central location for uploading pictures & updating your social networks.

On every upload it includes the tag ‘Shozu’ – self promotion at every step!

www.shozu.com

The Importance of Multi Channel Apps

Successful apps will breed loyalty

This loyalty needs to be repaid by making apps available across multi platforms

When planning app development, think not only about what is now, but what is coming…

The Next 12 months?

The rise of Google Android mobile & associated apps

Last week’s launch of Twitter Lists will spawn a new series of marketing opportunities & additional apps

Future Social Networks?

A small request…

Send me one postcard, with one travel tip & I publish it. A small but growing community of postcard generated content!

www.pleasesendmeapostcard.com PSMAP | PO Box 906 | Ipswich | IP1 9PP | UK

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Please-Send-me-a-Postcard/162832290946

Any Questions?

E: jamie@jamieriddell.comT: www.twitter.com/jamieriddell W: www.jamieriddell.net