You can’t wait to show it off and start engaging your mobile audience with exciting news, sending notifications, and piling up automated participation statistics from geofences and beacons.
It’s been in the app stores for two weeks. You sign into your administrator tools, check the downloads, and … well, not much to see there.
Unfortunately, having an app doesn’t always translate into instant success. Unlike a certain baseball field in Iowa, if you build it, they might not come. Start spreading the news
We can’t afford to hire Captain Obvious as a spokesman this month. (Maxed out the Visa during spring break vacation.) But if we could, he would likely pass on some sage advice on this topic such as:
True, it takes some work. But to have a successful app, you need to include engaging information and promote the benefits of the app to your mobile audience on a consistent basis.
And with that in mind, here are a few ideas from some of our clients (your peers) on how to raise awareness about your app and drive those engagement statistics upward.
Tulane
The Tulane Alumni Association kicked off an alumni engagement campaign earlier this year and its “EverGreen” app from MobileUp plays an integral part in the drive.
Using the app, alumni complete activities under the following categories: Connect, Go, Give, and Volunteer. The MobileUp Traditions module is used to track completions in each category and help the Tulane Alumni Association identify participating members so they can reward them with Green Waves swag.
Here is an email that introduced the campaign to members. Note the app promotion at the bottom:
This page on the Tulane website also provides an effective description of the program and the app:
Finally, this video about the alumni engagement program concludes with a mention of the app:
The Results: Check out the spike in sessions when the first email was distributed (March 22) and the days after.
Wichita State
The Wichita State Alumni Association used a giveaway (Shocker car shades and sunglasses) as an incentive for members to download and sign into its app.
The “Giveaway!” tile on the home page connected users to an entry form built in the MobileUp administrator tools.
A page on the Wichita State Alumni Association’s website also promoted the giveaway and how to download the app.
The Results: The promotion produced a noticeable increase in user sessions as shown here.
Kansas
Everyone loves T-shirts. We will prove it in the next two examples.
February is time for the annual Member APPreciation Month for the KU Alumni Association.
As in past years, the association produced a T-shirt in conjunction with Charlie Hustle, a popular clothing company in nearby Kansas City.
The unique design and popularity of the Charlie Hustle brand made the T-shirt a desired commodity among the Jayhawk faithful.
The association used those two factors to its advantage to drive app downloads.
To get the shirt, members first had to have a current association membership and they also had to use the app to initiate the purchase.
Here is the first of a series of emails sent to members (active and those needing to renew).
The Results: The app received 430 new users on Feb 1, the first day the shirt was available for purchase. Rock Chalk!
Mississippi
The Ole Miss Alumni Association also celebrates Member APPreciation in February. Likewise, it used a T-shirt as part of a promotion to its members.
A home screen tile and notification were among the ways the association alerted users about the promotion.
The Results: The bump in new app users on the first day this shirt was available is easy to see. Hotty Toddy!
Colorado State
We will end our app promo examples with something fun for your feet from our friends at the Colorado State University Alumni Association.
This promotion awarded a pair of Ram Socks to any new or renewal membership that was made through the app.
This notification alerted members to the promotion.
A tap on the notification or tile on the app home screen connected users to this existing web page and payment form on the alumni association’s website.
The Results: The notification about the promotion generated nearly 140 app opens (engagements) when it was sent.
Need more ideas?
These are just a few ideas to help you promote your app. As with any marketing endeavor, the keys are to 1) get started as soon as you can to start raising awareness and 2) stay consistent with your outreach.
For assistance with your app or to discuss your app promotion strategy, reach out to us at support@mobileupsoftware.com.Z
