St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 29, 2009 – Rob and Ryan Weber, founders of W3i in Sartell, MN, win the first ever, Young Entrepreneur Award, presented by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.  The award recognizes young entrepreneurs who are running successful businesses in the metro area.

Rob and Ryan Weber started W3i in 2000 under the name of Freeze.com.  Recognizing that consumers want quality, free applications, they built a network of publishers, advertisers, and consumers.  Publishers are looking to increase revenue for their applications funded by advertisers that want to increase distribution, and consumers that want useful, free PC applications.  W3i brings all these interests together in the W3i Application Network.  Their business grew rapidly, and the Application Network is now averaging 9 million installations each month. 

Rob Weber is now the Vice President of Business Development while Ryan Weber is the Vice President of Corporate Strategy.  In these roles they identify and pursue opportunities to continue to grow the company.  “Free applications are in even more demand in this weakened economy,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development.  Publishers and advertisers of applications are looking for alternative ways to grow their businesses.  W3i provides the revenue and traffic to make that happen.”

“Hats off to Rob and Ryan Weber,” comments Andy Johnson, CEO.  “They developed a passion for Internet marketing at an early age and put that passion to work in expanding their business.  By making their technology available to other application marketers through the W3i Application Network, they are helping other entrepreneurial application companies succeed.”

About W3i
W3i increases revenue, distribution and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free and trial applications monetized by the distribution of additional, relevant applications when the consumer is in the installation mindset.  W3i’s Application Network uses InstallIQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installation manager, the first installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program.  Tested and optimized on over 300 million installs–currently 9 million installs monthly and growing, W3i will prove to be a valued partner in growing your application business. To learn more, visit W3i’s Application Network.

I returned from Boston last week after attending my first Software Industry Conference (SIC).  In this post I wanted to share with you some general information about the conference, the buzz, and information about W3i’s participation to keep you up to date with what transpired.

General Information

• The conference was held at the Boston Marriot in Quincy from July 16th to July 18th.
• Attendance was down a bit with an estimated 200 attendees (attributed to the economy).
• Cost was only $269 at the door and as low as $229 if you registered early enough!  The organizers aim to keep costs down so that even small publishers can afford to attend.  The cost of admission includes a full conference pass, breakfast each day, food in the evening at events, and one luncheon.
• Though inexpensive, the conference is packed with things to keep you busy including educational sessions, exhibit night, networking events, and the Shareware Industry Awards.

The Buzz

• There was quite a bit of buzz around the topic of business models.
• Free and paid models were discussed including very innovative approaches at improving performance with both.
• The dominant model is definitely paid shared by participants and their service providers.
• Publishers were very focused on a paid only model and hadn’t considered a hybrid model, which would leverage both paid and ad-supported options.
• The hybrid model though may satisfy the greatest number of users.  I found an article on how online music is being impacted by free ad-supported alternatives and I thought this was a great parallel to how publishers might want to consider hybrid models with downloadable software.
• I was excited to learn of a few publishers that were willing to participate in hybrid model trials to explore this further.  This may include both high and low converting shareware titles mixed with the ad-supported solution offered by my company.  I hope that we can complete these trials and share our findings at a future date through a subsequent blog post.

W3i’s Participation

• I gave a presentation titled “Increasing Your Bottom Line through Leveraging an Understanding of User Engagement”.  In my presentation I highlighted suggestions and examples of how application publishers are improving user engagement from initial discovery all the way through the complete customer life cycle.  By pleasing the user, you get the same benefits as if you just focused on revenue, only easier.
• My twin brother Rob spoke about How to Squeeze More Money from Your Apps in his presentation which detailed various business models.
• W3i announced a new product at the conference, 3quency, which aims to provide a better custom toolbar solution.
• W3i had a table at exhibit night which was the highlight of the trip for me.  For 3 hours a room was filled with conference attendees.  Here is a picture of me juggling in front of our table.
  

For any shareware providers interested in exploring a hybrid business model which includes ad-supported services provided by W3i, please contact us and we’ll discuss the details further.

I hope this wrap-up keeps you in the know and better yet drives you to attend next year’s conference in Dallas, which I hope to attend.

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Entrepreneur and pioneer of Internet marketing focusing on increasing revenue, distribution, and engagement for applications.

The ultimate goal of a download process is to increase conversion rates and ultimately overall revenue. The download process involves several steps and a user can easily get distracted or uninterested and cancel out of the process at any time.  Informing the user is vital in keeping the user involved in the process and committed to downloading the product.  Below are a few tips on how to better inform users and in the end, increase acceptance.

Limit the path
Too many options can sometimes become a bad thing.  Creating limited paths for users has definitely become a trend in the marketplace, especially when there is a specific conversion goal in mind.  The more focused a landing page or offer creative becomes, the easier it is for the user to find what they are interested in.

Reduce the friction
Users are not going to accept any offers if they don’t feel comfortable with the product they are downloading.  In order for them to feel comfortable, they need to understand it.  Educational graphics illustrating key functionality in one simple step increases user confidence.

• Bullets are an effective way to emphasize copy that highlights benefits and features
• Slightly larger font and bolded headlines tend to work the best
• Left aligned copy is the easiest to follow – the eye naturally reads from left to right, top to bottom

Create Consistency throughout the process
It is important to make the entire user experience consistent.  This can be done by using similar keywords in your text ad campaign, landing page and installer. Another way to create consistency is by using similar images and design elements throughout the download process. By having a consistent process, the user is more comfortable that they are ultimately downloading what they came in for.

Optimization Test Examples: W3i has tested out several of these concepts and have seen positivie results. Below are a couple of examples, one shown on a landing page optimization and one on an installer optimization.

Landing Page:

Results: The new landing page provided a significant lift in EPC (earning per click) of 7%. Completed downloads also increased by 10%.

Installer:

Results: The new installer provided a significant lift in EPC (earning per click) of 7%.

Increasing conversions is necessary for W3i to help its clients be successful. These are just a few of the several ways to provide a better more consistent experience for users.  At W3i we focus on creating great user experiences as defined by the user.  Testing and optimization is a direct feedback mechanism for users and in the results above it is clear that users prefer a consistent, frictionless experience.

Jessie Golombiecki, Marketing Specialist, W3i
Jessie uses her experience in internet marketing, graphic design and testing to lead the charge in marketing management optimizing all touchpoints with consumers.

St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 16, 2009 – W3i, an application network that increases distribution, revenue, and engagement for Windows  applications, introduces a new service, 3quency^TM, a toolbar platform that simplifies the building of complex toolbars, including client and user customization features, that encourage engagement.   

Building a toolbar that engages the user with useful content and quality search capabilities is an effective marketing strategy to increase user engagement.  3quency makes it easy with drag-and-drop widgets and flexible design capabilities for stronger branding combined with W3i’s robust reporting system supplying the data needed for effective toolbar management.  “The technology makes it easy for a client to configure a toolbar’s content so that each user segment receives a unique, relevant experience that increases engagement.  Users can easily customize to suit their own needs; strengthening engagement resulting in longer user tenure and increased performance.” comments Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder of W3i.

The first toolbar delivered by 3quency is an upgraded and enhanced Freeze.com Toolbar offering more engaging content as well as access to the widget gallery.  The free Freeze.com Toolbar is one of the most accepted recommendations offered through W3i’s Application Network.

W3i to Distribute Cozi’s Photo Collage Screen Saver Application

St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 14, 2009 – W3i, provider of marketing solutions that increase distribution, revenue, and engagement for Windows applications, announced today that Cozi is now part of W3i’s Application Network.  Cozi, a free web service that helps busy families organize and simplify their daily lives, is using W3i’s Application Network to introduce its Photo Collage Screen Saver to a broader audience and grow its user base.

“W3i’s Application Network can be a significant source of new users for growth companies with Windows applications and various types of plug-ins,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development at W3i.  “Cozi joins a network of application companies in their efforts to ramp up user acquisition at a known ROI.  During the installation process, W3i’s Application Network leverages the demand for popular free applications by matching users with companies seeking distribution, such as Cozi and their Photo Collage Screen Saver, giving the user a value-add.”

The Cozi Photo Collage Screen Saver automatically finds digital photos already stored on the PC from vacations, birthdays, kid’s sports events and other family activities and displays them in dynamically generated photo collages on the computer screen, organized by event.  Cozi also offers a shared family calendar and solutions to organize household lists, share information and stay in communication.

“W3i’s distribution capabilities are helping us reach new users with a focus on family,” said Robbie Cape, CEO and Co-Founder of Cozi. “W3i’s Application Network is an effective way for us to promote the Cozi Photo Collage Screen Saver and expose this audience to all of the benefits of Cozi.”      

About W3i:
W3i increases revenue, distribution, and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free applications monetized by the distribution of relevant applications when the consumer is in the installation mindset.  W3i’s Application Network uses Install IQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installation manager, the first installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program.  Tested and optimized on over 250 million installs–currently 7.1 million installs monthly and growing, W3i will prove to be a valued distribution partner in growing your application business. To learn more, visit W3i’s Application Network.

About Cozi:
Cozi is a free web service that helps families organize and simplify their busy lives.  With Cozi, families have the tools to manage schedules, track shopping and to-do lists, organize household chores, and share family updates – all in one solution. Families can access Cozi from any computer at home or at work, and can get shopping lists, schedules and messages on any mobile phone. Located in Seattle, WA, Cozi was founded by veterans of Microsoft, Expedia, and Amazon with a vision for creating technology tuned to the family. Cozi has more than 1.5 million family members, and is available for free at www.cozi.com.

Press Contact:
Deborah Manthei
Director of Marketing Communications
320-257-7571
deborah.manthei@W3i.com

The names of companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Are you concerned that no one will notice your app?  There are now hundreds of thousands of apps available with a varying selection, accessible on almost any platform, whether it is mobile, web, or the desktop.  Is it possible for an app developer to build a sustainable business? 

Popular opinion suggest that you are not alone if you share these concerns:
Apple App Store: Overpopulated with Apps Nobody Uses – Mashable
The iPhone Success Stories That Are Fueling Copycats – mocoNews
Facebook Grew To 33,000 Apps And 400,000 Registered Developers Within 14 Months – Wikipedia

Our company, W3i, was founded by developing desktop apps to meet the demands of users.  Today, W3i is helping other developers distribute and generate revenue with their own desktop apps.  W3i installs more than 7 million desktop apps monthly and has distributed over 250M installs to date.

To help you succeed, I wanted to share with you a few suggestions: first, research the market and consider your resources; second, review and assess marketing options; and third, document and implement a marketing plan.

First:  Research the Market and Consider Your Resources

• Market Research
  • Market Focused: Before you build your app, research to see how much demand there is, as well as how competitive advertising inventory is.A few tools to consider:
    • Google Trends for keyword trends
    • Google AdWords: Keyword Tool for advertiser competition and keyword discovery.
    • Top 25 iPhone Apps
    • AppData.com for Facebook app and developer leaderboard
    • Wakoopa for the most popular Windows and web app
       
• Budget and Business Model Consideration
  • How much money can you afford to spend on marketing?
  • Have you explored business models to make money so that you can offset most of your user acquisition costs while you develop your primary business model(s)? You could even profit from the user acquisitions via paid promotions for your app if you have done a solid enough job with market research.Consider the following supplementary business models:
    • Windows
      • W3i’s Application Network – Get paid for the Windows application installations you distribute, which include software recommendations powered by W3i in your installer
    • Mobile
      • Google AdSense for Mobile Apps – Not just your typical text ads. Google now offers graphical ad units specifically optimized for mobile apps.
      • Greystripe – Recently, they launched a guaranteed CPM program because they were confident they could out pay their competition.
    • Facebook
      • Virtual Currency – Sell favor points leveraging Paypal or Zong or allow your users to earn them through taking offer-based advertising from Offerpal or SuperRewards.

Second: Review & Assess Marketing Options

• Consider alternative advertising distribution mechanisms
  • Windows
    • W3i’s Application Network – Access to 7M+ monthly installs. Pay only for completed installs. Target your desktop app using the user’s product interests, geography, required software, and more.
    • Upload.com’s Pay Per Download – A site for desktop app developers to submit downloads and purchase advertising for CNET’s Download.com. Pay for initiated downloads with their Pay Per Download program. Download.com generates 3M downloads per day according to a sales sheet they published as of May 2008. Because of the large number of apps competing on Download.com, you may find achieving significant scale to be challenging despite the high volume of completed downloads by users.
  • Widgets
    • Gigya – Syndicates your widget across the web.
    • ClearSpring – Syndicates your widget across the web including 50+ destinations.
    • W3i – Syndicate your widget to the millions of toolbars distributed by W3i.
  • Facebook
    • RockYou – Advertise your Facebook app within other Facebook apps.
  • Mobile
    • AdMob – Similar to RockYou, only you will be advertising your mobile app within other mobile apps. AdMob refers to this as the iPhone Download Exchange.
       
• Leverage social media to acquire users without advertising costs
  • Create a video demo for your product
    • Publish on YouTube

      • W3i put up demos of screensaver applications and within a short period of time has now generated 88,064 viewings throughYouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/ScreensaverCom

  • Create social networking accounts for your product
    • Allow your fans to help spread the word about your app and stay connected to the latest developments.
      • W3i created a Facebook account for its Screensaver.com applications and within a short time has 556 fans. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Screensavercom/56705948398
        
    • W3i created a Twitter account for its Screensaver.com apps and within a short time has 154 followers. http://twitter.com/screensavercom
      • Post comments at popular media outlets and include links to your app so that people interested in topics relating to your app are aware that it is available. This may also benefit your link popularity boosting your search engine rankings.

Third: Document & Implement a Marketing Plan

• Questions To Consider Answering In Your Marketing Plan
  • What is my positioning to users?
  • Who are my competitors? What makes them unique and valuable?
  • What are the top market segments that would be interested in my app?
  • What marketing strategies/tactics will I focus on for distribution?
  • How will I measure the success of my application?
  • What goals do I have for my application? What goals do I have with each of my marketing strategies or tactics?
• Implement The Marketing Plan
  • Prioritize based on the risk and reward.
  • Measure each strategy and tactic and change course as needed based on the best available facts.

I realize that distribution is a struggle for app developers and requires careful attention if one is to avoid the fate of so many quality apps that never get noticed or that are unable to generate sufficient funds to continue development.

W3i was founded in a dorm room; self-funded with no venture capital funding until after we succeeded with massive distribution many years later.

W3i has been continuously focusing on creating and distributing apps, using principles similar to those described in this post, allowing us to grow to the scale we are today.  Now we are committed to helping other app developers find similar success, and hope you consider W3i for any of your app distribution, revenue, or user engagement needs. To learn more, contact W3i.

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Entrepreneur and pioneer of Internet marketing focusing on increasing revenue and distribution for digital downloads.

Application discovery is a big problem.  While search engines index the entirety of the web, making it fairly easy to find content most relevant to my search query, trying to discover applications that meet my needs is a bit more difficult.  Where search engines utilize complex algorithms (see Google Page Rank) to determine importance of a page, searching through application indexes yield results that seem to be based on less sophisticated algorithms.  Seeing as applications are, arguably, more complex than a web page, the discovery process should be more robust.  Here are three ways that I think these indexes can improve application discoverability:

1. Download count isn’t the only thing that matters: If there’s one common bond between app indexes on the web, it’s that download count (or user count) seems to have the greatest influence on the results rank. Ok, I get it; more users must mean it’s a better application, right? Sure, fair indicator, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Give me more ways to sort the results. How about the ability of the app to solve a user’s problem? How important is an app to a user? App indexes need to figure this out. Implied data is good, explicit data is better. Look at usage, user life, reviews/ranks. All of this information matters when showing me relevant quality results.
2. Index Features: What if I’m looking for a particular feature in an application? Right now I am limited to two behaviors: One, download the app, see if it has the feature(s) I’m looking for, and uninstall if it doesn’t. Rinse and repeat. Two, navigate out of the index to the app site, try to find a feature list and make a decision from there. Features need to be clearly identified and meticulously indexed so my decision making process can be streamlined. Think of application indexes being a “decision engine”, just like Bing.
3. Eliminate the Techie Skew: Two of the main app indexes out there (Wakoopa and Software.Informer) require a user to install an application that indexes and then tracks your applications and their usage. But, let’s face it, the users that download these apps are skewed as techie users. While I consider myself a techie, I know there are other app user personas out there and that relevancy can only be improved by ensuring all apps get a fair representation from all constituents. These indexing services need mass appeal to provide a service that truly encompasses the world of apps.

App indexes are moving in the right direction towards solving the problem of application discovery.  I visit these sites regularly because it’s amazing to see what the thriving world of apps looks like when it’s indexed.   There is room for improvement, however.  Indexes like these should, and undoubtedly will, become better at enabling users to discover what apps will best solve their problems.  And don’t get me wrong, it’s no easy task; indexing applications and their related attributes is not like indexing web pages.  It’s not like you can pull a standardized feature set right out of an app; much of this information is crowd-sourced.  But it must improve; the discovery process needs to be more relevant, higher quality and more streamlined.  There needs to be a “killer app” of app indexes.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Eric uses his experience in graphic design, mobile, and internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution, from both a consumer and business standpoint. 

About W3i
If you need help with increasing distribution, revenue, or engagement for your Windows applications, contact us.  W3i has over nine years experience with over 250 million installations. App marketers join W3i’s Application Network to grow their application companies.