IPTV is at the forefront for many top consumer tech companies. At the CES show in January, Samsung announced the launch of Samsung Apps, a multi-device application store which would make apps available for a range of devices, including HDTV’s. As part of their announcement, Samsung named several content partners which were already on-board, including Blockbuster, USA Today and others. Yahoo is also one of the big players in the web TV app space with their TV widgets (http://connectedtv.yahoo.com/services/tv-widgets).  Yahoo has apps like YouTube, Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster, Twitter and TV Guide.

So, just what will be the killer apps for IPTV? I will explore some obvious, and not so obvious, killer apps for IPTV.

The IPTV Apps Already Being Consumed By Early Adopters

Content Discovery Apps for Long Tail Video & Professionally Produced Movies/TV: YouTube and start-up Clicker will compete with each other to be the TV guide of the future.  For movies, Netflix and Blockbuster are already providing on demand solutions for their customers. To be the killer app, these video services need to understand who is in the living room. If I am looking for content for just myself, I am likely to tune into business news or a historical documentary, if my wife, daughter and I are all sitting in the room, we are likely to watch American Idol as we all have at least some level of interest in it.

Content Discovery Apps for Music: Many televisions are already coming pre-loaded with Pandora. Whether you have friends over, or are simply looking for background music while you are doing something else, services like Pandora and Slacker provide a nice alternative to the radio or a personal music collection.

News/Weather: USA Today and AccuWeather.com were named as content partners for the Samsung App. The key question in my mind is, “what content will these companies showcase in the form of an app that will be more useful than simply tuning into a news or weather cable station?”

On-Screen Caller ID: Definitely not the killer app, but having caller id on your television is a nice utility to have.

Photo Viewing: Flicker and Picasa are already available for IPTV purposes. Browsing through photos on a giant high def television with your friends and family makes a lot more sense than crowding around a small desktop monitor.

The Future IPTV Apps That May be the True Killer Apps

Apps that Interact with Shows Themselves: These will likely take many forms.  Let’s consider several examples:

• You are watching Vikings versus Packers and the widget shows you the box score on the side or does polls like “should they go for it.”
• You could use Twitter or Facebook to see the crowd’s comments or your friend’s comments that are relevant to the program you are watching.
• You are watching a movie and a movie widget allows you to see information about the movie such as actors, directors, year released, reviews, etc.
• You are watching a show like American Idol and are able to cast your vote through your TV instead of calling in.

Social Media- Twitter was announced as a part of the Samsung CES press release. I would expect top existing social media players like Twitter and Facebook to emerge with top apps for IPTV. Wouldn’t it be cool to see your Twitter stream on a giant HDTV television or flip through your friend’s Facebook photos easily on your big screen?

Games- Today, consumers who want to play games on their televisions rely on consoles. Will they tomorrow? One scrappy start-up named OnLive is betting that you’ll play games directly through an internet connection. 

Family Calendars- Right now, it is common to still find a family calendar hanging on a refrigerator with various important dates scribbled on it. Why not turn tomorrow’s living room into a central calendar for the family, and sync up everyone’s calendars together using IPTV? The utility of a Windows app like Cozi would make for a nice background on an HDTV.

Video Call- How cool would it be to be to chat with loved ones on a giant screen, as if they are sitting in your living room? I expect existing video call players like Skype, ooVoo, and Logitech to compete to provide you with this type of functionality. Take video calling one step further, and imagine the use of 3D television capabilities to do video calling.

Now that we have the IPTV killer apps out of the way, how are you likely to gain access to them? This will be an important question for app marketers, as it will change the way they think about distribution. There is a heavyweight fight going between where the widgets/downloads will be placed:

• On your TV
• On a box like Roku or Boxee.tv
• On your video game machine like Xbox 360 or PS3
• On other devices like a Blue Ray player
• On a laptop with wired or wireless connection to your TV

If you disagree with my ideas for killer apps for IPTV, have a fantasy IPTV app of your own, or care to provide any other commentary on IPTV app trends, please share your perspective by adding a comment to this blog.

Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over ten, profitable years evolving W3i in the consumer application industry.

Software distribution is always a problem that publishers face.  Unless you have a loyal audience that you can market to within your app to gain further distribution, it’s becoming exceedingly difficult to get noticed across all platforms–desktop, browser, social and mobile.  Consider these numbers: currently, there are roughly 12,000 add-on’s in the Firefox add-on gallery (AMO).  In the Android Marketplace, at the end of December 2009, there were 20,000+ apps.  At the end of January, Apple’s App Store had a staggering 140,000+ third party apps available!  The number of desktop apps is in the millions.  Just imagine how these numbers will swell this year alone.  How does a publisher get distribution in a pool so massive? 

Here’s the problem: app stores are not built for software distribution for all publishers.  Only a select few are able to rocket to the tops of the charts and capture users’ attention.  These sites suit the aggregators well as they capture both the short and long tail, but what if you’re at the end of the long tail?  There are many ways to combat this; publishers need to seek more proactive ways to improve discoverability.  At the same time, publishers need to take advantage of solutions, such as W3i’s InstallIQ, that are built around distribution for all.  InstallIQ recommends relevant apps to users when they install comparable applications.  If you’re a publisher and have an app, it’s important to get face time with users.  W3i has nearly 10 years of experience connecting people to applications; that’s what makes us unique – that is our job and mission.  App stores are great for scale, great for the aggregator; but W3i can do what the app stores can’t: provide a software distribution solution that puts your application directly in front of users, out of all the clutter.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint.  

Jackpot Rewards Selects W3i for Consumer App Distribution

St. Cloud, Minnesota, February 9, 2010 – W3i, provider of marketing solutions that increase distribution, revenue, and engagement for consumer applications, announced today that Jackpot Rewards is now part of the W3i Application Network.  Jackpot Rewards, a sweepstakes and shopping rewards program, is using the W3i Application Network as a new application distribution channel for its free Jackpot Rewards application.

“The W3i Application Network provides a mass distribution channel for companies with consumer applications that are seeking customer acquisition beyond paid search and social media,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development at W3i.  “Jackpot Rewards recognizes the opportunity the W3i Application Network offers to grow its membership by expediting the discovery of its free shopping and sweepstakes application to millions of new users.”

Jackpot Rewards has a new and unique shopping and sweepstakes product for consumers, called “Shop to Win”.  “Shop to Win” is free to consumers and gives them the chance to win $500 a day and a $100,000 Jackpot for every $5 they spend at over 2,000 leading online retailers. 

“W3i’s distribution capabilities give us the opportunity to dramatically increase our memberships with a trusted partner,” said Jim Miller, the CEO and Founder of Jackpot Rewards. “We are excited about the results to date and look forward to a long-term relationship with W3i.” 

 About W3i: 

W3i increases revenue, distribution and engagement for consumer 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.  The W3i 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 350 million installs–currently 9.6 million installs monthly, W3i will prove to be a valued distribution partner in growing your consumer application business. To learn more, visit the W3i Application Network.

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.

What separates an app rock star, from an app hobbyist? An app rock star understands the power of distribution, whereas, an app hobbyist creates an app based on personal preference, without a clear app distribution strategy.

Do you want to be an app rock star? If so, consider the following proven guerilla and paid application discovery tips when formulating your app marketing strategy:

Guerilla tactics: If you don’t have a revenue model, but want to get your cool consumer app widely discovered, here are a few tips on how you can get distribution:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)- Organic search engine marketing is competitive for blockbuster keyword terms. Focus on a wider, niche-buster strategy to break through the clutter
   • Search Tips and SEO
2. PR/Social Media- Facebook and Twitter have millions of users. Make it easy for your apps biggest fans to start recommending your app to their friends
   • Some good stuff came out of VentureBeat’s DiscoveryBeat conference a week ago
3. App Galleries/App Stores/Directories- Whether you have an iPhone app and are publishing it to their store, a Firefox add-on on AMO(http://addons.mozilla.org), or a Windows app and published on a download library like Download.com (see Upload.com to submit your app).  There are many free sites where you can submit your app for a free listing.
   • Don’t Overlook Software Libraries, like download.com, as a Consumer Software Tactic

The main limitation with guerilla marketing is the lack of predictability, and the lack of scale. Most app marketers cannot get to a meaningful scale through a purely guerilla model.

Paid tactics: If you have a revenue model, it is easier to get scale fast.  There are a few additional options for you:

1. Paid Search Advertising: By far the most dominant way to market an application. Watch out though, keyword prices can be very competitive these days. Make sure you have a good landing page so your quality score is high.
2. OEM/Bundle Marketing Partnerships: There are bundle network solutions like the W3i Application Network that can get you very wide distribution fast. If you have a large budget, you can try cutting a direct deal with hardware manufacturers.
   • Wildtangent
     • Wildtangent became an immediate force in the casual game world because of the huge distribution agreements they signed
   • Yahoo, Microsoft Bing, HP/Ace
     • Lots has been said about Microsoft stealing the HP and Acer toolbar distribution deals from Yahoo
   • Hard drive/back-up drives and back-up software
     • Carbonite with Seagate
     • Similarly, Memeo with Western Digital 
   • Cisco thought so much about consumer app Network Magic that they bought out its parent company Pure Digital for many millions of dollars
3. Display Ads: Not as effective as they once were, but may be an opportunity. For display ads to be effective, your app needs to be supported by most platforms, otherwise you’ll end up with a bunch of users who can’t use your app anyway.
   • Optimizing Banners
4. Pay-per-download (PPD) advertising: Many of the download libraries, like CNET’s Upload.com service that manages listings on Download.com, provide pay-per-download advertising.
   • Don’t Overlook Software Libraries, like download.com, as a Consumer Software Tactic
5. Television & Radio Advertising: It might sound a little odd to many of you online marketers, but I have heard many consumer app marketers say that television and radio spots were very effective at driving web traffic.
   • Ascentive, Xeriton, and Carbonite all do radio and/or television
     • Television
       •  Carbonite                                                                                                                         
       • Ascentive’s FinallyFast.com
       • Norton 360
       • Windows I’m a PC
       • Apple series of “App For Everything” ads
         • I can’t confirm this one, but I heard at a recent conference that Apple maintains a schedule for the apps it will feature in its “App for Everything” television campaign, and they provide placement in the commercial as an extra incentive for certain iPhone app developers to meet their target release date
       • Parody- Florida/Key West travel bureau spoofed it
     • Radio
       • Carbonite- article about their use of radio
     • Retail
       • I would say don’t even bother with brick and mortar retail, but in certain app categories, you can probably get some traction.

Pick your partners wisely when it comes to paid advertising to support your application discovery. Most good channels allow you to try their model with low minimum commitments, and potentially work on a performance based pricing model.

Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over ten, profitable years evolving W3i in the consumer application industry.

The blogosphere is covered with posts that would have us believe that desktop applications and software are already dead (cloud, mobile, SaaS); however, retail sales for desktop applications and software are a multi-billion dollar industry. In April 2009, the NPD Group reported that PC software retail sales were around $3.4B per year and holding steady. The major change, however, is the impact the web is having on how desktop applications and software are distributed.  According to NPD, web application and software distribution has increased from 11.5% to 17% in the last 4 years.

Following I explain how the web has influenced software bundling.  I start with a brief background of OEM software bundling.  Next I discuss a new type of software distribution that we call recommendation based distribution, and conclude with answers to frequently asked questions regarding recommendation based distribution.

Software Bundling

Software providers (OEM – original equipment manufacturer) for decades leveraged value-added resellers (VARs) for driving sales of their software as part of a hardware/software package.  These marketing partnerships result in what is often referred to as a “bundle” due to the fact that complementary services are bundled together.

A common example is a new computer that includes Microsoft Windows®.  A few other applications routinely bundled include Office®, security, internet browser, and toolbar applications. 

This type of distribution is big business.  Here are a few examples:

1. HP & WildTangent – WildTangent became an immediate force in the casual game world because of the huge bundle distribution agreements that they signed.
2. Storage devices bundled with back-up software such as Carbonite with Seagate and Memeo with Western Digital Technologies.

User acceptance over the practice varies based on the type of users a VAR sells to as well as the quality and quantity of applications that they bundle. The two primary concerns raised by consumers are system performance and the nuisance of removing unwanted software.

Recommendation Based Distribution

Is software bundling fundamentally flawed?  Do users want to receive a more affordable package by having additional software marketed to them?

Now that many users are connected to the web, software can be merchandised effectively without preloading on the users’ systems in advance.  W3i research showed that software bundling is not fundamentally flawed.  Users are however, most receptive to receiving software offers if they are involved in the application selection process.  Users can see recommendations for other applications when they first run a new computer, attach a new external device, or download an application from the web.  The recommendations can call out to the web to retrieve the files required for presenting the recommendations, downloading, and installing.

W3i to facilitate this process created its own proprietary technology, InstallIQ, which supports a fully web-capable solution allowing us to create a software distribution experience that resembles an online shopping experience. 

Here is an example of a website, Wallpapers.com, that runs InstallIQ during installation:

Note the consistency between the initial website and continued branding through the installation process.  We call this feature installer skinning.  By leveraging the website’s brand equity and style in the installer we create a transparent and consistent experience that enhances usability and increases conversions (see our post Creating Consistency to Increase Conversions).

The same flexible technology is used to improve the presentation of software to users:

Notice above that the user has a clear and consistent navigation experience.  This navigation style was influenced by a case study, published by TRUSTe, as well as improvements such as a shopping cart feature that was added based on user feedback.  The cart shows specifically what applications were accepted followed by a check-out process where the user can review all of their selected applications and change their selections before the process is completed. 

Some providers struggle with clear and consistent navigation because it is challenging working with their existing installation packaging technologies.  Their user navigation requires very different buttoning when a recommendation is presented. This is something I like to call “opt-irritating”.

In summary, the web is enabling an evolution in software distribution and software bundling.  It is so different from how VARs bundled in the past that we feel a more appropriate category descriptor, for this methodology is recommendation based distribution.

Frequently asked questions

• Is this business model right for my software?  How will my users respond?

Software with a low propensity for users to purchase have the most to gain. Frequently, developers are experimenting with multiple business models and a hybrid approach wins out. For example, a leading security application offers a free light version which gets heavy downloads, generates revenue from advertising using installer recommendations, and later pitches premium paid services to its users.

The response by users vary greatly from one implementation to another. A software or application provider’s reputation is highly influenced by the quality of software they provide. Distribute high quality software which is monetized through a high quality bundle experience and users can and will be very satisfied.

W3i has an experienced staff that works closely with software providers to define the solution which best suits their needs, including support on decisions such as the:  

• • Customizable look and feel
  • Select which, and how many, applications you want to recommend
  • Determine when you want to present the recommendations, whether it is with new installations or with special upgrades
  • Data-driven recommendations for optimization
• Who should I form a marketing partnership with?

Most consumers and developers are in agreement that security and trustworthiness are key when choosing a marketing partner.  Users’ trust is earned by providers who define, educate, and simplify the process so users can effectively take control.

There are a few techniques you might consider when selecting marketing partners.  How recognized are their brands? How useful is their software to your users? What comments, reviews, or ratings have been written about them? Ask your users what they think about the partner or think about how your user persona would most likely respond.  What commitment do they make in educating users about their practices and policies?  Do they have any third party validation and monitoring in place such as certification in the TRUSTe Trusted Download program?

Brands continue to play a key role.  Partners should stand behind their practices with full disclosure and branding.  They should proudly make visible who their marketing partners are instead of burying themselves in a privacy policy or by engineering their technology so it cannot be distinguished on its own.  Be cautious of providers with little or no reputation or experience.  If very few people say something positive or negative about them and they have significant distribution volumes, it says something about their commitment to creating awareness with their users.

• How many additional offers should I present in any single installation?

W3i conducted a test where 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 offers were tested.  The results showed that the quantity had a minimal impact and that the relevancy of the offers was more important.  Relevancy impacts whether the user will complete the installation of the software, keep and use the software, and whether they will accept offers.

Be sure to consider not only how many offers you distribute but whether or not you will allow the offers to include other offers in their updates or a subsequent run process.  W3i’s policy, which it enforces, prohibits advertisers from promoting additional offers.  Some companies say they only distribute one offer but they do not have policies against what their advertisers distribute and so in reality, users that accept a single offer actually end up getting pitched more than one offer, often within moments of downloading and installing.

As you can see online recommendation based distribution borrows from but also significantly enhances software bundling to make it more appealing to users. The solution continues to evolve but the basics laid out above are the foundation for successful online software distribution.

By mastering recommendation based distribution, your applications can leverage a proven model that enables you to be relevant through effective distribution and monetization.

Get more in-depth information about software or application distribution through W3i’s blog, newsletter, or reaching out to us directly.

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

As 2009 comes to a close, 2010 will usher in some fantastic changes for applications.  I am making three application predictions for next year, showing the application landscape’s constant shift and change to meet new user and market demands:

1. The Rise of Social Security Apps
   As phishing, worms and viruses become more prevalent on social networks (see: Koobface and Mikeyy); I predict in 2010, we will see a rise of applications and browser add-ons dedicated to improve security on social networks.  These apps will function as scouts, preemptively warning users to impending dangers, such as worms that intend to gather sensitive information available on your social network profile.  The need for these types of apps is clear and would provide a great protective benefit to consumers.
2. Location finds its way to Desktop Apps
   There are many great social location-based services gaining momentum with users as of lately:  Gowalla, Foursquare, and Loopt are just a few.  Yes, these services are generally best rendered on a mobile device.  But I predict, in 2010, that many of these services will create auxiliary desktop apps.  Presence on the desktop would offer an enhanced user experience: persistent views into location of friends, trip planning/scheduling, landmark information and media, local event information, management of digital collectibles, and account management options.
3. Application Indexing Improves
   I’ve written previously about how application indexes should improve.  These services, such as Wakoopa, catalog desktop applications and their related usage data. I predict these services will improve greatly in 2010.  Currently, their user base skews heavily towards the tech-savvy audience.  To truly index the world of applications, these services need to gain acceptance from all demographics and I predict they will crack this nut next year.  These services will then grow in popularity on a scale comparable to mobile app stores, such as Apple’s App Store and Google Android’s Market.

So there you have it; three application predictions for 2010.  But surely there’s more than just this.  What predictions do you have for the application landscape next year?  Be bold and leave your predictions in the comments!

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint.  

It might surprise you to know that the average add-on in the Firefox Gallery received about 100,000 installations.  It might surprise you more to know that the average application in the W3i Application Network (AppNet) received 1 million installations (850% more).  W3i is an effective browser add-on distribution channel.

In my role as VP of Corporate Strategy I oversee our Product Management team which leads our market research efforts.  Much of my team’s research is focused on application distribution and discovery.

In this post, it is my goal to share with you a few insights which we learned through market research to help you find the add-on distribution channels that are a great fit for your app.  This is important because the number of apps is increasing exponentially and for your app to get discovered, you need to utilize the most effective distribution channels available.

The top add-on distribution channels are:  search, download directories, affiliate marketing and display advertising.  However advertisers that use an installer recommendation system, like the W3i AppNet, categorize it as one of their most effective distribution channels.

Add-on advertisers should consider scale, quality, and price when considering distribution channels.

1. Scale – When considering scale, a user might consider the quantity of applications competing for distribution as well as the amount of distribution available.

   The W3i AppNet may not drive as many downloads as the Firefox Gallery (usually referred to as AMO after the URL http://addons.mozilla.org) in aggregate; however, with far less competition the average app receives 850% more installs.

2. Quality – How will the users perform that install your app?

   W3i works with advertisers to understand their key performance indicators and then works with the advertisers to match up their app to users which meet their KPI goals.  Simply put, W3i works with the advertiser to find users that find their app relevant.

   In a recent survey of 502 users, we found that users that prefer to pay for their software using an ad-supported solution, the preferred method is to see ads within the installation or download instead of ads in their application or participating in market research.

3. Price – How much will it cost to get quality users?

   W3i believes in a value-based pricing approach.  The app advertiser pays per install but the rates per installation are set based on the value created by those installations.

Now that you armed with some criteria to consider when evaluating add-on distribution channels you can leverage this criteria to assess the various distribution channels available for your app.  In doing so, you can establish effective distribution channels which are a good fit for your app.  This will allow you to remain relevant and not get lost in the crowd.

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.

On a regular basis, it’s important to take a look at the application user experience and truly try to understand the value delivered to users.  When this topic comes up, some questions arise:

1. Since this is so subjective, how does one accurately measure value? 
2. How can you be sure your marketing is properly conveying value to end users?
3. How can one quickly and easily measure value?

There are a variety of ways to determine value; listening to your users is a big one, revenue generation can give some insight, but when asserting the value that an app communicates and subsequently provides, there must be a quick and easy way to measure value.  For this reason, we’ve created a tool called the Application Value Matrix.  Two performance indicators are used to determine the value that is communicated and delivered to users: attrition, which is the rate users uninstall an application, and acceptance, which is the rate users decide to download/install an application.  By plotting these two performance indicators, you can easily gauge how well you are communicating and delivering value, understand how these two metrics are related, and subsequently take action to improve.

The Application Value Matrix is divided into four quadrants:

1. Valued:  High Acceptance, Low Attrition
2. Misinterpreted Value:  High Acceptance, High Attrition
3. Unrepresented Value or Niche:  Low Acceptance, Low Attrition
4. No Value:  Low Acceptance, High Attrition

I challenge you to plot your apps onto this matrix.  By doing so, you can determine certain action items necessary to improve the value communicated and/or delivered to users. 

So, what does each quadrant mean?

Valued

This quadrant embodies effective value communication and delivery to users.  Users understand the value that the app provides up-front, thus there is high acceptance of the application.  Users value the application as they use it, thus there is low attrition.   Even if your application falls into this quadrant, it’s important not to stand still.  Continue to deliver value to end users through consistent improvements and by being the best of your breed.  Also, remember that delivering value does not mean piling on new features or adding unnecessary complexities.

Misinterpreted Value

Apps that fall into this quadrant have high acceptance and high attrition.  So what does this mean?  One of two things:  first, it could mean your marketing campaigns communicate value that fails to be delivered to users, thus causing high attrition.  If this is the case, look at your marketing assets and adjust the communication so it properly conveys the true value your app provides.  Second, this could mean (and this is probably rare) that your app is a victim of the “hype machine”.  Perhaps you have a lot of positive press about your app, causing a lot of people to download your application.  However, upon using it, a large percentage of users find that it’s just not for them.  Maybe it does deliver value to a subset of users, great; but seek to understand why the majority did not find value in your app.

Unrepresented Value or Niche

Apps that find themselves in this category have both low acceptance and low attrition.  Again, this can mean one of two things.  First, it could mean that value is not effectively communicated to users.  Look at your marketing campaign and enhance the messaging so it truly communicates the problems your app solves for users.  Second, this could mean your app is niche.  A certain subset of users wants your application and this subset truly values your application.  If this is the case, formulate a plan to enhance your application to improve acceptance for new personas or markets. 

No Value

The meaning of this quadrant is fairly intuitive.  Very few users download your application and of those who do download it, have high attrition.  The good news is that in this quadrant, you have nowhere to go but up.  Ultimately, you need to focus on the value your app provides first before you look at enhancing your marketing assets.  This is not a “chicken or egg” scenario.  There is only one thing that can come first and that is delivering value.  Once you have achieved this, you can quickly follow up by improving value communication for a one-two punch.  To improve value delivery, ask yourself some questions:  Are you properly engaging users?  Are you truly solving a problem that exists in the market?  Is your app easy to understand and use?  Did you design it with yourself in mind and not your users?

I hope you find this tool useful as it is important to effectively create and communicate value.  This tool is not meant to substitute other important ways to measure the value your app provides, such as user feedback and other various performance indicators.  The Application Value Matrix is intended as a supplement, used to quickly and easily identify areas for improvement.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint.  

As I was reading about the growing use of social media as a device for content discovery, a couple things became clear to me.  First, the article mentions social media as the next great gateway for users to discover stuff that is meaningful to them.  I agree.  Social media is a great vehicle to find information and content from people you trust.  But recent news of Twitter’s stalling growth, Facebook flattening and MySpace’s descent into a ghost town (ok, not so recent news there) lead me to believe that social media will not displace conventional means of content discovery, such as search, information portals, etc.  So let’s face it, discovery will continue to pervade multiple channels.  It also became clear that most of these discovery gateways are reactive, involving users seeking out said content.  In the long run, that’s not enough.  In order to maximize discovery, especially in regards to application discovery, one needs to employ a multi-pronged approach: one that is both proactive and reactive. 

First, let’s talk about reactive methods.  Enabling reactive methods of application discovery can be time-consuming and produce results slowly especially if you are just getting started (sure, there are rare exceptions to this rule).  For a publisher, it usually involves methods, like SEO, that are set to invite users to discover whatever their content may be, such as a new app.  Even social methods require users to find you and subsequently follow you, which is indeed a passive step that must be achieved before a social conversation can start.  It’s sort of like standing patiently at a mixer, waiting for people to just come up and chat with you because you look cool.  While that might produce some results, the best way for those to discover you is to get out, introduce yourself, and bump a few fists.

So let’s talk about proactive discovery.  An app with a great user experience, solving user problems without an active user base is worthless.  Publishers need to take a multi-pronged approach to improve discovery in order to build an engaged user base.  This includes standard reactive discovery gateways such as search and social, but also proactive methods that get your app in front of actual users saying “hello, nice to meet you”.  It dawned on me that W3i’s InstallIQ intuitively fit as a distinct proactive method to virtually shake hands (or fist bump) with users.  InstallIQ engages users on the install of an application; meaning that you have users’ undivided attention and have taken control over your discoverability destiny.  This proactive method is as equally important as reactive methods, but is one that is often lacking from marketing plans.   Proactive application discovery has less up-front investment (much like going up to someone and simply introducing yourself – no need to cultivate and hone your meta data for someone to spot you) and produces quicker results (hey, some of those people will introduce themselves back!).  The numbers don’t lie.  Within 8 months of launch, W3i’s InstallIQ helped a weather widget install a staggering 1.5 million apps.  Within 6 months of launch, a shopping widget gained an active audience of 3 million users via InstallIQ.  A proactive approach to application discovery can produce great results.

W3i offers a chance to proactively engage users and increase awareness, therefore, leaping over the difficult discoverability hurdle.  So how has your application discovery destiny played out?  Have you taken control of it?  How has it worked thus far?  Let your voice be heard in the comments.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint. 

As you know, W3i gives users access to a wide catalog of applications on a variety of unique sites. At the same time, we also create value by connecting users to other apps they might find useful, interesting or relevant during the installation of these applications. As a clear investment in our application network, content discovery and furthering distribution opportunities for our advertising partners, I have the pleasure of announcing the release of a new internal product called Integrated Content Network.

Integrated Content Network (known internally as ICN) improves content discoverability through increased content availability and dynamic categorization on our sites. This benefits both users and advertisers. Users will discover more applications to download thus leading to greater distribution opportunities for our advertising partners, getting more of their applications in front of more potential users. Visit the freshly redesigned Freeze.com to see our first site powered by ICN.

But there’s more: ICN also increases internal efficiencies by leaps and bounds, allowing us to ensure we stay on top of application trends and seasonal changes. Couple that with ICN’s real-time site updates and we’re set to meet users’ needs with great speed.

ICN has a bright future. We have some great things in store for it, providing even further benefits to our partners and users. When these improvements are ready to be rolled out, you’ll be sure to hear about it.

As W3i moves forward, now is a better time than ever to become part of our application network. ICN is a perfect example of our investment in improving user experience and increasing distribution opportunities for advertisers. Looking for distribution for your app or monetizing your current traffic? You’ve come to the right place.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint.