I suspect that most of you reading this blog post are interested in applications and are not Minnesota Timberwolves junkies or have some strange fix for the silly Trix rabbit.

Last week was an interesting week.  I found you can learn a lot about application marketing by listening to other successful businesses. 

I started off the week working with my team here at W3i on finalizing a survey for anyone in our industry on the topic of Application Distribution And Business Models.  For the first time, W3i offered a free White Paper to contacts who participated in the survey.  Immediately, we saw the number of completed surveys per solicitation outperform our wildest expectations (feel free to participate if you like).

On Wednesday, I headed to the Twin Cities for the PDMA event being hosted by General Mills’ iSquad team.  iSquad is a specialized business unit which helps facilitate new product development/innovation for Generall Mills.  General Mills sells $15B+ of food every year and has hundreds of products including my very own favorite, Trix cereal.  I hear a lot about General Mills’ world class marketing team, and after attending their presentation, I was not let down.

The iSquad team delivered a presentation on innovating innovation.  The four key aspects they outlined for their process were.

• Find Great Ideas Regularly
  • Using the I3 approach to identify great ideas.
    • Immersion – Understand the problem
    • Interaction – Experience the problem
    • Idea Creation – Solve the problem
• Expand Available Talent
  • Isaac Newton said it best “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants,” meaning you should leverage the best internal and external knowledge available so that you are not inefficiently discovering things which were already discovered. 
  • Similarly, you could think about partnering with other companies to increase your available talent
• Get Smarter Sooner
  • A new product blunder cost the company $16M which could have been prevented if they would have released an earlier prototype of the product and understood how it would be used.  Get Smarter Sooner is a commitment they have to get high quality, but not perfect, products to market to real consumers faster so that they have a better understanding of the opportunity/challenges for the product.
• Pave A New Way
  • They try to work within their organization to have cross-functional resources involved in new product development so that as the new product is developed and deployed there are experts who are prepared to help with the transition post-launch.

Last night Kurt Rambis (the new head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves and NBA legend) and players (7th overall draft pick Johnny Flynn and Ryan Gomes) presented my brother and co-founder, Rob and I with the The Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal’s 2009 Young Entrepreneur Award. Kurt spoke about the Timberwolves need to innovate if they are to become more effective than their recent struggles. The Timberwolves sponsored the event to engage the business community (potential customers of their corporate suites, etc.) with the major changes underway with the franchise. The changes to the front office, coaching staff, and players have led to a totally new team for 2009/10. 70% of the roster is comprised of players that were not on the team last year. Rambis spoke a lot about the personnel changes made as well as his process, knowledge, and experience that led to his past success (7 championships as a player/coach with the Lakers). I was quite surprised by the interaction and openness by the Timberwolves coach in responding to questions and sharing his perspective on the team. I believe that Kurt will be a great coach and a welcomed member of the community.

As VP of Corporate Strategy, I oversee the Product Management team here at W3i. We are constantly soliciting our business contacts and users for feedback so that we can be more tuned in with their needs.

Click here to complete the Application Distribution and Business Models Survey (only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete) and you’ll receive a free White Paper to help you become more informed on this subject and support innovation with your application business.

A special thanks to all of the many users and business contacts who have provided feedback which have helped W3i get to where it is at today.

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.

How to Avoid the Video Game Dead Pool

As the economy continues to slide, consumers are holding on to their money more tightly than ever. They want the entertainment value of online games but are reluctant to pay for it. This has put a tremendous strain on game publishers, who in the recent past have been compelled to explore ad-supported business models that offer games for free. This has helped minimize the risk of developing and marketing a game that ultimately ends up in the video game dead pool, but questions still remain whether meaningful money can be made.

The fact is, assuming that only around 2% of users convert to paying for a game following a free trial, then money is left on the table, because there are alternatives to the try-and-buy model for game marketing with which revenue can be earned from the other 98% of the traffic. These alternative business models for online games include: in-game ad model, ad-supported installer model, and the alternative-payment model.

In-game Advertising
Using computer and video games to deliver advertising is becoming an acceptable business model as big brands are testing it as a way to reach elusive markets. According to eMarketer, in-game advertising spending grew from $295 million in 2007 to $403 million in 2008—a growth rate of over 36%. By 2012, that figure should reach $650 million. Meanwhile, IGA Worldwide1 research shows that 82% of consumers feel the games are just as enjoyable with ads and 66% feel that the ads are not intrusive. Some of the top in-game advertising companies are:

1. Massive Incorporated
2. Double Fusion
3. JOGO Media
4. IGA Worldwide
5. NeoEdge Networks (casual games)

Although in-game advertising is growing, it can be difficult to execute and has a long payment cycle. For it to work, the creative must fit seamlessly with the game theme and not deter from gameplay. Additionally, users must spend considerable time playing the game for your ad revenue to build up.

Ad-Supported Installer Model
The W3i Application Network (AppNet) is a new revenue stream worth considering. AppNet is a network of companies with downloadable content—including downloadable games. A unique Windows installer, Install IQ (certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program) is used during the installation process to offer the user a value-add of additional software—in categories like trialware, search, and e-commerce applications. AppNet requires minimal in-house resources, and you can start earning quickly once Install IQ is in place and new users install your games. Since users see ads only during the installation of your game, they have no interruption during gameplay. Additionally, since all of the revenue activity happens during the installation, the actual gameplay itself is not affected. For each qualified installation, the W3i partner receives from $.50 to $1.50.

Jenkat Games launched its downloadable game player in March 2009. With its success, Jenkat ramped up distribution, increasing install volume by 2,991% from its launch of individual game titles in January 2007. Malcolm Michaels, President of Jenkat Media, Inc., predicts that the company’s Jenkat Game Manager will grow to over 100,000 monthly installs by the end of 2009 fueled by W3i’s monetization capabilities. In addition, each game-manager install represents the opportunity to market and install multiple games, leading to millions of additional installations.

Alternative Payment Model
Companies like TrialPay (www.trialpay.com) offer a third option: the alternative-payment model. With TrialPay, a user can purchase your game or virtual currency by completing one advertising offer, such as subscribing to Netflix, buying jeans from Gap, or sending flowers from FTD. The advertiser pays for your game, which you then give to the user for free. Although the game is not technically “free” in this scenario inasmuch as the user must make another purchase in order to receive your game, it does represent another way to monetize those who might not otherwise pay to play your game. Playfish, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing social games companies, uses TrialPay to increase virtual currency sales. For example, in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, Playfish let users get free virtual currency by sending flowers from FTD—and significantly increased sales.

Conclusion
Use creativity in your marketing plan by reviewing alternative business models. Many business models can be combined to give your bottom line an additional lift. For example, W3i’s Application Network can be layered onto other business models like trial and in-game advertising. Users respond to ads for “free” games. Why not put the power of free to work for your game while using an alternative revenue model to keep your company out of the dead pool?

Josh Fiedler, Business Development, W3i
Josh Fiedler is the Business Development Manager at W3i, a provider of integrated desktop and browser marketing solutions.  His expertise is in increasing revenue and traffic for downloadable games and utility software.

How are application installation rates impacted if multiple application ads are presented in the installer? This is a question that is frequently asked by application publishers when they consider the revenue- generating opportunity made possible by cross-selling additional applications during their installation process–the monetization model offered by the W3i Application Network. W3i conducted a test to attempt to answer this question.

First, some background information on W3i and the W3i Application Network. How does W3i add value? For advertisers W3i creates value by providing a new channel to purchase distribution. For publishers W3i creates value by sharing the revenue generated by the distribution of these advertisers’ applications. For users W3i creates value by helping them discover new applications from advertisers and providing revenue to fund more application development.

W3i conducted a test to understand the impact of cross-selling applications in the installer.

• Cross Section of Applications Tested – two media players, two game applications, a utility, and a social networking application.
• 175,000 applications were installed by users

The number of cross-sells (advertiser’s offers) tested included 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Our findings show that a drop in the applications’ installation rate from 1 to 5 offers was less than 1.5 percentage points, equating to an average decrease of 12% with a full 5 offers. At W3i, publishers can choose the number of cross-sells that are available with their applications.

W3i observed that the acceptance rate of each cross-sell varies greatly from advertiser to advertiser and publisher to publisher. Additionally, applications have varying installation rates from application to application. This leads to the conclusion that it is not the quantity of cross-sells that impact the installation rate as much as it is the relevancy. W3i enables clients to select which applications to advertise with their apps to increase the relevancy for their users.

How many and what cross-sells are included is ultimately decided through balancing user acceptance and revenue generated. As the number of cross-sells increase, the relevancy and revenue decreases per cross-sell and so the reality is that there is limited number of cross-sells that maximize the lifetime revenue for a publisher.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

It is a never ending job understanding what goes on in the world and how it applies to improving business. At W3i, we are constantly reviewing data, analyzing information, and sharing performance data with our clients. Anytime we can provide more insight into how our clients can leverage the market to their advantage, and increase relevancy for our users, we step up to the proverbial plate.

Essential data is derived from our installation processes, research on personas that use specific products, and return visits of customers. Essentially as much information as we can gather without getting too specific.

Therein lies the challenge. At W3i, we are committed to not collecting personally identifiable information. So without PII, how does demographic targeting work on the internet?

We employ a large amount of secondary research to determine information on personas with regards to things like operating systems, installed applications, and conduct primary research on our returning customers. For example, users that have the latest operating system are more likely to have this system as their primary household computer. This is important because it equates to more application usage.

How can that tell us anything? Let’s take some obvious cues. Let’s say I have a game manager and I want to decide what game to offer up to a user, how would that decision making process happen?

First, we detect the operating system. It is Windows 2000. We know that most intensive games are not compatible with this environment, so a high definition game is probably not the best user experience for this user. Now, let’s detect for some basic software, such as Flash. The user does have Flash, so I know that flash-based casual games are compatible and will work. Now, consider the product that this user is downloading. They are downloading a patriotic screensaver so odds are a game that targets patriotism would be a good bet. But wait — there is another component to this. If that person downloads a patriotic screensaver on July 1, could it be that it is really what we call our Cement Goose Lady Persona? These are the women who make us smile by taking the time to make sure that even their cement goose is dressed appropriately for the occasion. If we take a look at their returning customer status, we determine that this is a common occurrence for this user to download a screensaver at holidays.

Given all this, our installer can choose an appropriate game for that persona during the installation process.

Why do we do this? First, and most importantly, this allows us to ensure each visitor to our sites receives software that works. Second, and only slightly less important, it provides the best value for our partners who are advertising with us. Of course, we benefit as well. A win/win/win situation. Maybe that is what W3i really stands for?

For more information on increasing revenue, distribution, and engagement for Windows Application contact W3i. With over nine years experience and 250 million installations W3i established an Application Network—app companies with user demand supported by app companies with a revenue-generating business model. Learn more about W3i’s Application Network today.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

Wow! What a week. I just caught back up from a week in Seattle for Casual Connect. It was my first visit to this conference, and well, wow. Let me say, as a newcomer, it is a hard not to be star struck at first. When you are sitting at a table with a guy who developed one of your favorite games, you fight from asking “How do I get past this level?” It is hard to concentrate on the business at hand.

Anyhow… after my initial impression, it was back to business.

There were two words that were frequently discussed. I was expecting them to be six and ninety-nine (the “new” price of games); and, while those were popular, the two most prevalent were mobile and friction.

Mobile

Because mobile is not currently a focus for W3i, I did not invest a lot of my time in mobile presentations at Casual Connect. However, there were some interesting tidbits that I couldn’t help but learn.

First is the idea of platform agnostic; the idea that no matter what platform you are on, you can be gaming with someone. This really rang true with the Facebook Connect presentation, a game should be able to cross from desktop to mobile seamlessly.

The second was a twist on trial ware. Rather than free trial ware, create a low-cost mobile application, get the user hooked, and upgrade them to a full-featured desktop application at a full-featured price.

Friction

Friction, however, struck a chord with me. I think that every presentation I sat in and each conversation that I had about W3i’s process, the word friction came up. Friction is not always a negative thing, because a little friction can drive the need for the game to be even greater.

The idea behind preventing friction wasn’t that friction must be avoided at all cost, but that the amount of friction must not be significant enough to dissuade the user from the game.

Business Model

Another thing I noticed at Casual Connect was that there were limited choices in how to create a revenue-generating business model. If you were one of the big aggregators like Oberon, Wild Tangent, Microsoft, Real, Big Fish, etc., you were the only way to get a game into the world. It also seemed that the predominant monetization method was for the user to pay-to-play. (Most popular numbers at Casual Connect $19.99, $9.99 and $6.99). That is not to say that there were no conversations about ad- supported games, but they seemed minimal (at least to me). Of course, there is something to be said that the model discussed is the model the industry grew on.

Other monetization possibilities

Another model that I heard about was micro transactions –everything from ads at each level to purchasing Farah’s hair for your avatar to buying seeds and land. This also led to the idea of real to virtual currency, coins of every flavor.

There were other business models as well, basically new twists on old ideas, like promotional placement within the game (much like everyone’s favorite DeLorean commercial – Back to the Future) or video pre-rolls or post-rolls, which feel just like TV commercials in a game (at least to me).

My own observation

Whether the model chosen by the games is try-and-buy, retail, or micro-licensing, the price points seem to be getting squeezed to the point where it will be imperative for game developers to supplement their revenue with additional business models to be profitable. This provides a great opportunity for a company such as W3i to work with casual game marketers. W3i can help monetize games and open up more opportunities for them to be discovered.

Whether you attended Casual Connect or not, if you are interested in a unique revenue or distribution model, drop Josh an email at josh.fiedler@w3i.com. W3i can show you a new way to increase revenue or distribution for your game.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

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.

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.