Spryte Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Help me think this through? Last summer DS wanted to make an app. So DH and I helped him, and we all had a lot of fun. It's not some big money making machine, we are not dreaming of a Flappy Bird here, it's just a little kids' app about counting. Learning the process has been fun for all of us, mostly DS and DH. It's taken a long time. :) Now the app is ready to be launched (DS picked March 1st as our date), and we just have to put up a website. So... everything we are reading says that an app should have a facebook and twitter page, maybe even a linked in page? Really?! DH and I are social media hold outs. No facebook. No twitter. DH's linked in is purely professional. So I am clueless. Is all this necessary for an app? Do you ever access those pages for apps you use? (I don't, and I'm an apple geek.) My thought right now is to do the website (required to launch the app, so it's not up for debate), and that's it. None of us want to maintain the other accounts, you know? What do you think? Thanks for any thoughts on this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I don't think you have to have the Twitter or Facebook....unless you want people to know about your product. There are so many apps out there now that it will be hard to get downloads without some advertising. Social media is free advertising and gives people a chance to ask questions in their preferred format. You don't have to have them, but you will be missing customers without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 I don't think you have to have the Twitter or Facebook....unless you want people to know about your product. There are so many apps out there now that it will be hard to get downloads without some advertising. Social media is free advertising and gives people a chance to ask questions in their preferred format. You don't have to have them, but you will be missing customers without them. Thanks! That makes sense. I will relay this info to the guys, and then I'm betting I'll be looking for the facebook and twitter for dummies books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Are you selling the app or is it free? In my opinion (and it is just that, an opinion), you don't really need to do social networking to raise awareness of an app unless you want to make a profit off of it. What I would do is find a few well-known homeschool or mommy-bloggers and give them the app to beta test. Have them blog about it. Before you give them the app or around the same time, I would set up shop on Apple. Let the blogosphere drive your traffic. Set up a blog on your website to keep people in the loop about updates, giveaways, future beta test groups etc. Put a link to your app in your sig here and try to get your app included in some "best of" or "awesome apps kids love" lists. Another thing to consider is the possibility of re-writing the app (if this is required) to work on Android platforms. That would unlock a sizeable market once you are listed on google play and/or kindle store. Most app traffic comes from these sorts of sites. I don't have time to play "find an app" so I rely on Apple recommendations to find apps. Another thing that your guys may want to consider is giving their app a similar name to a popular or top 50 app that does the same thing. Same goes for websites and blogs. That may seem a bit dishonest, but even the big boys like google and apple purchase domains like gogle, googl, aple, etc and use them to redirect users to their pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Are you selling the app or is it free? In my opinion (and it is just that, an opinion), you don't really need to do social networking to raise awareness of an app unless you want to make a profit off of it. What I would do is find a few well-known homeschool or mommy-bloggers and give them the app to beta test. Have them blog about it. Before you give them the app or around the same time, I would set up shop on Apple. Let the blogosphere drive your traffic. Set up a blog on your website to keep people in the loop about updates, giveaways, future beta test groups etc. Put a link to your app in your sig here and try to get your app included in some "best of" or "awesome apps kids love" lists. Another thing to consider is the possibility of re-writing the app (if this is required) to work on Android platforms. That would unlock a sizeable market once you are listed on google play and/or kindle store. Most app traffic comes from these sorts of sites. I don't have time to play "find an app" so I rely on Apple recommendations to find apps. Another thing that your guys may want to consider is giving their app a similar name to a popular or top 50 app that does the same thing. Same goes for websites and blogs. That may seem a bit dishonest, but even the big boys like google and apple purchase domains like gogle, googl, aple, etc and use them to redirect users to their pages. Those are some great ideas - thanks! I don't know any mommy bloggers, or any bloggers at all, but that is a good idea. I'll ask around and see if any friends know of anyone. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I don't think you have to have the Twitter or Facebook....unless you want people to know about your product. There are so many apps out there now that it will be hard to get downloads without some advertising. Social media is free advertising and gives people a chance to ask questions in their preferred format. You don't have to have them, but you will be missing customers without them. I hate FB for personal use (and don't use it), but if I had a product to market, I'd certainly open a FB account. Everything has its purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Are you selling the app or is it free? In my opinion (and it is just that, an opinion), you don't really need to do social networking to raise awareness of an app unless you want to make a profit off of it. What I would do is find a few well-known homeschool or mommy-bloggers and give them the app to beta test. Have them blog about it. Before you give them the app or around the same time, I would set up shop on Apple. Let the blogosphere drive your traffic. Set up a blog on your website to keep people in the loop about updates, giveaways, future beta test groups etc. Put a link to your app in your sig here and try to get your app included in some "best of" or "awesome apps kids love" lists. Another thing to consider is the possibility of re-writing the app (if this is required) to work on Android platforms. That would unlock a sizeable market once you are listed on google play and/or kindle store. Most app traffic comes from these sorts of sites. I don't have time to play "find an app" so I rely on Apple recommendations to find apps. Another thing that your guys may want to consider is giving their app a similar name to a popular or top 50 app that does the same thing. Same goes for websites and blogs. That may seem a bit dishonest, but even the big boys like google and apple purchase domains like gogle, googl, aple, etc and use them to redirect users to their pages. I think those are amazing ideas! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Those are some great ideas - thanks! I don't know any mommy bloggers, or any bloggers at all, but that is a good idea. I'll ask around and see if any friends know of anyone. :) I know it's against forum rules to do any blatant self-promotion here on this forum, but I would think you would be allowed to ask if some of the members who have their own blogs might want to try your app and give you some input on it. You wouldn't be selling anything to them, and you wouldn't be providing a link in your post to your website, so it seems like it would be OK. There are so many people here, and many would probably be interested in your son's app, so maybe you could contact the moderators and ask them if there's any way you can let people know about it without violating forum rules. If nothing else, you could add a link to your website in your signature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 If your DS wants to do this again, he may want to write something for the Android platform, or, possibly, for Apple iOS. Both are Linux. My friend and former colleague passed away, but about 5 years ago, he wrote some kind of App for Android phones. I remember him telling me it was on the Google Store or whatever it is called, and sold for 99 cents. He would get 70% of the selling price and Google would get the rest. He said if it sold 10000 copies, he would get about USD$6930, My friend was, like me, a retired Software Engineering Consultant. I don't remember what his App did... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Thanks, Catwoman. I don't want to post about it specifically because, you guessed it, I don't want to violate rules, and I sort of loathe that kind of self-promotion anyway (yep, I would fail at all the sell at home type products!). But I hadn't thought of contacting the mods to ask about it. You know, the mods are so ... mysterious. Like the wizard behind the curtain. :lol: Thanks, Lanny! It's written for Apple, so it will be on the App Store. It's been a huge learning curve for all of us. It's taken a lot of guidance and research from DH and me, too. The idea is that it will be 99 cents, or free with ads. I think just seeing it on the App Store is what will make DS go, "Wow!" ... To see it through to completion is a feat in itself. It's good to hear about your friend, too. I hadn't calculated out possible income from it, because, well, it doesn't seem real - more like just a fun project to teach our kiddo that it can be done, and completed. I wonder if this counts as Project-Based Homeschooling? :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Thanks, Catwoman. I don't want to post about it specifically because, you guessed it, I don't want to violate rules, and I sort of loathe that kind of self-promotion anyway (yep, I would fail at all the sell at home type products!). But I hadn't thought of contacting the mods to ask about it. You know, the mods are so ... mysterious. Like the wizard behind the curtain. :lol: Thanks, Lanny! It's written for Apple, so it will be on the App Store. It's been a huge learning curve for all of us. It's taken a lot of guidance and research from DH and me, too. The idea is that it will be 99 cents, or free with ads. I think just seeing it on the App Store is what will make DS go, "Wow!" ... To see it through to completion is a feat in itself. It's good to hear about your friend, too. I hadn't calculated out possible income from it, because, well, it doesn't seem real - more like just a fun project to teach our kiddo that it can be done, and completed. I wonder if this counts as Project-Based Homeschooling? :laugh: I think this is so cool!!! How did your dh and ds learn how to create the app? Did they use the Apple tutorials or study books on the subject? My dh is looking for something fun and challenging to do with our ds, and trying to learn how to create an app sounds very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I would approach http://www.smartappsforkids.com/ and ask them to review your app. That's what they do. Your selling point is that your child helped to create this. A lot of kids would want to try it out just because another kid actually made it. Have your son write up about why he wanted to learn how to do this, and how excited he is that it is finished. Actually, have your son send in the request and attach your PS to it that you gave him permission to send this to them. Then see what happens. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 I think this is so cool!!! How did your dh and ds learn how to create the app? Did they use the Apple tutorials or study books on the subject? My dh is looking for something fun and challenging to do with our ds, and trying to learn how to create an app sounds very cool! DH is an Apple FanBoy :lol: ... To the point that when we were starving students and Apple stock was worth very, very little, he tried to talk me into buying stock instead of groceries! So hearing DS say he wanted to make an app made DH do this: :drool5: They used the Apple tutorials and studied, and they hired out the part they couldn't do due to DH's time constraints. I don't know how much of it DS will retain, but the part I hope he'll take with him is that it's possible to decide to do something, do it, and complete it. I think the Apple Store also does some sort of classes as a camp type thing in the summer, too, so now we'll be looking at those more closely, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 I would approach http://www.smartappsforkids.com/ and ask them to review your app. That's what they do. Your selling point is that your child helped to create this. A lot of kids would want to try it out just because another kid actually made it. Have your son write up about why he wanted to learn how to do this, and how excited he is that it is finished. Actually, have your son send in the request and attach your PS to it that you gave him permission to send this to them. Then see what happens. Good Luck! What a great idea!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Congrats to your DS and to your DH, for their perseverance. If one does not paricipate, one cannot win. I hope they will sell a lot of this application. They may only sell a very few. They may sell thousands. But the point is that they completed the project and many people don't have that in them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 That is amazing! Good for him (and you guys too!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 My BIL created a few really successful apps a few years ago and he did use FB for promotion. Get friends to "like" the page and their friends will all see it. Word of mouth went a long way since he was a first-time, no-name developer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 So here's the facebook/twitter question that keeps coming up: Will they/we have to keep it up? What good is it going to do us if we just create a facebook/twitter account and basically give it minimal upkeep? Is that still worthwhile? How often would we be checking on it? Like I said, we're not social media people, so I'll probably have lots of questions, but that's the first one that DH and DS asked. Free advertising is great, but not if we are going to be tied to it day in and day out, for a fun project. :) Silly question, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 If you set up a website or a blog you can install an app that will automatically tweet the new material. Then set up the app to retweet old posts every 30 - 60 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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