Effective promotion of your Futuri Mobile app is key to growing your download base and your active users.
This article compiles some success stories that stations have shared with us. Do you have success stories we should know about? If so, email us!
- "Easy Share" links
- Online video ads
- Billboards
- Facebook "call to action" buttons
- App-exclusive contest keywords
- App Store Optimization (ASO)
"Easy Share" links
Futuri can provide you with an "Easy Share Link" that will direct users to the correct app store based on their device.
This feature will direct iOS device users to the App Store, Android device users to the Google Play Store, and desktop/laptop users to the station website.
We would strongly encourage you to set up an App Landing Page on your site that lists some key app features and contains a link to each app store, so that this "Easy Share Link" can send desktop/laptop users to that specific page instead of just your home page. Click here for an example of an App Landing Page.
When setting up your App Landing Page, you can find your app's listings in each App Store by logging in to each developer console (after the app has been published):
- iTunes Connect - Click My Apps and select your app from the list. Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and click View on App Store to get the App Store URL.
- Google Play - Select the app from the list and click View on Google Play to get the Google Play Store URL.
If you don't have access to your developer account, you can also contact Futuri VIP Support to obtain these individual app store URLs.
Once your app has launched in stores and you have created an App Landing Page, please share that App Landing Page's URL with Futuri VIP Support so that we can set up your "Easy Share Link."
Futuri VIP Support will fill in the App Landing Page and will give you a shortened link that will re-direct to the appropriate app store based on device (or the App Landing Page if the user is not on an Android or iOS device).
At the bottom of your app's Home Screen, there is also a link that allows users to share the app with their friends via Facebook or Twitter. This will use the same "Easy Share Link" mentioned above, and the templates for these messages can be configured by Futuri VIP Support. If you don't see this link at the bottom of your app's Home Screen, please contact Futuri VIP Support to have it enabled for your station.
Online video ads
Online video ads are a smart way to promote your app, in a number of ways.
- A growing number of online users in your market are heading to YouTube to stream music videos. Shouldn't you be there waiting for them? Several of our partners have used YouTube's targeted ads to buy pre-roll in their local market for users who are streaming the stations' core artists. Here's an example of a targeted pre-roll ad from KJLH Los Angeles:
- YouTube videos can also be tied to companion banner ads that show after the pre-roll plays. Consider combining pre-roll video and companion banners for maximum impact, like CHIQ in Winnipeg, which ran this short-and-sweet video and then displayed a "Download Our App" companion banner after the pre-roll ended:
The companion banner for that video, shown below, was linked to the station's Easy Share Link:
- Facebook and Twitter posts that contain videos generate higher engagement. WPYO in Orlando used video on their Facebook page to promote the Takeover Countdownfeature that they were running in their mobile app:fix video
8pm! Aladdin brings you the hottest countdown in the City - Orlando's Most Wanted @ 8! The hottest songs picked by YOU! Download the POWER 95.3 app now and join in @ 8pm! #POWER953
Posted by POWER 95.3 on Monday, December 7, 2015
Billboards
Outdoor advertising can be an effective way to drive awareness of your mobile app. Here are some examples:
- When WSUN Tampa launched their mobile app, they bought digital billboards that showed Now Playing data as well as the Facebook names of users who voted for the current song in their app. Futuri can provide API access to this data if you'd like to do something similar:
- KJLH Los Angeles hung a banner outside of the station to promote their app:
Facebook "call to action" buttons
Facebook has the ability to add custom action buttons to fan pages, as shown in the screenshot below:
To add a button like this, navigate to your station's fan page and click Add a button.
Then, under Choose a Button, select "Use App".
Add your easy share URL to the Website field as shown below (the "xxxx" will be replaced by your station's call letters in most cases).
If you're not sure what your easy share link would be, please contact Futuri VIP Support.
You can leave the Set up a Link to an App toggle turned OFF. Your easy share link will automatically redirect to the correct app store.
App-exclusive contest keywords
Beyond promoting the various built-in features of your Futuri Mobile app, you can also tie in your existing giveaways with app-exclusive contest keywords.
For example, when WXAJ-FM in Springfield, IL flipped formats, they worked to grow their download base by tying the app into a call-in contest for a Las Vegas giveaway. Listeners were encouraged to get a keyword from the 99.7 The Mix mobile app, then listen for the cue to call to give that keyword and be entered to win.
Get that keyword on the mobile app & listen for the cue to call at 8:30 a.m. for a chance to win a trip for 2 to fabulous LAS VEGAS! pic.twitter.com/nJwvIpxaaT
— 997 The MIX (@997themix) March 28, 2017
Within the app itself, the station used Audience Alerts to put the keyword front-and-center when users first opened the app. This resulted in lots of new downloads for the station, and great engagement with their Vegas giveaway!
App Store Optimization (ASO)
App store optimization (ASO) is the ongoing process of maximizing your app store marketing assets in order to increase visibility and drive downloads. Your app’s keywords, icon, screenshots and user reviews are all part of any app store page, and there are ways to use those elements to attract new users. Here are some ways to focus your ASO efforts:
Description/Keywords
Search your app’s name and keywords in the store(s), and see what shows up. Strategically choose keywords (especially local ones) that don’t have many app results yet, but are likely to be real things that people in your area would search for, like “Cleveland sports”. Incorporate your unique keywords into your on-air app imaging.
One of the best ways to find relevant keywords is to look at user reviews (of your app or other media apps in your market). Their words may resonate better with prospective users than the ones you had in mind.
Screenshots / Video / Feature Graphics
Optimize your app store screenshots with a call-to-action, to show what you want users to do with your app. Futuri VIP Support can work with you on the layout of your screenshots.
You can also produce a short video to accompany your app in the store. Keep it short and sweet (first 5 seconds are key). Make sure to incorporate captions in your video, for users who watch it without sound.
Google Play has a “Feature Graphic” that can tell the story of your app. This is a great place to show additional branding (maybe a stock photo of an in-demo smartphone user, with your logo).
Managing Reviews
Your app has a powerful feature called “App Ratings Manager,” which encourages users to leave positive reviews, and gives unhappy users a way to privately submit that feedback instead of damaging your brand with a negative review in the store.
For more information about the App Ratings Manager, click here.