Ilya Pozin is a serial entrepreneur, author, and investors . He is the founder of online video entertainment platform Pluto.TV , social greeting card company Open Me Digital Marketing Agency Ciplex .
Is your pretty good app to go viral? It was the founder Aaron Patzer nagging question when it was launched Mint.com application. He and his team hit the station, asking unsuspecting commuters would be interested in using their application. Patzer measured not only "yes" and "no", but also the enthusiasm with which people responded in the affirmative.
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Serial entrepreneur and app maker veteran Shane Walker twisted formula Mint.com and came up with a way to measure not only the interest, but to gauge the potential for an application to go viral.
Why do mouth-to-mouth issues
Think the latest downloaded app and you wonder why you press the download button. For many people, it's because you saw a friend or family member using the app and just had to learn for yourself. This organic experience word-of-mouth is how many applications slingshot into the stratosphere.
The idea of word-of-mouth is the most important variable for mobile applications is not new. In fact, it is the largest source of reference for mobile applications. In an Ofcom investigation 77 percent of users has reported downloading mobile applications they had heard from family and friends.
Another 38 percent said they downloaded applications they found at the top of the charts, essentially transferring the phenomenon of word-of-mouth to the app store. Only 20 percent of users reported downloading an application, because they have seen or heard advertising in the media.
Therefore, to make your application a viral sensation, you need to talk.
The test of virality you need to know
The question is, how do you measure and improve against a largely untracked events such as talk about a product? Many developers think reference links in the invitations or messages do the trick, but that obscures much of the sharing activity: using a biological product and friends dying to know about the product. This boost word-of-mouth is huge in the mobile market, but it is incredibly difficult to quantify.
In June 2014, Walker's team had developed the first prototypes for various mobile photo applications designed to take pictures of all the most interesting days. They had a variety of concepts :. Some who tried tweaks on an ephemeral model, and others that were lower in the crazy spectrum
In trying to determine the best way to choose the most promising concept, they worked with former product manager and Zynga BlueLight founder Preet Anand to come up with a new test, to assess the relative value "mouth to mouth" of various concepts of mobile products.
similar to Mint.com approach, Walker sent interns and employees at the 4th and King Caltrain stop in San Francisco to approach commuters waiting. They describe a different mobile application, the demo of the application, ask the user to play with the app for a few minutes and answer any questions.
This may seem a rather simple approach, but Walker and his team came up with a twist :. The application will remain nameless for the entire demonstration and presentation
If the respondent at any time during the interview, asked what the name the application was or how to find the application, students would simply mark a "yes" in the field of word-of-mouth. This simple test, mighty quickly classified their various mobile application concepts for those most likely to spread via word-of-mouth.
Of all the concepts tested with users, the craziest idea surprised everyone by winning the day and metric word-of-mouth.
Over 70 percent of respondents requested the name or how to find Doublie.com , a mobile application that lets users put celebrities, pop cultural icons and stickers on their photos. high-minded concepts application, such as data visualization, lost to the very simple premise, but extremely viral adding popular culture for mobile pictures.
This is not something the Walker team would never have guessed it on their own. By creating a simple test, the team discovered that the concept was most likely to go viral based on recommendations from mouth to mouth.
If users want to seek the application after seeing it used, your application has the call word-of-mouth. If asked during a test, the chances are high they will ask a friend they see using the app, meaning that you have created a product with shareability.
For application developers looking to "go viral" and spread rapidly, this new twist on an old technique user feedback is invaluable in deciphering the mobile growth formula for mobile applications.
What do you think of this viral testing approach? Do you think this will work? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Credits picture: Philip Lange / Shutterstock, Thinkstock, Caltrain