Zoetica Iphone App and More Thoughts On Nonprofit iPhone Apps

I'm happy to announce that our Zoetica iPhone application, is now live on the iTunes store.  It provides a complication of nonprofit tech and social change blog feeds. So, now you read a great collection of nonprofit, social change, and social media content your iPhone (download now). Content feeds on the application include:

• The Zoetica Link Feed
• The Case Foundation Blog
• Chronicle of Philanthropy Give and Take
• Great NonProfits
• Allison Fine's Blog
• Social Edge Blogs
• Care2's FrogLoop
• Britt Bravo's Have Fun, Do Good Blog
• Working Wikily
• Kivi's NonProfit Communications Blog
• IdealWare Blog
• Philanthropy 2173
• The NTEN Blog
• Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog

We want to thank AppMakr for partnering with us to build and develop this iPhone application. If you do download, and you have feedback on the application, please let us now.

iPhone App 1-2-3:  Build, Distribute, and Promote Through All Channels

As a prelude to this launch, back in January I created an iPhone app for Beth's Blog also using AppMakr.  It was a low risk experiment on AppMakr to test drive the service before selecting a vendor and to learn what was involved.  AppMakr offers a very user friendly interface to create a native iPhone application that you customize with images and content feeds  The result is a simple informational app rich in content.   

It is a great service for nonprofits that want to serve up content for supporters on an iPhone, but have an extremely limited budget, no design skills, and lack iPhone programming expertise.   But using the service to create the application is only one third of the process.  You need to get it approved and published on iTunes for distribution and, of course, you have to promote outside of the iTunes.  iPhone apps are not a build it and they will come project!

I'm seeing more and more nonprofits add iPhone apps (or other mobile apps) to their marketing mix.  For example, just take a look at the explosion of mobile apps for museums.  and especially since the dramatic success of the Red Cross Haiti text fundraising.   But text fundraising is a whole different type of project than delivering content which might make a good "toe in the water with mobile" low-cost experiment. 

But there is a whole more possible than simple content delivery. The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) recently launched iPheedANeed, the first iPhone application launched by a food bank to-date. It is designed to do more than deliver content on the issue of hunger in Central Texas, it also has interactive components such as a game featuring a virtual "Kitchen Cupboard," where users can stock their kitchen shelves with healthy, non-perishable food items they've caught.  (Going beyond content delivery does require a bit more resources in the creation/production of the app)

Promoting Your App Through Multi-Channels

There are many creative ways that you can market and promote your iPhone or other mobile app to your target audiences through multiple channels.  You want to incorporate it in your existing marketing strategy and the very first thing you should do is put a big link and announcement to your iPhone App to download on your web site, blog, social media profiles, print publications, etc.  In addition to the iTunes store, there are other directories and curated niche lists.  And, of course, you want to track with analytics what tactics work or not, and improve over time.

What iphone marketing tactics have you used that were successful?  What are some creative ways that nonprofits are marketing their mobile apps to target audiences?

 

Comments

[kare anderson]

Beth
might you have meant compilation rather than complication?
:-)

[Matt Koltermann]

There's certainly a growing need for nonprofits to have a mobile outreach and engagement strategy!

Something to be aware of, though, is that Apple is cracking-down on apps (and "cookie-cutter" app makers) like this that don't really leverage the iPhone as a platform and only pull in RSS content. Here's a great TechCrunch post about this.

Designing an application that leverages the mobile context in unique and engaging ways is definitely a big challenge, though -- particularly for resource-strapped nonprofits.

[Eacmpbll]

Just downloaded it and I'm very excited! I have no cell phone service so I'll post on my blog what I think later.

elizabethallencampbell.wordpress.com

[impotenta]

@kare anderson: Indeed Beth was hurrying and she typed complication :)))

[Will Hull - United Cerebral Palsy eCommunications/eDevelopment Specialist]

Just installed it on my iPhone. Thanks.

[Farra Trompeter]

Beth--

This is fabulous. I love the idea of aggregating some of my fave nonprofit blogs in one place, right on my phone. This is going to make my morning commute even better!

As you update the app, please consider Big Duck's Duck Call blog (www.bigducknyc.com/blog) for future inclusion. As you know, we blog 2-3x/week on various nonprofit communications, social media, fundraising, and other topics of interest.

Be well!

[Daniel Odio-Paez]

Beth, this is Daniel, co-founder of AppMakr. I hope the app was a hit! We'd be happy to talk to any non profits out there. Just contact us from the www.AppMakr.com website.