Tips to Promote New iPhone Applications

To start off the spring semester, I received an internship to promote and market a new iPhone application called Memento.  Memento is an application used to share private videos to individual contacts while incorporating captions and filters.  Creatively, there is a new update that allows users to also save those videos to a playlist where the user can play them back to back like a movie. 

Download Memento here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id734609790?ls

This internship has been very rewarding and students are starting to try Memento and really enjoy the app.  But just because this application is well liked, does not mean it was easy to promote. Thus, I faced a few challenges when considering how to market this new social media app to the public at Temple. 

Convincing people to download an app can be easy, but having them become frequent users is the challenge, especially with an application that has no initial product.  Sure, it would be nice to hand out some free stuff as long as you download, but that’s not the case for my internship.  When you market/promote an app that has no initial product, here are some suggestions I’ve utilized while promoting Memento on Temple’s campus.

1. Word of mouth: Most of the apps you have on your iPhone you downloaded after a friend told you about them.  Share the app with your friends and have them jump on board!  Their interest in the application will have a domino effect and spread the word.

2. Flyers/Chalking: Handing out flyers can help with initial downloads, but not guarantee frequent users.  Follow up with chalking up your campus sidewalks with catchy phrases to download the app!  More people will be inclined to see what the buzz is about.

3. Create a social Media account: Twitter and Facebook pages are great ways to get the word out there in mass quantities.

4. Greek life/Organizations:  Greek life and other campus organizations usually have leadership positions that can help get the word out about your product. Many have social media accounts they control.  Find out who controls what and utilize their social media presence.

5. Utilize Team Work:  Campus rep internships are very common. Work together with another campus rep to hold an event and promote each other!  Both of you will benefit. 

6. School news paper/other publications:  Having a newsletter or article published about the application you are promoting can be very beneficial.  Many schools have student run newspapers and organizations have blogs or websites!

How would you be innovative while promoting a new product? Share below!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Brittany Barish.

Campus Rep Programs + PR Students = Perfect Match

Campus representative programs have been around for quite some time but I have noticed more recently that more and more companies are turning to college students to get their name out there. And who can blame them? We are the most connected generation, due largely in part to our social media addictions, who can reach very large audiences. So why not offer a college student a chance to promote a brand.

After attending a three day campus rep training program last week, I now fully understand why so many businesses are creating these programs. Not only is a great way to offer students an opportunity to gain real world experience, it is also a relatively inexpensive and creative way to increase profit.

The typical campus rep is an outgoing, engaged and well-connected student on campus. They work to promote a brand as a part-time job and can represent a non-profit, Fortune 500, or a start-up  The job may consist of giving out brand swag, hosting events, running local marketing efforts, and much more. Many reps are paid top dollars for their work while other reps get thousands of dollars of swag. Some reps even get full-time job offers after their part-time work! One thing is clear about the campus rep job: it gives any student great marketing experience, a great resume filler, and--most importantly--an unforgettable experience during college.

This recent explosion of campus rep programs all around the nation is especially beneficial to aspiring PR pros, even if you aren't super experienced yet. Most campus rep programs specifically seek out student majoring in PR, communications or marketing. And what student wouldn't want to help develop his or her skills in the areas of marketing, promotions, communications, sales and public relations. The program I am enrolled in will help me gain event planning experience which is something that I have been looking for in an internship during my past three years as a college student!

Are you a rep for a brand on your campus? Which one? Let us know!