PubNub is a real-time messaging platform – a company that had its roots before those of Loyalize – and something I liken to being a part of the plumbing of the mobile world. The company calls themselves a real-time infrastructure as a service offering and, if you’ve been watching the trends in rapid mobile application development and consumer engagement through mobile, they are right in the middle as these two worlds collide.

Since we last connected, Loyalize was acquired by Viggle in December of 2011 and PubNub closed their first round of funding (also in December of 2011) and Todd was unemployed for 7 minutes between gigs. This episode focuses on the concept of software as infrastructure, the real-time mobile world, how companies are and will use this technology, the Loyalize story, how PubNub was conceived and the patience it took to wait for the right moment to jump in.

To me, watching this play out is like watching the entire mobile industry evolve. There are opportunities literally everywhere as barriers to innovation fall around us because of the devices we carry and the services that are being built on top of them. This is a perfect example of a company seizing an emerging market and, if all goes well, owning it.

Here is a quick reference of what we covered in the show.

1. What is PubNub 2:10
2. What are real time applications 2:40
3. How are you selling this very broad service offering 4:30
4. What are the implications of real time applications 6:10
5. Why has it been easy to sell PubNub services 11:20
6. Who are you selling to? Who is your customer? 13:20
7. Are your customers mostly new products or existing products 14:30
8. How are social television apps using PubNub? 16:25
9. What happened with Loyalize 18:40
10. Why sell Loyalize to Viggle? 20:30
11. Why you shouldn’t say no to an acquisition conversation 23:35
12. How did you balance between the two companies? 25:45
13. Was the version of PubNub you re-joined different than the one your started 4 years back? 28:40
14. What is your vision for PubNub – will you become a consumer brand? 30:35
15. Where did the name come from? 32:40
16. How did you manage raising money for PubNub at the same time selling Loyalize? 33:50
17. How much activity flows through PubNub 34:45
18. How do you not get into other businesses and remain true to your vision? 38:30
19. Why should companies look at PubNub to bring real-time computing into their applications 39:40
20. What should app developers focus on? Stagent case study 44:20
21. Does this limit innovation or support it 46:25
22. How did you land your first customers 50:10
23. Is there anything you would have done differently with PubNub? 51:30

About Todd Greene
Todd is the co-founder and CEO of PubNub. As an entrepreneur who has founded and successfully sold companies across the software spectrum, Todd helps shape the PubNub vision of revolutionizing the way people interact online. Todd most recently was CEO of Loyalize, an Audience Participation company successfully sold to Function(x) (FNCX), a Robert F.X. Sillerman company, where he designed the first-ever massively multi-user Social TV mobile and web applications licensed to companies like Viacom and Yahoo. Todd previously was founder and CTO/VP Products of CascadeWorks, a company providing Services Procument solutions to Texas Instruments, Charles Schwab, and ABN Amro, and acquired by Elance. After working with companies like GE, SGI, and Quantum while a consultant at Price Waterhouse, Todd joined NetDynamics (sold to Sun Microsystems in 1998) to help create a truly game-changing product: the first application server built for the Internet.

There were rumors that the new iOS 7 UI would be flat. That it would be black and white. That it would be a complete redesign.

Well, the rumors were right!

The beta release of iOS 7 reveals the “flat design” of Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s industrial designer who isn’t a fan of UI’s copying the real world. And while there are some similarities in the user experience, the interphase itself, is a complete 180 degree shift from that of iOS 6.

Love it or hate it, the fact is that when Apple makes visual changes, the rest of the world follows … even if that change heads in a direction of design that already looks awfully familiar – which definitely is the case with the new major design changes in iOS 7.

And if you’re an app developer, this effects you in some pretty significant ways – luckily, you’ve got a decent runway to get your changes implemented before the official launch of iOS 7.

And while there are some pretty significant UI differences with iOS 7 beta, this article will focus primarily on the key icon changes you can make to ensure your app stays with (or even slightly ahead of, depending on how quickly you react) to the Apple curve.

As your icon is your visual front-line on the app store when it comes to of your marketing, it’s one simple and most cost-effective changes you can implement with little effort which can make a huge impact, especially if you outsource the re-design of your app icon.

iOS 7 App Icon Design Change #1 – Flatten out your icon

Okay, the first thing you need to know, as I and every other person you speak with will mention, is that iOS 7 has gone flat. No more shiny, rounded 3D-looking icons or graphics. Like the fat kid in dodgeball, they’re out!

You’ll notice within the new UI of iOS 7 that there are fewer soft edges and more thin, hard lines, and less “depth”.

And if you want you icon to fit in and ride this new design trend, you’ll want to consider taking some of these design cues and integrating them into your own app design.

iOS 7 App Icon Design Change #2 – Slip Into Your Skinny Fonts

Another consideration is your typeface being used in your app icon, if applicable. The font Apple is adapting seems to be a sensitive and skinny font called Helvetica Neue UltraLight as their primary. And if you want your app icon design to fit in, you may consider adapting it, or a similar skinny font.

iOS 7 App Icon Design Change #3 – Go Borderless

If your icon utilizes a border, this is something else you might seriously consider revamping. The default icons installed on Apple devices all have had a major facelift. One of the most significant change is the fact that they’ve gone borderless! No more shiny, brushed metal chunky borders with large radius rounded edges.

iOS 7 App Icon Design Change #4 – Iconography & Symbolism

Apple has adapted the adage of beauty in simplicity with their minimalistic approach of the iconography and symbols in their icons and sprinkled throughout the UI.

Instead of the literal 3 dimensional appearing app icons that over-run the app store right now, I’m predicting we’re going to see a surge in the more clean and simple style, flatter icons with the public release of iOS 7 – so why not beat the market to the punch and give your icon design a quick make-over now?

iOS 7 App Icon Design Change #5 – Color

And lastly, to accommodate and compliment in the flat and skinny design features in iOS 7, Apple has also updated its primary color schemes to be blue, red, white, black and even pastel.

So you can take a couple different routes here, design to fit in with the “cool crowd” or give your app a splash of color that will stand out and pop out of the sea of apps on the app store.

Before you touch your keyboard or pick up your mouse, consider this. My hero, Walt Disney liked to remind everyone that ‘it all started with a mouse’. Of course he wasn’t talking about a computer mouse! He wasn’t even talking about
Mickey Mouse. Actually, Walt’s mouse was originally named Mortimer Mouse, before his wife suggested the change. But Walt was really talking about an idea. Just as “Disney” started with the idea of Mickey Mouse, you too must first have an idea!

There is a temptation to look at the bestselling apps and try to make your own version. The problem is that dozens, if not hundreds of developers are doing the exact same thing. Plus, it could take weeks or months to create your app, and several more weeks for Apple to approve it. By then, the original app may have lost favor and any hopes of riding its coattails will go with it.

Do not assume that the original app is standing still. The developer is most likely funneling some of their significant earnings into enhancing their app, making your task even more difficult. This does not mean your app has to be 100% unique.

You could try to build a better mousetrap by making sure your app addresses deficiencies that exist in other apps. You need to anticipate and leapfrog any enhancements they might be making simultaneously.

My personal experience bears this out. In the early days of the App Store, there were a few soundboard apps, but I felt they were lacking. They each played ten to twenty sound effects, and if you wanted more you had to buy another app. Aside from spending up to $10 to get a total of 100 sounds, you had to switch between apps, each with their own interface, with multiple apps using up valuable screen real estate.

Build a Better Mousetrap

I decided to build a better mousetrap. Thinking back to 1983 when I got my first car (ironically a few months before I bought my first Mac!), I
installed a musical car horn that played 76 songs using a 10-digit keypad! For my iPhone, I wanted a soundboard app that played a wide variety of sounds, with easy access to favorites, all accessible from one screen. Since sound effects are something I am interested in, I happened to already own 10,000+ royalty free sound effects.

I named the app 100sounds, and quickly reserved the domain name 100sounds.com.

However, I believe in UNDER committing and OVER delivering. After all, if I promised you $100, but gave you $200 or $300, that would be a nice surprise. Likewise, 100sounds delivers over 300 sound effects.

Indeed our reviewers continue to note that the app has more sounds than they expected. We still call it 100sounds, but now it’s pronounced HUNDREDS OF SOUNDS!

I only bring up my app for anecdotal purposes and to serve as a Real-World Example or case study. I don’t want this to be about my apps any more than it has to be.

THIS IS ABOUT YOUR APP!

Write What You Know

For your app idea, my recommendation is similar to what successful authors tell aspiring writers. “Write what you know.” Think about your hobbies, education, family life, and work experience. What knowledge or interests do you have that others might share? Are you a road warrior, a soccer mom, a political junkie, a black belt, or a movie fan?

As you can imagine, once word got out about the success of 100sounds, people would ask me for advice. Typically, in just a few minutes of discussion, I was able to make some suggestions.

• FOR THE DAD WHO COACHES FOOTBALL, I SUGGESTED AN APP WITH RECOMMENDED PLAYS FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, COMPLETE WITH ANIMATED DIAGRAMS AND EVEN VIDEOS.
• FOR THE AVID EAGLE SCOUT, I SUGGESTED A GUIDE FOR BEING PREPARED INCLUDING TYING KNOTS AND IDENTIFYING PLANTS AND SNAKES.
• FOR THE DENTIST, I SUGGESTED A GUIDE TO BRUSHING AND FLOSSING, INCLUDING VIDEOS AND A COUNTDOWN TIMER WITH MUSIC.

These are all simple ideas, but they have authenticity for each individual the same way sound effects did for me. For example, the dental app would not have made sense for the football dad and vice-versa.

I Object!

By now you have several objections.

First, the ideas I just listed are never going to become #1 selling apps. True, tens of millions of iPhone (note that for brevity’s sake, I will refer to iOS or iPhone but that includes iPad and iPod touch) owners may not have an interest in any of those ideas. But a few thousand might. Indeed, if only 0.1% of 100 million iOS users buy your app, that’s still 100,000. And the installed base of such users is growing by leaps and bounds.

You might also object on the grounds that the success of 100sounds was based on luck. I have no doubt about the role luck played. But as Thomas Jefferson said “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” The fact that we have been able to follow-up with several more best-sellers demonstrates that these ideas can be put to use repeatedly.

Next you probably think that you are unable to build such a complex program. I have good news! You don’t have to! There are thousands of iPhone programmers looking either for income or practice or both. I will discuss this more in the Programming section, but the primary takeaway is that a good idea is key.

My message is basically this:

Do not to expect to make millions of dollars, but wouldn’t a few thousand be nice? If your idea is authentic, if your app is well done and you pay attention to marketing, you can do it.

The phrase “If you build it, they will come” does NOT apply here. You cannot submit an app to the App Store and expect the checks to roll in. You must pay attention to marketing and that’s what this document is about.

Call Me Crazy!

You might wonder why I would share these secrets. Indeed, other developers have called me crazy. There are even ‘get rich quick’ scammers selling far less useful information for up to $250.

Sure, perhaps some readers will show gratitude or even curiosity and spend $0.99 on one of my apps, and believe me, your support is certainly appreciated.

My main interest is in helping others achieve their potential.

Imagine you’re on a golf course and you’re watching a golfer ahead of you repeatedly slice the ball into the woods, slowing down your game as they search for their ball.

Suppose you know exactly what that golfer is doing wrong. Some folks might get frustrated and ask to ‘play through’ and skip ahead of the slow player.

I’m inclined to help that player improve his game and let everyone have a better day.

Ultimately, I have some unique advice based on my experience.

I believe in the concept “Information wants to be free”.

The iPhone community has been good to me and I genuinely want to give back. It would be a shame to keep my observations to myself, when it could do some good and perhaps result in some quality apps. It is painful when I see a quality app undermarketed or a developer give up because they don’t achieve the success they deserve.

With more than 1.2 million apps currently available to consumers and hundreds added daily, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. A mobile marketing strategy can make all the difference between your App soaring to the top of its category or lingering at the bottom for months. So how can developers, with limited resources, compete with the top apps for success? Here, Sean Casto, founder of PreApps, provides these ten affordable yet effective ways you can position yourself to compete with the Angry Birds of the App world.

1. Involve people you know

Inviting friends, family, and others you know in the testing process lets you get valuable feedback, as well as beginning to generate word of mouth about your app.

Start at the very early stages of development and ask your most trusted friends their thoughts on your ideas. You’ll be surprised how many great ideas you get simply by bouncing ideas around over drinks on a Friday night.

Since they were in at the beginning, they’ll have a greater stake in your app’s success and will be more likely to tell others about it. One app beta platforms to use is ours – PreApps.com.

2. Get reviews

Apple is now said to place greater emphasis on reviews and ratings than the number of downloads.

Since it may take awhile to build a solid review presence in the app store, you should implement incentives within the app for your users to provide a review.  Additionally, can give your app an early boost by having friends and family members rate and review it.

3. Launch on Sunday

According to a study conducted by Mobilewalla, Sunday is the best day to release a new app. As for which day not to release your app, that depends on your platform.

For Android apps, the worst day is Thursday, according to the study. If your app is for iOS, stay away from Friday. The study shows that a lower number of apps reach the top 240 apps on those days.

4. Promote through social media

By adding a link to your app on your various social media sites, you’ll be able to encourage friends and associates to download your app.

This will help you build your user base. You can set it up to send links to your social media sites directly from your app, utilising the networks you’ve already spent years painstakingly building.

5. Spend time on Twitter

Twitter is a great way to gain attention for your app, 140 characters at a time. Expressing your point in such a small space is an art that it takes time to master. So spend some time observing other app developers’ Tweets to determine what works and what doesn’t.

On Twitter, being witty and fun gets you further than straightforward posts. Work hard to make your app stand out and Tweet consistently and you’ll soon find yourself being re-Tweeted.

6. Create a Demo Video

Before committing to a download, users want to see your app in action. Create a short video that highlights your app’s best features.

The more entertaining your app is, the better. Show real-life cases that give customers a relatable reason for using your app and, chances are, you’ll see an increase in downloads. The ultimate goal is for your app to go viral but don’t worry if it doesn’t. If your video merely serves the purpose of educating your customers and making them feel more comfortable downloading it, it’s well worth it.

7. Create an app website

If you already have a website, create a section specifically for your app. You can link directly to this section of your site from app stores and promotional materials.

This site should clearly demonstrate your app’s features and reflect its tone and style. The more innovative and professional, the better. Visitors to your site are looking for information such as pricing, compatibility, and basic features so make sure to highlight these points.

8. Write about it

A blog is a great way to create content that helps bring users to your app. Always keep in mind that your blog posts and your social media sites work together to create a marketing campaign that calls attention to your product.

You could always seek professional help  with a blog from services like Blog-in-a-box, but don’t stick merely with your own blog. Most importantly, make sure your content is informative and helpful. Merely promoting your app will only make people hit the back button on their browsers.

Give people a reason to keep coming back, but make sure that the content pertains to your app.

9. Use QR codes

QR codes are a great way of marketing the app without forcing consumers to remember a long web URL.

QR codes are ideal for app developers who regularly use print materials for advertising and marketing. In essence, QR codes eliminate the number of steps required for a customer to find out information, which increases the odds that someone will follow through and download your app.

10. Orchestrate a big launch

Make the launch of your app as big as the opening of a new store, with plenty of promotion. Use a combination of electronic advertising (social media, e-mail) and traditional advertising (newsletters, flyers). Send out news releases to the press or hold an online launch event and invite the media to do a story on it. By making a big deal of your app’s launch, others will find it a big deal, as well.

To say that Mark is afflicted by the entrepreneurial bug would be an understatement. He runs a growing mobile application development company called Intrepid Pursuits, an incubation space called Intrepid Labs and has recently launched a company around Timbre – and raised a seed round to build it out as well. All this from his epicentre in Cambridge. Mark really personifies the opportunities the mobile market offers – provided you have enough foresight and back strength to make it happen.

In this episode we were going to talk about the creation of the app exclusively but to understand how Mark and his team got to launch day his back story is essential. From his first failed company, to falling into the app space, to finding a way to work in his dream office, to launching and funding Timbre – this is what I love about the times we live in right now. An app is just an app but each one of them out there has a story and each one is worth telling because of the lessons they bring.

There are more lessons in this episode than can be listed including the 1 feature they removed that led to a 35% increase in user engagement, his take on the #1 affliction that kills mobile products, how they raised their seed round (my favorite line from the episode: “you can spend 6 months seeking funding or spend 5 months and 30 days getting users and 1 day seeking funding”), how his consulting company finds customers, the difference between UI and building a user experience and the REAL impact of being featured in Techcrunch vs the AppStore.

To say I enjoyed this would be an understatement.

Here is a quick reference of what we covered in the show.

1. What is Intrepid 1:45
2. What happened to your first company? Why did it fail 2:50
3. How did you find your biggest client? 6:00
4. How did you grow the revenue without finding investment in 2011 10:30
5. When did your company grow up 13:00
6. What is the goal for Intrepid 16:00
7. How do you drive revenue while maintaining a small team? 18:45
8. 3 types of consulting services 20:00
9. Can bad mobile ideas get better? 23:45
10. What is Intrepid Labs 26:50
11. What is Timbre and where did it come from 37:00
12. What is the problem Timbre solves 39:30
13. How long did it take to build the first version of Timbre 40:50
14. Timbre is NOT design, it is a user experience 44:25
15. How do you create unique designs for your apps 45:25
16. Was there any frustration to get things done faster with Timbre 47:05
17. What do you do with Timbre? How do you drive revenue 50:25
18. Two interesting numbers: Downloads from being featured by Techcrunch vs “New and noteworthy” by Apple 51:26
19. How did you end up as a “new and noteworthy” app in the AppStore and why do you think they chose it? 52:20
20. How did you raise $360,000 from a 4 minute pitch 56:00
21. Strategy: “Friction free” ways to generate revenue 61:00
22. The #1 affliction for app developers is… 63:00
23. How removing 1 feature increased app usage by 35% 66:15

About Mark Kasdorf
Cambridge based entrepreneur. I’ve started three companies in three years. The first while finishing law school, the second shortly after, and the third based on a pain point in growing the first two. Highly motivated and hard working, my goal is to build successful companies in the thriving Boston/Cambridge community, and to help others do the same.

We’re still in the early days of the mobile app economy but it’s growing up fast. As competition increases, app makers and mobile marketers are turning to third party analytics services for a helping hand in navigating the ecosystem: measuring key business metrics, improving the user experience, and learning how to improve their app’s marketing.

So where do you start? What analytics services should you use? It’s not an easy question, but soon you’ll have an idea of what the landscape looks like so you can make a smarter decision for you app.

There are three main types of services that can help you improve your App business:

1      App store analytics

2      User analytics, and

3      Marketing analytics

APP STORE ANALYTICS

This is where the majority of app makers start collecting their basic data. App store analytics provide the information you need to understand your app’s performance in the app store:

●      Sales by app store

●      Worldwide rankings, and

●      Reviews

Having this data automatically gathered into a central location, often delivered straight to your inbox, is invaluable, offering you an easy way to visualize and analyze key trends while monitoring the health of your app.The secondary benefit to app store analytics services is that they combat the closed-off nature of app stores by publicly publishing global app store rankings, creating a more transparent landscape for everyone to play in. And this lays the groundwork for app store intelligence.

How to Use App Store Analytics and App Store Intelligence

Everyone’s applications will vary, but in general app store data can help you:

●      Calculate market shares

●      Identify revenue opportunities in specific categories and countries, and

●      Understand how many downloads you need to make the top 25 for a given category and country

Trevor McKendrick wrote a great post on how he chose a profitable niche using app store analytics as a part of his “My first year in the app store” series, which I highly recommend.

App Intelligence basically does the above math for you, and tends to be a premium offering by app store analytics providers. It makes keeping an eye on your competition and tracking daily downloads and revenues for any app in the market quick and easy. This allows you to learn from what others are doing and even analyze the effects that a price change may have on a competitor’s revenue.

App Store Analytics services: App Annie, Distimo, AppFigures

Once you’ve got a finger on the pulse of your app’s general performance, dive inside to improve your user’s app experience

IN-APP USER ANALYTICS

User analytics help you understand how people interact with your app so you can improve their user experience. User analytics also allow you to measure your four most important business metrics:

 User Engagement – how often people use your app, for how long, and the features they use

 Churn rate – the percentage of people that never return to your app

 Conversions – your success rate of getting a user to carry out specific actions

 Revenue

By closely observing how people are using your app you can tweak it’s design and adjust your product roadmap to increase user engagement, retention and monetization. Similarly, you can measure the effects of any given design or feature change on the above metrics to navigate your team toward building a better app.

User analytics services: Flurry, Mixpanel

MARKETING ANALYTICS

Now that you’re keeping track of the basic stats around your app’s performance in stores, and how users are interacting with it, it’s time you learn which marketing channels work best, so you can grow your userbase.

The problem with app stores is that they don’t give you the data you need to scale your user acquisition, and that’s where marketing analytics come in. Typically marketing analytics allow you to do at least one of three things:

●      Track conversions – see how many clicks of your campaign links convert into downloads and users, and then track what those users do inside your app

●      Measure cost and lifetime value of user acquisition channels

●      Attribute a channel to each user you acquire so you know where each came from

Tracking conversions allows you to kick the vanity metrics like clicks and impressions and start looking at the numbers that really drive your business, like new users. Awareness of campaign costs and lifetime value help you manage your marketing budget. And attribution is what ties all your data together, allowing you to see conversions, costs and lifetime value for each marketing channel you use.

The User Acquisition Landscape for Apps 

There are five commons ways users tend to discover the apps they want – i.e. there are five general arenas where you can acquire users. One is untrackable, but the others are completely open for measuring ROI:

Unmeasurable channels:

App store discovery – if a user searches for and finds your app directly from inside an app store, no analytics provider can track that. 

A work-around to track app store discovery: assuming you’re using a service that tracks where your users come from, the number of users you have that were not tracked (i.e. attributed to a channel), would have organically found your app through an app store.

Measurable channels

1      App to app ad networks – place ads for your app inside other people’s apps. Facebook app install ads are a great example.

2      Ad Exchange networks – swap ads with other apps, a tap for a tap, usually for free. TapforTap is one example.

3      The mobile web – buy mobile web ads, build your online presence, get press coverage, market through email and use other inbound marketing tactics to attract prospects who are browsing on their mobile phones.

4      Social discovery - bulid a community around your app and be active on social media to organically pull prospects in and encourage social recommendations.

What marketing analytics do I need?

You need a marketing analytics service that can track the ways you like to acquire users. The majority of marketing analytics providers focus on measuring the performance of number 1 and 2 above: app to app ad networks and ad exchanges. But some exist that allow you to track 3 and 4: the mobile web and social media marketing. Invest some time finding a company that helps you track the marketing channels you’re using and it will pay dividends down the road.

For mobile ad networks (1 and 2) see: Mobile App Tracking, Kontagent, Kochava, Apsalar

For mobile ad networks and marketing on the mobile web (1, 2, 3, 4)  see: Tapstream

Once you have your tracking in place you will be able to see which marketing channels are paying off and which are flopping. Adjust your campaigns and shift your time and budget towards the channels that are bringing in your highest quality users, and you’ll be light years ahead of competitors who are swinging in the dark without marketing analytics.

Your Turn

What sort of app tracking could help you take your app business to the next level?

Last week, affiliate linking platform GeoRiot published an educational series for app developers, Preserving the UX.

The three-part series of events below, explores the behind-the-scenes processes that occur as a URL resolves within an app, how this chain of events can disrupt the user experience, and what steps developers can take to preserve their affiliate commissions and the experience of their users.

Additional affiliate marketing and geo-fragmentation resources, as well as the original series in its entirety can be found on GeoRiot’s affiliate linking blog.

The Stutter Step

Have you ever clicked on a link within an iOS app, and then watched helplessly as your device jumps from the app to Mobile Safari, then to another app or into the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore? There’s a name for this user experience faux pas, and it’s called the “Stutter Step”.

The stutter step happens when an app isn’t prepared for multiple http-based redirects, such as the resolution of an affiliate link. As the URL resolves it will first trigger the app to close, load Mobile Safari, and then once the link has resolved, Safari will close and another app will open to load and handle the final link.

In a world where impeccable design and a seamless UX can say more about an app than the app itself, it’s important to type of user experience faux pas.

Fortunately, there’s a workaround for this.  

QA 1629

QA 1629 is Apple’s solution to the stutter step and at GeoRiot, we’ve developed our own slightly modified version of QA 1629 to compliment your GeoRiot-based affiliate links.

By implementing coding that allows links to resolve in the background – without jumping between apps – developers can reverse the negative user experience caused by the stutter step. Here, the user is also taken directly to the iTunes or App Store App to make a purchase, but this method allows for click reporting, tracking tags and use of global linking services like GeoRiot.

Using NSURLConnection, the redirects are processed silently and open the URL once the redirects encounter an itunes.apple.com based URL. This allows your application to transition right to the store without launching Safari – as pictured in this demonstration from the iOS Developer Library.

QA 1629 is a great way to ensure you’re providing users with the best experience possible, but it’s important that it’s implemented into your app or SDK properly. Not doing so can interfere with setting the affiliate cookie, and ultimately reverse your affiliate linking efforts

Swallowing The Cookie

To convert affiliate tracking parameters into an affiliate cookie, a 301 redirect outside of the app is required. It’s a common misconception that the code that handles redirects behind the scenes should “release” the link once its completely done resolving. However, doing this sets the affiliate cookie in the local app, and not in the “shared cookie jar” which the iTunes Store / App Store pulls from when attributing a sale(s) to a specific referrer.

Without this redirect, the cookie can’t be referenced by the store on subsequent purchases, and your affiliate link essentially becomes a raw iTunes link. In other words, this guy has just “swallowed the cookie”.

Affiliate Link Resolution

Here’s a look at the behind-the-scenes redirects that take place as a georiot.co affiliate link resolves: 

1.) GeoRiot Link 

eg. http://georiot.co/z5V

–>

 2.) Affiliate Network Link 

eg. http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=6njTyDMQfuQ&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253a%252f%252fitunes.apple.com%252fus%252fapp%252fid513474544%253fmt%253d8%2526partnerId%253d30&u1=TestingLink

–> 

3.) iTunes link (with Affiliate Parameters)

eg. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id513474544?mt=8&partnerId=30&partnerId=30&siteID=6njTyDMQfuQ-rOh0HV3jS81ST9meGFcR0Q

– >

4.) Regular iTunes Link (Now With Affiliate Cookie Set

eg. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id513474544?mt=8

Take note of the last bounce from the iTunes link with affiliate tracking parameters, to a regular looking iTunes link, now with an affiliate cookie – this is the stage where the affiliate cookie is set. 

The code to handle the stutter step should release the link as soon as an apple.com URL comes up. It’s crucial that this last step takes place outside of the app, as it’s responsible for tagging the user’s subsequent purchases as affiliated, and then accrediting back to the referrer.  

Testing

As always, the best way to test if your affiliate link is working correctly is to simply test it from end to end with a purchase from the iTunes Store or App Store.

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TIP #1: Local Marketing

1. The best form of marketing is word of mouth, yet app developers rarely put their mouths into in-person marketing! Every week there are dozens of local networking events happening around most towns and cities! Simply print out some business cards and go and say hello! Check out www.Meetup.com for local events.

TIP #2: iOS (Apple App Store) – (General Marketplace – Western/US/Euro Concentration)
1. Add up to 3 different versions of English in addition to American English and get an additional 100 characters for your keywords IN EACH! ==> UK English, Canadian English, Australian English!

2. Can’t get an amazing title? Here’s a quick option -> Simply add another language and try and get a top title for your app in another international app store! In some cases you could end up getting a VERY high keyword searched app title in a totally different language and thus get into top ranks in other parts of the world!

TIP #3: Google Play Market (General Marketplace – Eastern/Asian Concentration)

1. Keep freemium apps in the Google Play marketplace, and monetize via in app ads and in app purchases.

TIP #4: Amazon Market (Teens, Young Women (20-30) and Seniors – Western/US/Euro Concentration)
1. Titles can have a lot of keywords as can your bullet points! Make sure you complete full ASO on both the title and bullet feature points on Amazon to help increase your rank. It’s much easier to get into the charts on Amazon. Example of one of our apps => “My Clock Station Pro – Alarm Clock, Soothing Sounds +MORE – Works In Sleep Mode!”

2. Download volume is heavier on free apps, so add an interstitial ad banner from a company that supports Amazon, such as RevMob, to monetize.

Apps that do well: Student and Educational apps, Games, Lifestyle apps, Reading and Childrens apps.

TIP #5: Barnes and Noble Market (Children and Women – Heavily Western US Focused)
1. Create childrens games and use FULL ASO on your game! One of our games is always getting top downloads just because we kept its title with basic keywords => “Car Car Race Car”. Very few devs do any form of ASO to monetize here.

Apps that do well: Childrens Apps

TIP #6: Blackberry Market (Business Market – Has Now Shifted East New Growth In India and China)
1. Make sure to get in on the various contests and port-a-thons! Just earlier this year there were around 5-6 port-a-thons with Blackberry giving $100/app ported for up to 20 apps! In many cases, people were getting $2000/port-a-thon just by uploading that many apps! Blackberry is always working the hardest to get the attention of developers. You can get Tablets, Phones, Money and even Trips and more! Keep up to date by following their various events here => www.blackberrydeveloperevents.com

2. ASO is a HUGE thing in Blackberry as no one really does it. There is a huge potential opportunity to get your apps found simply by working on the titles and keywords.

Apps that do well: Social, Chatting and Business related apps and Utilities.

TIP #7: Windows RT/PRO Market (General New Windows Users)
1. App screenshots have a 200 character limit so you can load them up with keywords. You can also load up keywords in title and description.

2. If you are creating a game, MAKE SURE you uncheck Brazil, Korea, South Africa and Taiwan from the list unless you actually have the rating certificates for those respective countries! Those countries require a mandatory rating certificate and if you by some chance select those without having a rating certificate and submit your app for approval, you will have to wait for rejection or call your local microsoft evangelist to find a way to get it out of the review queue!

3. Find your local Microsoft Evangelist! In many cases they can introduce you to the BizSpark program (http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/) which upon acceptance gets you all Microsoft products and licenses fully paid for! On top of that your Evangelist can help you get your app noticed in the Microsoft App Store!

It is hard to build a mobile-first business if you aren’t facing the tough questions head-on each and every single time you launch and use your own app. This kind of scrutiny ensures you don’t stray too far from the intended purpose – the original reason – the app was built. Between versions 1 and 2 of Bump, as the feature list grew and complexity increased and ease of use decreased, Dave and his team realized that the original intent was being obscured by the need to add new features. It was time for them to refocus, get back to the core and make Bump do what it was good at, again.

Dave says it was always there, the focus on cognitive overhead and it’s impact on product use, but it seems that over the past year it has become so much more than a focus for his company – almost a mantra for new feature and product development going forward. One such product is Flock. This is one of those simple, “aha!” products that makes sense. If you truly believe that the mobile devices we carry are able to improve our abilities as fallible humans and that we are in fact ushering in the age of inference, what Dave and his team are doing with Flock is a signal of what is to come.

We dive into the last two years of Bump and the lessons he’s learned from them: The “feature temptation”, the fallout from the refocus, the development of Flock, the focus on cognitive overhead, the inference age, and where Dave sees it all going in the near future. This is a smart episode – full of Star Trek references and market insights from one of the most popular and well-used apps — ever.

In case you missed the other episodes

How $44 in marketing has generated 25 million downloads for BUMP – with co-founder and CEO David Lieb

Enjoy!

Here is a quick reference of what we covered in the show.

1. Bump over the past year – back to simplicity 1:58
2. How the new features were increasing cognitive overhead 3:40
3. The “add a feature” temptation and it’s impact 6:30
4. How did you decide what features to cut from Bump? 7:40
5. Who was the descenting voice during the transition 9:50
6. What was the Bump process for removing features and the impact 11:55
7. Were these decisions market driven? Were there changes in the market? 13:05
8. What about the API roll out? Why do that? Did it confuse or complicate the business? 14:40
9. What happened to your numbers when you moved from Bump 2.0 to Bump 3.0 17:25
10. What is your success metric? 19:15
11. Do you have to market yet or is it all word of mouth still? 21:05
12. How do you replicate the success Bump’s world to mouth 24:10
13. Where did the idea for Flock come from? 25:40
14. The path from the age of intent to the age of inference 27:00
15. Will you actively market Flock? 30:15
16. What are the key lessons you’ve learned during the rise of Bump and the creation of Flock 33:40
17. When did the language shift for you? When did you mature your thinking to where you are now? 36:58
18. The next shift in computing is: Inference 41:40
19. How does voice play into the age of inference 43:52
20. Why sci-fi predicted only 90% of our future – what was the missing 10% 45:20

About Dave Lieb
David is CEO and cofounder of Bump Technologies, which he founded along with Andy Huibers and Jake Mintz in the fall of 2008 while a first-year MBA student at the University of Chicago. Bump is a platform technology that allows two mobile phones to connect or interact by just physically bumping them together.

Previously, David served as a technologist and algorithm designer at Texas Instruments, where he helped develop digital display devices for projectors and large-screen televisions. Prior to TI, David taught robotic vehicles to see, learn, and drive themselves while a research assistant in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab.