How To Increase Your App Downloads With Video Trailers

Read any video-related article and you will find that videos are significant on landing pages, social channels, seminars, and even conferences.

But that’s not all.

Videos are playing a crucial role even in the Google Play store.

The top-performing apps all have a common feature – explainer videos. Whether the app belongs to the healthcare industry or an IT firm, those videos work equally well.

Why?

Videos are dominating the online landscape because they offer more engagement value than other forms of content, thanks to the combination of visuals and sound.

The persuading power of videos goes beyond product selling to influence user behavior and you can utilize them to trigger more downloads.

Here are some tips for you to do that:

Youtube

In-stream ads

Youtube offers you the option to place your ads within videos. You can put them in the beginning, middle or right before the video ends.

In-stream ads can be skippable or non-skippable. Skippable ads allow users to skip after the first 5 seconds. On the other hand, unskippable ads do not come with an option to skip.

Best practices

• Engage quickly. For skippable ads, make sure that your video makes a strong pitch in the first 5 seconds.
• Write a compelling headline for your call-to-action and make sure that the CTA (app link) is visible throughout the video ad so users can download the app directly.

Discovery ads

When you perform a search query on Youtube, those ads that pop up alongside the results are called discovery ads. These ads can also be found on the watch screen when the user is viewing a specific video.

Best practices

• Pick an enticing thumbnail.
• Have an attention-grabbing headline which gives a core idea of the ad content without revealing everything.

Facebook

Facebook generates 8 billion average video views daily. Thus, video and Facebook make a great combination.

Facebook has numerous video advertising options. You can choose an in-feed sponsored video ad, canvas ad or go with the mid-roll option.

Best practices:

• Sponsored video ad
• Provide an ‘Install Now’ button to take the user directly to the download page.
• Highlight your app’s unique information in the ad headline. Use uppercase letters to emphasize the details that would compel the user to proceed with the download.

See Also: The Facebook Organic Growth Tactic that Everybody Forgets

Canvas ads

For e-commerce sites looking to increase app downloads, canvas ads are a great way to go.

Since canvas allows you to include multiple content formats within the ad, they aid in taking the user to the product. You can use a video trailer to build awareness and offer product images that showcase your best collection.

Instagram

Various brands are now flocking to Instagram because video ads on this platform are less intrusive as compared to other channels. Since these ads blend easily with other content, they are not seen as ‘salesy’. Instead, they appear more genuine and useful.

And Instagram has proven beneficial for boosting app downloads.

From the pages of successful Instagram campaigns, we found the story of Lightricks. By creating a series of beautiful video ads containing the app download links, they were able to trigger 300,000 app downloads (of their new Enlight app) over 5 days and found their way to the top of the app chart.

Best practices

• Make the video visually appealing.
• Ensure that video is accompanied with the CTA that allows app download.

Landing page

An explainer video on a landing page can boost conversions by as much as 80%. If you are looking to trigger app downloads, a video is a great way to go.

The landing page video is essential to bring your app to those users who don’t come across your ads. Remember, there is a chunk of users who will probably only get to know about your app when they access your website.

Best practices

• The performance of videos on a landing page is governed by two factors – design and content.
• Ensure that the video is placed at a point where it is clearly visible and that the size is neither too small or too large.
• Have an enticing thumbnail to drive more engagement.

Conclusion

Videos work perfectly in boosting app presence. The key is to ensure that there are enough touch points for your audience to know about a new app launch or upgrades.

Ensure that your video also finds its social audience since social channels help you in getting more eyeballs for your content. This creates room for more downloads. Don’t forget to optimize your videos for the platform you are sharing it on.

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The Hidden Costs of Developing A Mobile App You Should Be Aware of

How much does it cost to create an app?

App development is a tricky thing. If you’re not thoroughly aware and prepared, you can easily end up spending more than you should. Worse, you can end up with an unfinished project just because you ran out of funds.

Cost of publishing an application in app stores

Yes, you need to pay certain fees before you can release or publish your app. There’s the fee for registration of developer account and fees for each transaction.

Let’s talk deeper about them.

Apple App Store

The cost of registering the developer account to publish your iOS app is $99 annually. That is if you sign up as an individual or organization. In case you represent an enterprise that wants to create a proprietary app it can distribute among its employees, you’ll have to pay as much as $299 annually.

Don’t forget about transaction fees as ignoring them may lead to a lesser return. Transaction fee in the App Store is 15% from any purchase. This means if your application, subscription or in-app purchase costs $10, you will get only $8.50 in profit.

Google Play

Google has a better price policy for registering developer accounts and a more complicated policy for transaction fees.

To open a developer account, you’ll have to pay $25 once to get an eternal access to it. Concerning transaction fees, Google charges 30% from each purchase ($10 = $7).

However, subscriptions are kind of an exception. Google charges a standard 30% in the first year a customer uses the app subscription. After the first year, this fee decreases to 15%.

Amazon Appstore

The Amazon Appstore is a nice alternative app store for your Android app. It has a clearer pricing policy compared to the previous two stores. Registering as a developer and publishing your app is free. Besides, Amazon charges 30% fee for each transaction.

Expenses on cloud data storage

If the application you work on deals with processing and storing various data like videos or photos, pay due attention to this aspect. The more customers use your app, the more space (read: money) you need to store all their data.

For example, Facebook spends an overwhelming $1.5 billion each year to store the data of its users.

The majority of existing projects choose Amazon S3 for this purpose. The service is absolutely free right out of the box. You have to pay only when the app will require more than 5 GB of storage space, 15 GB of data transfer, and several other parameters.

The data storage isn’t the only expense. Amazon charges payments for different data manipulations as well.

Software licenses

When developers build a mobile app, they use a variety of third-party solutions, like libraries and SDKs. They help to reduce the time required to implement a certain feature.

The majority of those solutions are absolutely free but some of them come with certain limitations in their free versions. Sometimes, these limitations can interfere with what the project needs.

For instance, you need an advanced search in your app with filters by time, region, location, and other parameters. Your team of developers can build that feature on their own but it’ll take much time.

Let’s say the team estimated they need 100 hours to implement that feature. If you multiply 100 hours by the developers’ hourly rate ($50-250, depends on a region), you will end up paying a lot for just one feature.

So, in many cases, it’s much cheaper to pay for a solution with a ready-made feature you can customize according to your project’s needs than build it from scratch.

In Conclusion

How much does it cost to create an app?

The answer is a lot.

However, if you know exactly what you need and don’t need, you can actually cut down on your expenses. You can also allocate your budget properly so you don’t end up abandoning your project.

See Also: How To Make A Successful Mobile App For Your Business

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3 Ways To Build A Personal Brand Based On Authenticity

In today’s society, people are used to getting a taste of products for free. When a product or service is so high-quality that its creator is confident enough to give it away, that tells audiences it’s truly valuable.

Take Chance the Rapper, for example: He has risen to stardom over the past seven years — performing for President Barack Obama at the White House, hosting “Saturday Night Live,” and winning three Grammys in 2017 for his rap album “Coloring Book.” If that’s not impressive enough, he managed it all while giving fans his music for free. He’s taken the road less traveled, and zigging when everyone else is zagging draws attention from his fans.

I’m certainly not a rapper, but I have relied on a similar method for success in the 17 years I’ve led a gift strategy and logistics company, and I wrote about it in my book “Giftology.” I’ve built a personal brand based on giving and authenticity, and I can show you how to do the same. Here’s where to start:

Give back to your collaborators and supporters

When building a brand, most people focus on scrounging for every penny to help them rise to the top. But like Chance, I focus on what I can achieve alone, then collaborate with others to let them shine. In my case, that means partnering with the people providing me gifts, then putting the spotlight on them. A core value of my business is relationship-building, because even if I can give only a little at the start of a relationship, my partners and I will grow together over time.

Build a giving mentality into the fabric of your personal brand to help set it apart. As often as you can, donate time or resources to give back to the people or companies that helped you get where you are. Chance, for example, champions causes and invests time and money into revamping Chicago and its public schools. Ensure the messaging you create to market your personal brand focuses on how you’ve helped others, not on how you’ve helped yourself.

Be gracious early on

I follow the Gary Vaynerchuk mindset of playing the long game, which Chance demonstrates with every album he releases. While giving his music away for free might seem might seem crazy at first, he’s really just building good faith with his audience, which pays off in spades. It’s the same reason I ask anybody I’m engaging whether I can comp a gift on his behalf to help him look good. This freemium model has helped us land a number of clients, including pro sports teams like the Orlando Magic, and it builds goodwill.

Make the first move of generosity by giving your connections something on the front end. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant gift, either. Maybe you can only afford to take someone out for coffee at a trendy local shop while you network and send him a handwritten thank-you note after your meeting — that’s OK. That act of kindness can be enough to keep you top of mind the next time an opportunity comes along that should have your name written all over it.

Go off-book

 

Any time you can surprise and delight by blazing your own trail is a chance to impress those around you. Just because society has set a standard doesn’t mean you can’t change it. Chance the Rapper doesn’t bow to the pressure of $10 million offers from record labels; he pursues his own vision. Technology has made it easier than ever to build a brand that bucks the status quo, regardless of your credentials.

It’s also a great opportunity to set yourself apart from competitors. Going off the beaten path can be a powerful indicator of who you are and what your brand is. Breaking patterns gets noticed, so whether you’re simply changing the way you present yourself on social media or pulling stunts in your community to generate buzz, don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd.

Chance the Rapper is known not only for offering his music for free and for his charitable work, but also for becoming a lifestyle icon. No matter your industry, chances are good your personal brand will benefit if you take a page from his book. Take it from me: A personal brand built with authenticity will take you far.

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The Top Tech Events You Need To Attend For Your Business This Year

2018/19 Planner Comparison

Our 2018/19 midyear Planners are here and we are so excited to introduce them to you! Get ready to crush your goals with our Hustle and Fancy Pants Planners. If you are wondering which planner is right for you, this post will walk you through the details of each, and help you decide which one will become your new Best Friend! Honestly though, planners are such a personal preference and you might not know what works best for you until you try it. Here are some of the major differences that will help you narrow down your planner choice! 

       

All of our planners incorporate goals, projects, finances, health, and scheduling into one. We believe that all areas of your life must work together in order to create a more balanced lifestyle. So now you just need to decide which format will best help you achieve this balance!

      

Decision #1: Daily planner or Weekly planner?

If you are unsure which layout is right for you, take our “Which Planner Is Right For You” Quiz and choose option C to get a sample download of our Daily and Weekly layouts. 

 

    

If Daily, which one?

If you know you prefer a Daily layout, then you have the option of Hustle Daily Spiral, or Fancy Pants Daily. Let’s take a look at some of the major differences between these 2 planners.

 

 

     

Many people prefer a spiral planner because you can fold the planner in half and only see one page at a time. The spiral also gives you the option to add any of our downloads to your planner using our new Add-A-Page for spiral. Check out this video for more information on how to add pages to your Hustle Daily spiral planner.

  

Spiral planners require a little extra care when on the go as to not bend the spiral, but if you know for sure that spiral planners are your jam, then we have a new Hustle Daily B.F.F. Carryall to protect your best friend while you are on the go. The carryall is also great for Hustle Daily Casebound as well.

   

So, now to compare Hustle Daily and Fancy Pants Daily……

   

Both Hustle Daily and Fancy Pants have the same size pages, 5.5" x 8.5". Hustle Daily weekends share a page, but Fancy Pants weekends each have their own page. So if you are super busy on the weekends, then Fancy Pants might be a better fit for you. 

 

 

Hustle Daily weekend page (below)

       

    

If you are someone who prefers a planner with customization, the ability to add and remove pages as needed, then Fancy Pants is the way to go. It offers custom inserts for Realtors, Direct Sales Consultants, Photographers, Teachers, and Students. And then we haveinserts for Extra Notes, Contacts, and a Weekly Add-in insert which is great for those who prefer a daily format but also want to keep a weekly rolling to-do list and move it from day to day.

Fancy Pants was designed with portability in mind, so although the planner comes with a full year of content, the binder holds up to 4 months of daily pages at one time, but ALL of the tabs and ALL 12 monthly overviews so you can still plan your year in advance. Hustle Daily has the full year of planning pages jam packed into one planner, but this is due to the fact that Saturday and Sunday share a page, so there are fewer pages all together.

 

So let’s recap, shall we……

Hustle Daily Spiral - full year of content in one planner, weekends share a page, planner can fold in half to only see one day at a time, and takes up less space on your desk.

 

Fancy Pants Daily - full year of content included but binder holds up to 4 months of daily pages at one time (but all 12 monthly overviews), weekends have their own page, customizable, additional inserts available, portable and fits nicely in your purse.

 

    

If You Like Weekly…

If you prefer a Weekly layout, then you have the option of Hustle Weekly. There is a noticeable difference between these two planners…

 

 

Our Weekly planners are great for those who prefer to see their full week at a time and don’t need as much space for daily checklists. 

 

Because Hustle Weekly has a larger format, it’s time slots go from 5:30am - 9:00pm and have twice the space for daily to-do’s. This planner is a Sunday start with full time slots for Saturday and Sunday. Hustle Weekly also has the full year of planning pages all bound together.

 

      

  

We do have a Fuel Notepad, which combines meal planning and grocery lists in one, and pairs great with any of our Hustle Planners, especially if you prefer to not carry around your planner in the grocery store.

 

 

 

Now, what if you know you prefer a binder planner and already have a binder that you love, but are looking for a new planner? We’ve got you covered! You can purchase our A5 Fancy Pants Inserts here.

 

 

And once you have found the perfect planner for you, here are some of our new accessories for that will pair great with your new best friend!

 

First up is our Legit Notebook that can be paired with any planner, this is made for students and has everything you need to keep your academics on track!  

 

 

Business Partner Notebook - Are you an entrepreneur? We use to have a Business Hustle Planner and then we had a brilliant idea. Instead of only being available for Hustle Daily, why don’t we improve it, make it better, and wrap it up into a notebook? This way, you can pick the perfect planner for your life and then pair it with the Business Partner to plan for success in your business. Genius! 

 

 

Gym Pal - This is a notebook that is designed for someone who is looking to get serious in the gym. It is there to hold you accountable for writing it down, tracking it, and making things happen! Progress happens with just a little bit of effort and this Gym Pal is designed to keep you headed in the right direction. 

 

 

Phew! That was a lot wasn’t it? You can also check out our comparison chart here, which will some up all of the differences amongst our planner lines in a visual format.

      

To learn more about our Hustle Planner you can watch this short video here.  

 

To learn more about our Fancy Pants Planner you can watch this short video here.  

 

And if you still have questions… as always reach out to us at hello@startplanner.com. We are here to help you find that perfect “best friend” to start making things happen in your life! 

from STARTplanner - News https://startplanner.com/blogs/news/2018-19-planner-comparison

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3 Ways To Stop Your Bad Habits

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I have plenty of time, I can work on this later” or, “What I do now doesn’t matter, again I’m young”?

If so, I’m here to say that it does matter, particularly when you’re learning how to stop bad habits.

There’s a saying that I’ve been hearing a lot lately.

“Past performance is indicative of future returns.”

Now, although it’s usually said when discussing a financial institution, I believe that it can be applied to so much more.

Take habits for example.

Once learned, do you know how hard it is to break a habit? Very freaking hard.

It takes a lot of self-discipline and commitment to break a habit and even once it’s broken, constant maintenance is required to keep it broken.

Think about all the habits you learned while you were young. Look back at how you look and behave toward certain ideas. Those habits and behaviors are hard to get rid of because they are built deep within you.

But how exactly do you take them out of your life?

I’ve talked to so many people who, despite their good nature, have told me that they used to believe that they were immortal (figuratively). They used to think that they have all the time in the world.

Now, upon reflection on their lives, they’ve noticed that they’re stuck in a sense of perpetual failure. They have developed tons of self-defeating habits that they can’t seem to shake off even after so many years.

3 Tricks on How to Stop Bad Habits

Replace it with something else

When I was younger, I had several BAD habits that really hurt both my work ethic and outlook on life. After a length of time doing these things, I noticed what they were doing to me- they were contributing to my failures.

My only option was to kick the habit but I had no reasonable idea how.

So, one day, I just quit cold turkey.

I told myself that I just wouldn’t do them anymore and it worked for a while.

A few months later, I found that the desire for them was back and that I longed for the pleasure that they brought again. I’d put a lot of thought into it and I was wondering why this feeling came back.

I realized that I needed something else that would calm me- something that would help clear my mind so that I could stay focused.

Then, I stumbled upon exercise.

I found that the relief I get from it was on par with the relief that the substances brought to me. I kept exercising on a regular basis and soon found that my desires went away. I’d found my substitute.

With the help of sticky notes, I’ve eliminated my unwanted habits and it worked really well for me.

See Also: 16 Essential Tips for Quitting Smoking

Figure out what stimulates the habit

After you realize that a habit is unwanted, the next (and possibly the easiest) thing you should do is to figure out how to avoid doing it. This also means that you must find your trigger.

For me, it was the stagnation or the feeling of constant movement but never going anywhere. This coupled with the ever-present mistakes that made it very difficult for me to deal with the stress of life.

It took me a while to realize that.

At first, all I noticed was that I wasn’t on my stuff the way that I needed to be. But like with anything, until I knew what was causing it, there would be no way for me to avoid a similar situation.

This all comes with time though.

Just like how it took a while before I figured out what was hurting me, it will also take a while for you to realize that.

This is what we have to do:

We must reflect and realize what is contributing to our current state. It’s hard but with enough time, it can be done. And if you can’t do it yourself, go to someone who can help you.

Make yourself aware of the fact that it’s unwanted.

This is the hardest thing in the world for us to do, especially by ourselves.

A habit is something that we do on a regular basis. We get so used to them that we no longer view them as a problem. This means that we must reflect and pinpoint the issues. We must look long and hard to find the things that add to our problems.

For me, one of those issues was my substance abuse. I just had to look into myself and see what it was that was causing my current state. It took a very long reflection for me to realize that it was hurting me and how it was holding me back.

This is your life, and you only get so much of it. Since our time on this earth won’t last, we must make the most of it. We must rid ourselves of our unwanted habits as soon as possible. Don’t be the person that looks back and says, “Man, I knew that I needed to do this. I just never did.”

See Also: Spiritual Pointers for Quitting a Bad Habit

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Oral Side Effects of Medications: What You Need to Know

Medicines are necessary to control a condition, prevent complications, and treat health problems. Although helpful, not all medications are free of side effects. Some of them can be life-threatening while others can have a negative effect on how you look.

To help you understand better, here are the most common oral side effects of medications and what you can do about them.

Dry Mouth

Drugs prescribed for heart diseases, like enalapril and chlorothiazide, can dry up your salivary glands. This can make your mouth excessively dry.

Once that happens, the tissues in your mouth can become irritated and inflamed, which can increase the risk of infection, tooth decay, and gum disease.

Think of it this way:

If there’s less saliva in your mouth, it can cause foods to stick on the surfaces of your teeth, making them difficult to remove. Saliva protects the tooth against tooth decay and gum disease.

See Also: 10 Habits That Can Prevent Heart Disease

Discoloration of Enamel

Drugs that cause staining and discoloration of the enamel include antibiotics. They are typically used to treat bacterial infections, some forms of acne, and respiratory issues.

Apart from that, consumption of too much fluoride can also lead to enamel discoloration. It can cause chalky white and cream colored patches to develop on your teeth.

Fungal Infection

Inhalers used for asthma may lead to yeast infection in the mouth called oral candidiasis. It is very important to rinse your mouth every time you use an inhaler to avoid this side effect.

Altered taste

Some medications can alter your sense of taste, which is also known as dysgeusia. It happens frequently to elders who take multiple medications for their ailments. It can also happen to people who are under chemotherapy and taking doxorubicin and chlorpheniramine maleate.

Generally, the change in taste is temporary and goes away when you stop the medication.

Gum Swelling or Gingival overgrowth

Medications, such as oral contraceptives, immunosuppressive medications, and calcium channel blockers can cause gingival overgrowth or gum swelling. Blood pressure and epilepsy medications can also cause the same side effect.

The inflammation around the teeth increases your risk of periodontal disease as it creates a favorable environment for bacteria to grow.

See Also: 3 Natural Home Remedies to Heal Gum Diseases

How to Avoid Oral Side Effects of Medications

Because you can’t stop taking your medications just because you’re fearful of their oral side effects, you need to do your homework and know the best ways to care for your teeth and gums. See your dentist and ask what you can do to avoid oral problems while you’re taking your medications.

Your dentist will assess your oral health. He may use an interdental brush for complete cleaning before providing the right treatment for your oral problems. Undergo a professional cleaning as that can help remove plaques that your regular toothbrush won’t be able to get rid of.

If there is swelling in your gum tissues or if there’s too much pressure around your teeth,  a minor surgery will be required. The surgery is usually done with anesthesia so you won’t feel too much pain during the procedure.

To help control the situation, your dentist can also communicate with your general physician to find out alternative medications that don’t have the same side effects. As much as possible, do not stop taking your medications, swap drugs or change the dose without consulting your doctor.

General dentistry procedures involve the latest dental technology and ensure early and exact identification of any oral health complication, which can affect your overall health. It is always a wise decision to go for a routine dental checkup to prevent future problems.

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