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Why Clowder?
Debbie Willis10/16/19 12:00 AM1 min read

Apps are Here to Stay

Every now and again I hear people saying mobile is a fad. "Apps fail." "Websites and email are here to stay." Without being too disrespectful, what I want to say to those people is... good luck, because you’ll need it.

Let’s take a step back. The App Store launched in 2008. Early apps made a ton of money, but then came the copy cats. This created the skewed stats. When Facebook launched their app, there were 13,450 copy cats. When the flashlight app launched, there were over 10,000 copy cats. You see, it is pretty easy to launch a basic, no-frills app. It takes $99 and a downloadable template. Frankly, my 6 year old can create an app. That is what distorts the market stats.

Out of 1.5M apps, over 1.2M are “dead.” This means they were failed start-ups, replicated games or ripped-off apps that just had no backing.

The biggest problem in launching an app is getting an audience. "How do I get people to download?" Here is why associations have the upper hand - you've got members. This engaged community already wants more value from their organization and is willing to engage with a convenient resource like this.

Second biggest problem of launching an app is making money from it. Good news again for associations. You have sponsors who are looking for new advertisement real estate. They've sponsored newsletters, happy hours and t-shirts, but are now aligning with the for-profit world of wanting digital click-through rates and impressions. Mobile is the place for that.

Last problem I've witnessed from launching hundreds of apps is retaining users. Good news once more. By providing value and utility through your app, your users won’t delete it. Its push notifications will continually drive them to log in. The app's icon next to all other used apps on their phone's screen will keep it top of mind. If done correctly, members will feel more connected than ever to your organization - so why would they want to delete? 

Mobile apps are not failing. Mobile advertisement has surpassed TV ad spend. We now use apps for everything. If your app provides value, the sky is the limit.
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Debbie Willis
Debbie Willis is the VP of Global Marketing at Advanced Solutions International (ASI), the parent company of iMIS, TopClass, OpenWater, and Clowder. She has more than 20 years of marketing experience in the association and nonprofit technology space. Passionate about all things MarTech, Debbie has led countless website, SEO, content, email, paid ad, and social media marketing strategies and campaigns. Debbie loves creating meaningful content to engage and empower association and nonprofit audiences. Debbie received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Information Systems from James Madison University and a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing from The George Washington University. Debbie is a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and the American Society of Association Executives, and dabbles in photography. She also volunteers on the Marketing Committee for the Association Women Technology Champions.

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