Categories
Technology

Marketing and Promotion of Your Campus Mobile App

Presenters:

  • Beth Pfefferle, Modo Labs
  • Morag Charlton, Modo Labs

Modules that Drive Traffic

  • Top 3:  courses/catalog, transit, registrar
  • Other popular modules:  admissions, alumni, campus ID cards, computer lab usage, NSO, parking, Student Rec, tours, webcams

Who’s the Customer?  Primarily current students.

Involve Users Early and Often

Monitor your Analytics:  downloads, sources, devices, time on app, etc.

Before Launch

Build anticipation:  get users to test and become advocates; make pre-announcements and generate press; create a mobile brand, make it fun with a logo design contest to get students involved.

Launch & Post-Launch Activities

  • Create consistent message across multiple channels
  • Recruit MarCom
  • Sustain momentum
  • Create a QR code for easy download
  • Email campaigns:  targeted announcements with direct links to download page, create a drip campaign over time
  • Create a landing page, post on student portal
  • Posters, banners, displays
  • Information cards
  • Print and digital advertising (shuttle bus, electronic info boards)
  • Live events, i.e. orientation, tours, etc.
  • Press releases, news articles
  • Social Media, wherever they congregate
  • Videos:  make it funny, creative and thought-provoking.  They don’t have to be expensive to create.  Use student videographers with blooper reel or do it yourself.
  • Mobile ambassadors:  train staff and volunteers, res life / orientation folk.
  • Timing:  target users early with new student information so using your app becomes routine.
  • Keep them coming back by adding special event modules!
  • Instantly add modules for any event or activity.
  • Involve student orgs:  academic advising/support, career advising, career fairs, campus recruiting, Greek Life, intl groups, student orgs & fairs, orientations for new students, tours, etc.
  • Push notifications provide drastically higher engagement and retention.  Examples:  weather alerts, emergency updates, event promotion, good luck on finals, etc.
  • Send push notifications to certain groups of users, like new students or alumni, using app Editions.
  • Announce new modules and app features, share onboarding info strategically after initial download.

Demo

Created a Commencement module with publisher

  • Module is already in the system
  • A list of templates is provided
  • Newspaper template has 2 sections:  hero and call-to-action
  • Added an image, link to map, plus location on the map
  • Published to production immediately – took all of 5 minutes
  • Messaging system can be used to notify users of new module availability – an additional 30 seconds

 

 

By Paul Schantz

CSUN Director of Web & Technology Services, Student Affairs. husband, father, gamer, part time aviator, fitness enthusiast, Apple fan, and iguana wrangler.

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