Signature May/June 2015 - 29

GRANTING PERMISSIONS

THE LAUNCH IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

How will you offer your app? Will
it be a stand-alone item? Will it be
free? Will it allow in-app purchases? Will
it be included as part of a subscription?
"The majority of app developers
know publishers will want some type
of subscription component - anywhere
from registration to membership - so
the app will have to communicate with
the member database. Make it part of
the discussion," says Sheridan's Adams,
noting that in his experience, at least
half of publishers want some sort of
authentication component.
And what if you want a combination
of free and authenticated content? Make
sure to review that point with the developer and address it in your RFP.
"This is so critical for associations.
Associations have proprietary informa-

Network Media Partner's Jen Smith says
association publishing teams must also
recognize that there's a change in mindset
involved in all this: Your job will morph -
from magazine editors to content providers.
"If you're determined to have an app -
and you have done the research with readers
and members - do it for the medium. You
want to give readers a good experience that
they'll enjoy. Create content for the medium,
not a medium for the content," Smith says.
And, as with any ongoing project, track
the results. Review your analytics regularly
to see what resonates with your readers. "If
you build it, they will come" only works
in the movies. As you develop your app,
develop your marketing strategy.
"The best app in the world won't do anything if it's not promoted right. That means
ongoing, sustained efforts," Medina says.

"Maybe a mobile app isn't the way
to go. Maybe you just need to
mobile-optimize your website.
That's something that should be
thought through in the beginning."
-Chris Adams, Sheridan

tion, behind a wall, so then you have to
build in entitlement services for your
app," says ALOA Security Professionals
Association's Medina. "Who will have
access to the app, and which content are
they entitled to get? Can a member continue to use it after membership expires?
Entitlement is a tricky issue to consider
and can be an expensive part of the whole
development process."

Stalzer says NBAA uses content
marketing to promote the app. NBAA
launches each bimonthly issue of Business
Aviation Insider in the app and works
through a series of tactics: posting articles
(with an ad for the app) on the website,
in the newsletter, social media, directed
promotions, and targeted emails.
"In any way someone might access our
content, we try to make it easy for them

to find the app from there," she says.
"We made a decision that we wanted to
make our content as available as possible
to our members on multiple channels."

WHAT'S NEXT?
Apps will change along with consumer
demands, says Sheridan's Adams. "What
you see today isn't going to look and
function the same in two to three
years from now. At least, I hope not,"
he says." They'll look different, they'll
incorporate new features. The ones that
do that successfully will be the ones that
continue their existence into the future."
But, he says, what makes a great app
today will likely remain the same:
* Engaging, relevant content - some
of it unique to the app
* A balance of impactful, targeted
advertising
* A clean and intuitive design interface
* An easy-to-use subscription and/or
membership component
As for NBAA, Stalzer sums up the
association's app experience like this: "It
really showcases our storytelling. The
photography looks beautiful. Readers go
in, spend time with the content, then go
back and use it again and again. People
go back and use the older issues in the
library, so the more issues we have, the
more valuable the app will become.
"Some of the best content we have
appears in this space." ■
Editor's note: Signature is saddened to inform
readers of this article that Mousetrap Mobile's Greg
Nasto passed away shortly after this interview.
Kate Achelpohl (KEAchelpohl@
gmail.com) is a freelance writer in
northern Virginia and a member
Association Media & Publishing's
Content Creation Committee.
MAY/JUNE 16

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