Some of the most successful products on the market today may not differ much from their competitors, except for that thing that’s hard to define: soul.

Take Ben & Jerry’s.

Their brand isn’t about just ice cream. The company sends their ice cream waste to a pig farm, where the pigs run at the first sight of their truck. It’s my daughter’s dream to be reincarnated as one of those pigs. That’s soul.

Many companies try to manufacture soul. Chain restaurants put local high school teams on their wall and adorn their servers with crazy pins.

Right out of the starting gate, I wanted our products to have soul.

Prior to writing our content, we surveyed other books and websites that tried to explain “life skills.” Generally speaking, they were just boring.

So we focused on being smart and concise with a quirky sense of humor. Take this example from our topic on dinner etiquette:

On a business dinner, it’s always nice to extend your hand when you first meet (no fist bumps). A proper handshake involves eye contact and three-second, firm grip. That’s it. And don’t count to three out loud.

We keep this cheeky tone in the “life 101” photos from our app:

Soul is that “special something” that often connects people to brands. Our content has soul… which you can use to build your brand with alumni.

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A few years ago, my wife and I were on vacation in Costa Rica at a resort called Tabacon.

Despite the novelty of sleeping at the base of an active volcano, what I remember most is the hotel staff who obsessively stamped the Tabacon logo into every ashtray.

Sometimes I’d muss the sand just to see how long until it got fixed. Not long — the attention to detail was incredible.

I wanted to bring that same attention to detail to our “crib sheet” app.

One of the more popular details are our topic photos. These were a labor of love, as we often spent a few days per photo. Our steps included:

– Brainstorm how to visually represent a topic
– Search stock photo sites for building blocks
– Using Photoshop, stitch all of the pieces together
– Share with friends and revise, revise, revise

Sometimes we got stuck. How do you visually present “Dinner Etiquette”?

Idea #1: Add the topic name to a dinner menu, but visually it wasn’t very interesting.

Idea #2: Show a place setting with some dentures in a glass, but the joke was easy to miss.

Idea #3: Reconstruct the topic name out of silverware and ketchup (of course!). So we found the following eight photos:

And after hours of work on Photoshop using only the above images (Sue, you’re the best), we created our Dinner Etiquette photo:

In other photos we include a little joke (hint – look bottom-right):

With my background in banking, I enjoyed designing the photo for our Investing topic:

Finally, my favorite has to be Identity Theft:

As I created “crib sheet,” I didn’t want to throw a lot of stuff from a customer’s website into a phone and call it an app.

I wanted our app to have soul — something that people would proudly share with their friends. We hope you love the details.

If you’re interested, see all of our photos on your computer.

(For BlackBerry users, our photos unfortunately didn’t make it into your app due to size constraints. But we tried!)

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This post is part of a series for our customers on easy ways to promote your app.

It’s a simple equation – the more you tell your alumni and members about your app, the more will download and use it.

We’re seeing high download statistics from customers who make monthly posts via their existing social media about their app. Plus, this type of promotion is free.

To make your job easy, we’ve put together sample posts for every month of the year (see below). Just copy, paste and substitute your institution’s name and smart link.

Remember to include your “smart link” in your announcement – it recognizes the kind of device it is clicked on from, and directs your users to the easiest way to download.

For example, Michigan State University’s smart link is: http://mycribsheet.com/msu.  If you are not sure what your smart link is, e-mail nicole@capandcompass.com

Happy posting!

January
Ring 201X with [YOUR NAME]’s alumni app on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, or desktop: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

February
Happy Valentine’s! If Cupid found his mark, read about engagement rings in our mobile alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

March
Dreading tax time? Get tips on taxes, and the latest [YOUR NAME] news, in our free alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

April
It’s National Financial Literacy Month! Learn about credit and investing in our free alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

May
Congrats, Class of 201X, on joining the ranks of [YOUR NAME] alumni! Download our alumni app today: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

June
Relocating? Get helpful hints on moving, and follow your new local alumni club news, in our alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

July
Happy 4th! Before you light those fireworks, brush up on health insurance choices in our alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

August
Heat got you down? Refresh with the latest [YOUR NAME] news through our cool mobile app for alumni: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

September
It’s Labor Day! Use the day off to brush up on Work Etiquette with our alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

October
Get the latest on Homecoming with our alumni app on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, or desktop: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

November
Want a super stylish” I Voted” sticker? Get voting tips, and [YOUR NAME] news, in our alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

December
Happy Holidays from [YOUR NAME]! Enjoy a gift from us all year with our free alumni app: http://mycribsheet.com/[USERNAME]

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Mobile 101: This post is part of our educational series on mobile technology. If you are new to the smart phone/app arena, this series is a good place to start.

Once you “get religion” that mobile is the future, your next step is to decide on a mobile strategy.

At this point, someone may ask you, “Do you want to go with a mobile website or a native app?” If your response is, “Um, wha?”, read on.

In this post, we’ll define these terms and suggest a few things to consider.

Mobile Websites

Sometimes referred to as “web apps,” these are simply websites made for the tiny screens of a mobile phone.

For example, the Oklahoma State Alumni Association created a mobile website. Here’s what it looks like on an iPhone:

On the small screen of an iPhone, the mobile website (right) is easier to use than the regular version (left).

Native Apps

Native apps are little bits of software that are built for and live on your phone. To read more, see our post called “What’s an App?”.

These apps require unique sets of code for each type of mobile device (e.g., iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, etc.).

Upsides to Mobile Websites

– BETTER COMPARED TO A REGULAR WEBSITE

Building a mobile website is a good alternative to asking your users to read your regular website on a mobile phone, especially if you are directing them to a feedback form.

– (USUALLY) LESS EXPENSIVE

A mobile website is usually less expensive than building your own native apps across several platforms (e.g., iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, etc.).

Shameless plug for our app: we’ve leveled mobile website vs. native app price benefits by selling an affordable, customizable native app.

Upsides of Native Apps

– FASTER

The code for a native app “lives” on your mobile device – as a result native apps work much faster than mobile websites (no “browser lags”). Don’t underestimate this benefit.

Speed is key — everyone knows that figurative “speedbumps” slow down action, but few people appreciate that even the smallest speedbumps turn away users.

– APP ICONS

Native apps always have an app icon:

This icon is always on your users’ screens and never out of sight. With a tap of the icon, your users are in your app.

To access a mobile website, you generally need to type in a hard-to-remember URL address.

Users can “bookmark” a mobile website and might jump through hoops to create a mobile app icon, but it’s clunky.

For example, to create a mobile website icon on an Android device, you’ll need to:

– bookmark the page you want to add to a home screen,
– go to the home screen you want to add the link to,
– long-press in an empty space to bring up the “Add to Home Screen” menu,
– select “Shortcuts”,
– select “Bookmark”, and
– choose your bookmark.

Native apps, on the other hand, are easy. They keep your brand present and easily accessible.

– DISCOVERY

When people are looking for apps for their phone, they search an app store. Only native apps can be listed in an app store.

When I got my first iPhone, the first thing I did was search the app store to see whether Duke had any apps. I was one of those fans…

I wanted Duke on my phone.

Your alumni or members will discover your app by searching for keywords, such as the name of their alma mater or your organization.

– MORE ACCESS

A native app can include more bells and whistles because it can access other parts of your phone, like your camera, address book, an so on.

– POPULARITY

Native apps are heavily marketed on tv. “There’s an app for that.” People have been taught to use native apps.

Takeaway

A mobile website is a choice in the right direction; but a native app is going to be faster, more usable, more customized and more functional.

If you’d like a native app for your organization, you may consider building one yourself or you might customize our app, Crib Sheet, for much less money. We’d love to have you as a customer.

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Subscribing to our mobile app, “crib sheet”, or any mobile app, is really about choosing between alternatives — how else can, or do, you communicate with your alumni or members?

Traditional Mailings

The annual cost of our app is usually less than than the printing and postage costs of one traditional mailing.

Costs aside, our app has a much longer life. It gives you a daily relationship with your alumni.

Unlike a mailing, the content of our app refreshes continuously thanks to aggregated social media feeds that keep providing alumni with fresh news.

Plus, our app includes a wealth of relevant life skills content so you can both inform and provide value through a lasting reference tool.

If your school is “going green”, the app is a paper-free way to reach your alumni over and over again.

Your Alumni Magazine

Your alumni magazine can be a wonderful and rich source of on-going information about your institution, but it only reaches your alumni a few times each year.

In the age of mobile information, magazines can no longer compete with apps and social media to deliver timely news.

Our app is always with them – informing them of breaking news and allowing them to communicate back to you with key updates.

Recent research suggests that alumni magazines are far less popular with younger alumni compared with older alumni.

We believe the future of alumni communications is in mobile devices.

Social Media

A robust presence on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is a great low-cost way to reach out to your alumni.

However, your posts compete with countless others:

– Tim’s new job!
– Janey’s pictures of her Costa Rican vacation!
– Coupons to Sweet Tomatoes!
– Grandma made an omelet for breakfast!

It’s easy to roll off someone’s news feed within hours, or even minutes.

The only news in our app is your news. Our app keeps your posts front and center, with no competing messages.

Takeaway

You know you have choices when communicating with your alumni and members.

We feel that our app is a smart choice as it’s inexpensive, dynamic, timely, and valuable to users.

To learn more about what “crib sheet” can do for your institution, please join one of our upcoming free 30-minute webinars or contact us at sales@capandcompass.com.

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Mobile 101: This post is part of our educational series on mobile technology. If you are new to the smart phone/app arena, this series is a good place to start.

Once you “get religion” that mobile is the future, your next step is to decide on a mobile strategy.

If you’re a college, or any large institution, one of your first questions should be:

Do I create a general app for my institution or multiple niche apps (e.g. one just for alumni)?

Apps are one of the newest mediums for communication. Consider what other mediums do – for example, magazines:

People generally prefer information that is catered to their specific interests.

We think this preference holds true for mobile apps.

Though admittedly a very small sample size, my own little family is a shining example of this. I read news, my wife loves celebrity gossip, my daughter could dress up dolls 24/7, and grandma can’t get enough of sudoku.

Role of Apps

Apps, by their very nature and design, are meant to cater to specific needs. Since mobile devices have smaller screens, they demand a more focused mission.

The App Store has over 300,000 apps. They don’t all do the same thing.

The Student App vs. the Alumni App

Some schools have started their mobile strategy with an app for their student body: campus maps, directories, bus routes and so on.

Duke (my alma mater) has a great student app, but it doesn’t “feel” like it’s for me, so I don’t personally use it.

In addition, alumni offices have different needs (address updates) and messaging (benefits and events) than other departments on campus.

The “Everything” App

Some schools try the “everything” app approach by including an alumni module in their “student” app.

A friend, who is a loyal UVA grad, was over for dinner the other night. We got talking about work, and she showed me the UVA “everything” app:

Her comments, which I think sum up the argument against “everything” apps were:

– Wrong messaging

It didn’t make her feel particularly special when “Alumni Resources” carried the same weight on the screen as “Grounds” and “Claude Moore Lab”.

– Lack of focus

Too many choices made her feel overwhelmed.  The UVA app reminded her of grocery shopping:

Crystal Light Overload

Personally, I think alumni want a focused app made just for them.

Spread of Niche Apps

Mobile apps are still young, but the growth of niche apps have already taken root for many schools. Below are just a few examples:

Over time, I’d expect to see many schools with an admissions app, student app, sports app, and an alumni app.

Competition?

I’ve heard the question, “Will a niche app ‘compete’ against another app from my institution?”

Think of an app as less of a product and more of a communications tool.

Every school uses different web pages and different marketing materials to speak to different audiences. Niche apps play this same role.

(As an idea to cross-promote apps, add a link in each app to the other.)

Crib Sheet, the Niche App for Alumni

“crib sheet” is a focused, niche app for your alumni or members. It offers:

– an alumni newsfeed (you select the feeds),
– alumni-specific feedback forms (e.g. address updates), polls and links,
– “life skills” topics for alumni (mortgages, insurance, money, etc), and
– promotion of alumni-specific benefits (e.g. affinity partners).

As you develop your mobile strategy, if niche apps make sense to you, we encourage you to check out our “crib sheet” app for your alumni or members.

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In a previous post, I wrote about the benefits to removing “speedbumps” to increase usability.

We obsessively look at our app, crib sheet, for “speedbumps”.  When we find them, we go at ‘em with jackhammers.

To that end, we’re excited to announce a big update for the iPhone and iPad.

Much Faster

Behind the scenes, we’re processing thousands of social media feeds from our customers’ apps. We’re kind of like Grand Central Station.

When you open the app to get updated news, you want it now. So we redesigned the “plumbing” for downloading these new feeds. The difference, depending on a variety of factors, can be significant: 3 seconds vs. 20 seconds.

Visual Tricks

When the news feed is updating, we now hide the “Updating News…” tray and give users the ability to read old feeds while their new feeds are added.

By making this change, the app “feels” faster.

Improved Sharing

Users can now share the app and specific pages with their friends via Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and email.

iPad Redesign

We’ve made subtle changes to the iPad design to improve navigation. In short, now you always know where you are within in the app.

In college, I took a class about music in film. My professor talked about how the best music was never heard or remembered. It just made the film better.

For new users, the updates to our iPad design won’t be noticed. Instead, they just make the experience better.

Timing

Expect this update to be live by the week of February 21st. Our current customers won’t have to do anything.

In short, this update removes speedbumps. We think your users will love it.

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This post is part of a series on easy ways to get the word out about your app.

Want to send a strong signal out to your alumni or members about your app?

Beyond projecting a large silhouetted shape of your logo across the cloudy sky, we have some more traditional ideas for you.

As we review statistics and talk with our current app customers, one thing is clear: when the app is promoted, the app gets used (big surprise).

We make it super easy to get the word out. Once your app is live, we’ll send you a our free, custom promotional package with print and online ads.

Tips

Below are tips on how to use our package. Promote your app at least FOUR simple ways every year:

1) WEBSITE ADS
2) SOCIAL MEDIA
3) HTML EMAIL
4) PRINT ADS

Smart Link

First, you’ll see some common elements in most of these promotional pieces. The most important is your smart link.

A smart link recognizes the kind of device it is clicked on from, and directs your users to the right app store to download.  It is the most efficient way to get your reader to download the app. Here’s an example:

http://www.mycribsheet.com/msu

Try using this URL on your smartphone to see how it works.

You’ll also see a QR code – this is simply a scannable version of your smart link.  A smartphone user can see this code in a magazine ad or website ad, and scan it with their phone instead of typing the smart link address into their mobile browser.

1) Always: Website Ads

Place your (a) app icon and (b) one ad on your website:

Our Small Website Ad

Our Medium Website Ad

Our Large Website Ad

2) Monthly: Social Media Annoucements

Announce your app (over and over again) via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and elsewhere:

MSU’s free new alumni app on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, or desktop: http://mycribsheet.com/msu

Or, use our seasonal updates about certain topics, like taxes in April, voting in November, and engagement rings on Valentine’s Day:

Love is in the air (Feb. 14th). Read about engagement rings in “MSU Crib Sheet”, our mobile app. http://www.mycribsheet.com/msu

3) Annually: HTML Email

Use our template and/or include one of our on-line ads in your normal HTML email.

Our HTML E-mail Template

4) Annually: Print Ad

Place a magazine ad, add a buckslip to a mailing, or distribute pocket guides.

Our Full Page Magazine Ad

Our Half Page Magazine Ad

Buckslips –
Include a 9″ x 4″ buckslip in your next mailing.

Our Buckslip

You can print them or contact us and we’ll print them at cost (the below rates include shipping):

2,500 = $400
5,000 = $600
10,000 = $1,200
15,000 = $1,800
+ add’l 5,000 = +$500

Pocket Guides
Give these popular, glossary cards at events. They fit perfectly in a wallet or pocket, and provide mini tips from our life skills topics.

Our Pocket Guide (Back)

Our Pocket Guide (Front)

Contact us and we’ll print them at cost (the below rates include shipping):
2,500 = $300
5,000 = $400
10,000 = $600
+ 5,000 add’l = + $200

Make It Your Own

We provide you the native Photoshop files to make edits (and finished PDF files).

If you decide to create your own designs, remember to include your smart link, QR code, and our basic language (these elements have proven effective in getting downloads).

Takeaway

Use our free custom artwork to promote your app at least FOUR simple ways every year:

1) WEBSITE ADS
2) SOCIAL MEDIA
3) HTML EMAIL
4) PRINT ADS

Our current customer statistics show that once a user downloads the app, they return to it again and again.

Give your app the superhero treatment with our promotional package. Our stuff even works on cloudless nights…

Let us know what we can do to help by contacting Nicole at nicole@capandcompass.com.

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For all you CrackBerry users, we’ve finally got your fix. We’re very excited to announce that “crib sheet,” our mobile app, is now available on BlackBerry.

The Case for BlackBerry

In recent stats (below), BlackBerry (RIM) is still the number one smartphone in the US.

While BlackBerry phones aren’t used for apps as much as the iPhone or Android devices, you can’t ignore the platform simply due to its sheer number of users.

By being on BlackBerry, our “crib sheet” app has the potential to reach a much larger audience.

Our BlackBerry App Journey

We started our BlackBerry development process at the same time as our Android development. We had just rolled out our app on the iPhone and it was time to expand to other platforms.

BlackBerry set itself apart in the development process because, frankly, their phones aren’t built to run apps. They were built to provide mobile email to the corporate masses.

The most obvious limitation is the screens – they’re often small and low resolution. The stuff “behind the screen” is limited too: tools for BlackBerry developers are sparse.

If coding an app is like building a house, Apple gives you a frame while BlackBerry makes you saw boards from trees. Consequently, the look and feel for many BlackBerry apps is often pretty basic.

There’s a joke circulating on the internet for how the popular Angry Birds app would look on BlackBerry.

Angry Birds App on the iPhone

Angry Birds App as imagined on BlackBerry

Other complexities in our BlackBerry process:

– a bazillion screen sizes,
– close to a bazillion versions of the operating system on old devices
– quite a few user input methods (touchscreen, keyboard, and hybrids)

Despite these limitations, I was determined to build an app that was sweet to the eye and fun in your hand. I started by contracting with one of the best BlackBerry design firms (there aren’t many) in the industry.

Much the same as Android, we started with high-level wireframes (blueprints):

Then began to get more specific:

And finally they created some pixel-specific drawings:

With final plans in hand, we forged on with a talented team of BlackBerry coders. We’re super proud of the result.

View the BlackBerry App

To see our BlackBerry app for yourself, visit one of our customers’ desktop app sites. Then click on “BlackBerry” on the top right of their page.

Our “crib sheet” app runs on BlackBerry devices with an OS of 4.6 and higher, making it available on all but the very oldest BlackBerry models.

We think your users will love it.

(Note: For those few of you with a “touchscreen” Blackberry, our app will be ready for you in another week.)

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It’s official – our mobile app, crib sheet, has joined the Android party.

What’s Android?

Google is the maker of Android software, which they give away to carriers (like Verizon) so that phone users like us search more on Google. Consequently, you’ll find Android software just about everywhere (e.g. Droid, Evo, Galaxy, HTC Hero, Captivate, and many more).

Why Android Matters

There are as many (if not more) Android phone users as there are iPhone users. This means our “crib sheet” app can now reach double the number of potential users.

In the coming year, we expect it will mean even more – Android is big and about to explode.

The Birth of our Android App

Our Android development process began in January 2010, soon after we rolled out our app on the iPhone, with the search for a new design and coding team.

Android phones are completely different animals relative to the iPhone:

– different navigation (Android devices have built-in “back” and “menu” buttons)
– wider universe of phones and operating systems
– multiple screen sizes
– various input methods (keyboard and/or touchscreen)
– completely different coding language.

You’d be surprised at how seemingly trivial changes, like a keyboard or a “back” navigation button, can fundamentally change how you design an app relative to the iPhone.

I started by contracting with one of the best designers in the industry. He helped me see our app in new ways, and suggested valuable improvements to functionality and flow.

We began with some big picture “wireframes” (like blueprints for a house):

Then got more specific:

After weeks of revisions, my designers created multiple pixel-by-pixel specific screens:

These plans were finally delivered to my talented team of coders. Months of back and forths, testing, fixes, and now we’re live.

And the app is beautiful.

See Our Android App

If you have an Android device, search the Android Market for “crib sheet” to see all of our customers’ apps. It’s free.

If you don’t have an Android device, there are over 300,000 activations per DAY. So you probably know someone that DOES.

Our app works on over 95% of all Android phones (all but the oldest models – OS 1.6 and above). We think users will love it.

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