In going through our growing archive of over 30,000 apps (hooray!), I recently came across a few greats that illustrate the power of mobile app creation in reaching a target audience and communicating a message that resonates…apart from the obvious business uses for apps. Without further delay, here are two (of many!) ‘non-traditional’ mobile app case studies that are worth talking about:

1. Schools: Kerman High School. Go Lions!

We’re seeing quite a few high schools communicate with students, teachers, parents and the community by creating mobile apps with Magmito. Kerman High School is obviously doing a great job of promoting their app because they have over 600 downloads..and counting! We’re assuming the app’s QR Code is plastered on everything from lockers to gym doors because QR Code scans are over 500. A+ Kerman High!

All the Kerman High info students need…at their fingertips!

2. Hobbies: Origami Kusudama. The Ancient Art of Japanese Paper Folding

When folks are passionate about something, they love to share with like-minded fans. Whether it’s blogging, participating in forums, attending conventions/concerts, etc. Magmito apps have been created to: celebrate TV shows/movies/characters, organize online gaming guilds, direct motorcycle enthusiasts to the best routes…you name it.

One of our developers decided to create an app to teach people how to make an Origami flower. This was back in 2011. He posted his free app to Google Play. Today, the app has over 50,000 downloads! Say what? Who knew there were that many Origami fans wanting an app on their phone? We sure didn’t. Download it today!

Share your passion with a mobile app.

Our users are constantly surprising us with unique and effective uses for mobile apps. We’re thrilled to provide a mobile app development platform that allows anyone with a great idea to easily develop a mobile app for any phone!

Until next time,

Ted…

DIDMO saw the QR Code opportunity early, back in 2010 to be exact when we integrated auto-generated QR Codes into the Magmito app creation process.

Today?

“The use of mobile codes in the top 100 consumer magazines rose 107% between the second quarters of 2011 and 2012, according to Nellymoser. Ten percent of all ads sported a code in Q2 2012, up from 5% in 2011, and all magazines in the category had at least one code. The QR code is the most popular form heading into a fall season that’s expected to see an explosion of codes as mobile devices proliferate, writes Steve Smith.”

source: Magazine Mobile Codes Up 107%, Now On 10% Of Ads

And that’s just in consumer magazines! Companies are using them on store signage, business cards, clothing and direct mail pieces.

The key to making the most of a QR Code is to ensure it leads consumers to engaging content and data capture. All too often we’ve seen QR Code Fails; often on the part of big brands who should know better, whereby codes lead to videos or non-mobile websites. And the prospect who has taken the time to scan your code is lead past the point of no return…

If you’re a small business and want to make the most of QR Codes on a small budget, look no further than Magmito. For as low as $4.99,  you can create a cross-platform compatible mobile app that comes with its own unique QR Code. Add a form page to your app through which prospects can enter a contest, for example, in exchange for their info and voila! You’ve got a lead!

Here’s a QR Code for Kwoom that leads to a Magmito app that’s being cross-promoted on the company’s website:

Australian cash advance provider, Kwoom knows how to cross-promote!

Read More on QR Codes!

Until next time,

Ted…

Hi there readers. It’s been a beautiful summer here in sunny Toronto, location of our newest office. For me, it’s a chance to get back ‘home’ after six amazing years abroad and also a great move to better serve our growing North American client base.

Amidst the chaos of home and office setup, it’s been loads of fun reconnecting with family and old friends. Laughs, drinks and plenty of goofin’ around.

Gotcha!

Summer has been a mix of bathing suits and business suits. With that in mind, here’s an update on the Summer Fun:

• We hit a milestone: 25,000 apps created on Magmito.com. Hooray!

(Oh and my now 6-year old lost his first tooth, which I may have helped along with a little tug)

• Blogger Per Eklund has been busy creating a great resource for all you DIY mobile app developers out there, www.createownapps.com. He reached out to us and we happily obliged, adding Magmito to his growing list of DIY platforms, right here. It’s clear you have a lot to choose from so we thank you for choosing Magmito!

• Magmito made the Top 10 Best Mobile App Development tools list courtesy of Smashing Hub.

(Oh and my oldest son Anthony got engaged!)

• Sprint has kicked off a great marketing campaign for Magmito for Business, available from Sprint. Here’s a video for an MSN Tech Notes episode hosted by Paul Hochman that promotes the tool:

 (Wife and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary this summer. Here’s to another 10, if she’ll have me

And that my dear readers is my Business/Pleasure Summer Mash-Up. Stay tuned for Back to School and a huge announcement!

Ted…

Thanks Vision Mobile for sending this around today! Great insights for all you app developers out there.

Bye-Bye Summer Haze, Hello School Daze!

Back to school time is fast-approaching and for many of us, it means the long, lazy days of summer come to a seemingly screeching halt. Projects put off until “everyone returns from vacation” are now back on the desktop. As your workplace starts to re-fill, there’s a renewed focus and sense urgency.

This time of year, Magmito.com registrations rise as parents create apps for their kids’ sports teams, small business owners design mobile product promotions for back-to-school specials and marketers create event apps for upcoming Fall conferences.

What are you waiting for? For as low as $4.99, you can get your message mobilized. Register free today at www.magmito.com and start creating your app(s).

Happy Back-to-Reality!
Ted…

We reached a milestone recently: 25,000 apps made via magmito.com! This number doesn’t include the apps being created on Magmito for Business, available from Sprint and Telia App Studio. Congratulations to us and to you, our users.

We’ll drink to that! Remember, if you have an app you’re especially proud of, be sure to submit it for the showcase.
Watch this space later this month for a big announcement!

Happy App Making!
Ted…

Create small business apps with Magmito.

It’s a fact: 84% of U.S. small businesses that use mobile marketing see an increase in new business activity.*

Don’t leave money on the table. Mobile apps for small business constitute your entry into mobile marketing. Tools like Magmito make it easy to create, deliver and track mobile applications for business, whether you’re a local flower shop, restaurant or dry cleaner.

Starting at just $4.99 a month, create business apps for:
- product promotions
- service offerings
- special events and conferences
- internal communication
and much more…

Though mobile marketing seems the obvious choice when it comes to mobile apps for business, we have a client who use apps to schedule, dispatch and report service calls.

The bottom line? These days, it’s definitely: Apps for business!

*source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/84-of-us-small-businesses-using-mobile-marketing-see-increase-in-new-business-activity-2012-05-03

The answer is: BOTH

“Now that you’ve built your mobile site, your next step is to
start using apps to enrich your relationships with your users.”
Jason Spero, Google’s “The Mobile Playbook”

Happy Friday! Now to get ready for CTIA in New Orleans…

Supporting skills assessment via mobile app...

If you’re like me, you adore your smartphone. I have an iPhone. My wife has an Android. We’re still in love. The battle in tech media pits smartphone OS vs. smartphone OS. Or more accurately, iPhone vs. Smartphone X. The landscape has now shifted even further. (Almost) Exit Blackberry. Enter Windows Mobile. Nokia just announced it sold 2 million Windows phones in Q1 2012. Bottom line: The focus is always on the smartphone.

Truth: Dumbphones (feature phones as they’re better known) might be the ugly cousin you ignore at the high school dance, but she’s not going anywhere yet. And just like life after high school, the regular ducks outnumber the beautiful swans. Ignoring them might be easy in the hallways of Snooty High but the tables will turn and these people you once wrote off as losers could soon be your bosses and will most certainly be your customers. End analogy.

Can you afford to alienate almost 50% of customers because of the phones they choose to carry? According to data presented in a Business Insider slideshow, The Future of Mobile, we’re looking at 5.6 billion dumbphone users vs. 835 million smartphone users globally:

That is now. But…make no mistake, the dumbphone conversion to smartphones is happening, with the US ahead of the game. As AT&T is set to sell the Lumia 900 smartphone for a competitive $99, that puts smartphones within reach of the average consumer.

 
It will still be a few years before the rest of the world hits the conversion point.

And how much longer until everyone owns a smartphone and dumbphones are phased out? Well, based on where the above graph ends, it looks like close to a decade. And this assumes a lot of variables, like dumbphones remaining dumb.

Here’s what a lot of the analysts are failing to take into consideration: dumbphones are fighting back and are a lot smarter than just a couple of years ago. Take a look at Qualcomm’s Brew MP platform, not only are there app stores, but phones have smartphonesque type functionality such as GPS location, bar scanners, 3D games, mobile broadband and more. In fact, Brew devices represent over 40% of the feature phone market in the U.S according to figures based on three-month average ending Oct 2011 from comScore MobiLens. In addition, J2ME features phones are coming in smarter shapes with large touch screens, etc. We’ll touch more on how dumb phones are smartening up in a follow-up post. If you thought the smartphone market was fragmented now, expect even further fragmentation as feature phones grow smarter.

The bottom line? The lines between smart and dumb phones are getting blurry so until The Promised Land arrives and we see everyone through rose-colored glasses, or in this case, large swipeable screens with all the bells & whistles, your clubhouse doors had better be open to all because cash is cash, regardless of who it comes from. And only a fool waves away that much cash on the basis of a label alone.

Ted…

With over 15,000 registered users worldwide; many of them SMBs, we’re seeing Magmito apps created to promote products and services in a wide variety of industries. And we’re pleased to see our clients tweeting, blogging, Facebooking and even offering their own app making service as an extension of their business. Have a look!

Insurance association blogs about success of mobile app

A wedding planner offers couples app making services

Kudos to The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents and 27 Miracles Wedding Consulting. As always, feel free to share Magmito story with us!
ps. If you’re a Sprint small business subscriber, make sure to head on over to Magmito for Business, available from Sprint to create your apps.

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend!
Ted…