For the past 3 weeks in PR class, I’ve been working on a smartphone app for Green Carrot Juice Company. Why? Because I love Green Carrot Juice Company, am too lazy to cold press my own juice, love fancy packaging… oh… and I’m healthy. But mainly because I was shocked to see that they don’t already have a smartphone app.
Basically the app would work as a game (to interact with people), and would give people an incentive (free juice) to download and use the app.
The more research I did, the more I found that a lot of Winnipeg businesses don’t have smartphone apps. Is it because Winnipeg businesses feel like our market doesn’t buy into smartphone apps? Or maybe Winnipeg businesses are making too much money? What is it?
As a 20-something-year-old I know how I feel about smartphone apps… I love them. And I highly doubt any business owner ever feels like they’re making too much money. Is that even a thing?
So here’s…
how I made the app
how I’ll launch the app
& how I’ll market the app
1. I chose a company, that I actually like.
2. I researched, then I researched, then I researched some more.
Ask yourself; what’s good about the company? what’s their brand all about? what do they need? what do you want? etc. etc. etc. So…
What’s good about Green Carrot Juice Company? It’s yummy and healthy.
What’s their brand all about? It’s healthy and fun.
What do they need? More exposure and popularity.
What do I want? Free stuff.
With those answers, I decided to develop a fun and interactive app, for people who are into their health, love juicing, and want their hard work rewarded.
It’s important to remember that people need an incentive to actually download and use the app.
3. More research.
What do apps do? How do they work? What do they look like? This website really helped me.
4. I drew the app.
Yes, get your pencil crayons out and draw your app. It doesn’t matter if you can draw or not. If you’re going to go through with the app you’re probably going to have to contact an app developer, and a rough draft would help them see your vision.
5. I apped the app.
You know what I mean… There are a few apps out there that will act as your own personal app developer. I used this app called Prototyping on Paper.
6. I took the link from Prototyping on Paper and Tweeted it out to the company.
What happens if they don’t have Twitter? Even better, contact them, you should be their social media manager.
Now I have to…
7. Launch the app. Assuming the company is on board, I’ll have to launch the app for them.
If they love your prototype, that’s great, use it, otherwise they’ll have to hire an app developer.
8. Market the app.
Of course there’s expensive ways to market everything, but let’s stick with the economical route.
There’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, which you can use as a free medium to get word of the app on the streets. Or, you can take it to the next level and buy Facebook and Twitter ads (you set the budget for your ad, $50-100 is what I would set for the prototype I developed for Green Carrot Juice Company.) The main objective in using social media is to make your app go viral, in hopes that people will download it.
Then there’s gorilla marketing, or normal marketing. I’m talking about posters, tent cards, business cards etc. at the places people who would use your app visit. This kind of marketing will cost as much as you want to invest. So, for Green Carrot Juice Company, I would market my app at the storefront location, health food stores, and yoga studios, and set a budget of $100.
And finally, there’s iAd, where $50 will buy your app ads on other apps. Pretty sweet, hey?
If you’d like to the the prototype I drew up for Green Carrot Juice Company, click here.
And, here’s a little video for all of the heavy reading you just did.
Now go market yourself!
Winnipeg Weekend 
