Mobile Growth & App ViralityWhat drives it and how you can set up your app for

success

MIKE MOLINET • Founder, Branch

@mikemolinet • @branchmetrics

@mada299

Intro

Mike Molinet

mike@branch.io

About Me• Founder of Minnesota Network of Young

Entrepreneurs

• Designed and buil featured app - Kindred Photobooks

• Founder of Branch Metrics – deep linking

• 8000 apps using Branch

• Woodworker

Getting something to go viral is HARD

…doing it on mobile is nearly

IMPOSSIBLE

Here’s what it takes on an app

User A engages in app

User A shares app

User B clicks on link

User B downloads app

User B engages in app

User B shares app

Double viral loop

1

2

3

4

5

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SHARING1

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Getting someone to share

Incentives

Ego

Emotion

Incentives

Invite a friend to skip the line

Incentives

29%

Referral best practices

It’s better to get something than a discount on something.Give an incentive

If you can only reward one, reward the new user.Two-sided are best

Make it incredibly easy for users to share.One-step sharing is best

People share when it makes them look good.Appeal to ego

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Ego

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Ego

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Emotion

Users click and share because something drives an emotion in them.

In general, positive emotions make people share (the happier the post, the more likely it is to be shared).

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EgoEnable users to create things they are proud of, and prompt

them to share those creations.

Default sharing text should highlight how awesome the user is. Make sharing links rich deep links: the actual content should show up in Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and e-mail.

Create a Brand YOUR users what to be associated with.

Getting the CLICK2

@mada299

Getting someone to click

Incentives

• New users need to know more than the incentive. Don’t overemphasize the $25 users get for a download

• Show the app's intrinsic value, or even better, let users share something they discovered with their referred friend.

• Even if sharing isn’t incentivized, more intrinsic value means more clicks.

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Getting someone to click

• Show how an app will impact the clicker’s lifestyle.

• If there’s a feature that makes them look cool, highlight that feature. They can edit a photo just as well as their friend did, discover local restaurants, prove they are smarter than 97.6% of their friends

Ego

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Getting someone to click

• Strong emotions like anger can drive a lot more clicks than happy emotions.

• Negative emotions only drive clicks, not shares

Emotion

Emotion: Acceptance and surprise Title: 83 reasons why cats are the best pet. You won’t believe number 45Click rate: 5.1%Share rate: 0.22%Like rate: 0.14%

Emotion: AcceptanceTitle: 83 Reasons why cats are better than dogsClick rate: 4.7%Share rate: 0%Like rate: 0.18%

Virality and cats

Emotion: AngerTitle: 83 Reasons why you should not get a catClick rate: 5.4%Share rate: 0%Like rate: 0%

Emotion: Pride Title: 83 reasons why you should date a cat owner Click rate: 2.4%Share rate: 0%Like rate: 0%

Virality and cats

@mada299

EgoEnable users to create things they are proud of, and prompt

them to share those creations.

Default sharing text should highlight how awesome the user is. Make sharing links rich deep links: the actual content should show up in Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and e-mail.

Create a Brand YOUR users what to be associated with.

From CLICK to DOWNLOAD3

Click-to-install Conversions BY CHANNEL

Percentage of clicks that result in an Install and the app being opened for the first time

Standard Deep link to content

16% 29%

Activation Rate by Download Link

Paid

Affiliate

Blood, sweat, tears

App stores

ViralAwareness Share

ActivateDownload

Necessities for growth

Paid

Affiliate

Blood, sweat, tears

App stores

ViralAwareness Share

ActivateDownload

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GENERIC WELCOME

SCREEN

PERSONAL WELCOME SCREEN

Use context to get better conversions

78%Install to Signup

Only users coming from promotion get the discount.

use promotions in your ads to drive conversions

PERSONALIZED FIRST TIME EXPERIENCES

PERSONALIZED WELCOMES

Welcome users with rewards and context

CUSTOM ONBOARDING

Engage new users with custom welcome

FUN ONBOARDING

First-touch UX

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Wrap up

Optimize the welcome

Tap into your user’s emotions

Two-sided incentives with one-step sharing

Thanks!Stick around for the ‘Growth hacking your way up’ panel

MIKE MOLINET • Founder, Branch

@mikemolinet • @branchmetrics