The goal of the project is to address the technologies, tools, and metrics used for an effective digital marketing plan.
Section 1: Business Overview
Reapward is a reward-based goal-setting mobile application for people in the entertainment business looking for support as they develop and share their projects. This app will provide users a platform to organize and showcase their work while having the opportunity to receive support in the form of follows, comments, and monetary donations. This is a new form of crowdfunding where users are motivated and encouraged to reach their determined milestones. When people in entertainment are searching for funding, they tend to look at similar crowdfunding sites like (Competitor) for help. However, as stated in a NY Times article, there is an inequality that favors larger campaigns and a striking gap between the number of requests for help, and the number of people who don’t receive much support (Ovide, 2021). Reapward changes this narrative and encourages the small user to promote their project, track their accomplishments, and build a community of support.
Business Location: Mobile Application, Registered business operations in Orlando, FL
Type of marketing: B2C
Specific products/services offered and pricing: Crowdfunding platform, free to install. App offers free features to promote progress by uploading pictures, videos, and posts. Pay-in-app subscription service for users to upgrade to enhanced features to track, plan, and have an automated donation link sent to supporters for continuous donations.
Section 2: Target Market
Social Media Users
Demographics- 82% of Americans between the ages of 18 – 49 years old use at least one social media site (Bretous, 2022). The top three social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. According to the Hubspoty.com, Facebook, currently the most popular social media platform, has over 2 billion monthly active users spending an average of 19.5 hours a month on the site with 56% identifying as male and about 43% identifying as female (Bretous, 2022). Instagram, estimated to reach 1.1 billion users in 2022, has over 500 million users daily that spend an average of 10.3 hours a month with most males’ age ranging between 18-24 and 25-34, and women ages 18-34. TikTok has 1 billion active users who spend an average of 13.3 hours a month, with 25% of their users’ ages ranging between 10- 19 years old.
Geographics- According to an article on Investodpedia.com, India has the most Facebook users at 349 million, the United States comes in second place at 139.9 million users (Fuscaldo, 2019). Instagram had the most geo-tagged city in Los Angeles, California. TikTok is most popular in China with 600 million daily users, followed by the U.S., Indonesia, and Brazil.
Psychographics- Social media users are more likely to engage in exploratory searches and navigations (Ungureanu, 2020). They appreciate creativity, such as drawings, artistic images, and abstract art while having less appreciation for pictures containing people. There is also a high conscientiousness attitude within this segment. Conscientious users make long-term plans, are diligent, and have an organized support network (Kabadayı, 2016). Social interactions revolve around keeping in touch with family, friends, and colleagues and there is also a desire to gain useful information.
College-Aged Millennials
Demographics- According to an article on squarespace.com, the market size of 18-24-year-old college students is 30% of the US population at 94.5 million (Conedera, n.d.). The gender ratio is about 50/50. Income is middle to upper class. This ethnic population data shows that 52.9 percent are non-Hispanic white, 20.9 percent are Hispanic, 15.1 percent are black, and 7.6 percent are Asian.
Geographics- The national geography ranges between major cities, urban and suburban neighborhoods. According to admissonly.com, California is the state with the highest student enrollment in higher education institutions (Admissonsly, 2022). After California and Texas with 1.6 million students, New York with 1.2 million students, Florida with 1 million students, and Illinois with 757,000 students.
Psychographics- The values and attitudes of this group are that personal success and freedom are a priority (Kabadayı, 2016). They tend to lean towards a more narcissistic mindset and define themselves through relationships built through social media and networking. Products are discovered through word of mouth, and they value time over money. Most at this age are unemployed. They love “green” companies and are motivated to make a difference and help those in need. The personality of this group is idealistic, socially conscious, individualistic, anti-establishment.
Section 3: Digital Properties and Keyword Strategy
Website: www.reapward.com
Social Media Accounts:
o www.facebook.com/Reapward
o www.Instgram.com/Reapward
External e-commerce accounts: None
Mailing lists, newsletter subscription lists: App subscription and mailing list available on the landing page of the website. A newsletter would be available using Mail chimp or Klaviyo email management systems.
The main functions of Reapward are located on the mobile application platform. However, the main website can be designed to convert new app installations. This can be accomplished by setting up a user-friendly and information-based home page. A strategic “how-to-use” section, using specifically labeled artwork will move traffic beyond the landing page. There will also be a clear “sign-up now” button that can improve click-through rates. The site will be designed for simple use and easy navigation. The compelling copy on the site will also motivate users to install the app onto their mobile devices.
The aesthetics of the website aim to promote excitement and action. Due to the sensitivity of finances, we also want to encourage a sense of safety. It is important for the customer to trust the (Company Name Omitted) brand and see it as a reliable tool in their daily lives. The bottom section of the website will highlight the testimonials of average users. Videos can be embedded from YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram according to user posts. The goal is to turn curiosity into a familiarity that will ultimately lead to the loyalty of active users. For this to happen there must be a seamless integration of all platforms.
Longtail Phrases
1. “Crowdfunding for startups in the entertainment industry” - For businesses in entertainment looking for backing.
2. “Best fundraising platform for independent artists”- For someone in entertainment looking for a site to raise money.
3. “Where can I post my art and earn money?”- For someone looking to make money and showcase their work.
4. “Document and show your creative process”- For someone searching for ways to show their progress in production.
5. “How do you get sponsors for indie films?” For someone who is creating a new film and looking for support.
Section 4: Campaign Objective
Reapward’s marketing campaign objective for the first year is to increase the number of people. Therefore, it is crucial to select the proper marketing channels that can help infiltrate the crowdfunding market in the entertainment business and establish a brand that people recognize and trust. When we consider our financial objectives, the largest part of our revenue will come from our free users converting to subscription-based services.who install the app. Our app is competing for visibility within the 1.96 million other apps on Apple’s App Store, and 2.87 million apps on Google’s Play Store (Build Fire, 2022). However, it is vital to have a valid number of users to acquire data, build loyalty, and address the needs and questions of our customers that we may not have foreseen in the initial launch of the app. For this reason, influencer marketing, social media ads, search engine marketing (SEM)/ paid search ads, and television broadcast advertising will be the channels used to reach new customers and encourage downloads of Reapward.
Section 5: Marketing Channels
Influencer Marketing
Word of mouth is one of the most effective means of promotion with over 50% of people finding apps through family, peers, and co-workers (Heinig, 2018). This way of information sharing can be capitalized by partnering with online social media influencers. Our campaign can leverage the reach of individuals who have high engagement and relationships with their followers to help promote our mobile app. This marketing channel is quick, influential, and can create a buzz. Influencers know their audience and have insights on how to get their attention. Given proper guidance and effective marketing content, the influencer can substantially impact the awareness and understanding of our company. Not only can they generate more visibility, but their influence can help create an emotional attachment to the brand by sharing personal and positive encounters that come from using Reapward. This works well with our campaign’s objective to increase downloads because the audience will not only trust their word to investigate our app, but they also will have a direct download link, making installs easy and accessible.
Social Media Ads
According to TheManifest.com, social media ads account for 49% of mobile application downloads (Heinig, 2018). Because of the saturation of content, organic reach is on a steady decline. This makes social media ads a viable marketing channel to boost visibility and conversions. The best practice is to choose platforms that most align with our target market. Three platforms that stand out the most in creating ads for filmmakers, graphics artists, and musicians are Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. TikTok has the most integrated and seamless advertisement placement of all the platforms, but both Instagram (Facebook) and YouTube have dynamic programs for analytics and testing. The data retrieved from these platforms will help to tailor our audience segments and give us the opportunity to adjust the campaign. The potential reach of views and interaction with our ads will meet our objective to increase application installs.
Search Engine Marketing: Paid Search
There are various options for paid search advertising specifically when promoting an app. Google Ads has a program specifically for mobile applications called App Campaigns. This gives visibility on iOS, Android, Google Search, YouTube, Google Play, and more. Another form of paid search is within the application stores for Apple where the ad is placed at the top of the search. The app store creates the best chance for organic discovery, but App Store Optimization (ASO) listings cannot be the sole focus (Sheetrit, 2021). It is important to take advantage of paid search advertising by targeting the best keywords. In addition, we must have appealing content and compelling copy that answers our customer’s needs and provides a simple solution. The paid search would give an understanding of what our customers are looking for and can lead to high conversions.
Television Advertising
Television (TV) has met its competitors in streaming services, but it still has a very large reach nationwide and if used correctly can gain the right attention. This traditional channel of marketing can strengthen our brand identity and create mass awareness. The success of TV advertisements for mobile applications was confirmed during the 2022 Coin Base Super Bowl ad. Downloads increase by 279% after the ad appeared in front of millions of viewers (Perez, 2022). There is space and a mass audience for the television promotion of our app. A few factors to consider are our market, location, season, time of day, and which channels to use. According to Marketingdive.com, mobile downloads can increase from 56% to 74% after an ad is shown (Tode, n.d.). The data collected, although not as detailed as online analytics, can still measure the effectiveness and success of our campaigns. With the correct method, such as the use of QR codes, or attractive video production, the company can see a positive ROI using this channel. Since TV is a highly established medium, it will benefit the company to use additional outside agencies to help understand our market to negotiate ideal rates.
Section 6: Content Strategy
With our objective to increase downloads and the best-fit marketing channels, we can identify the type of content that best represents Reapward and what appeals to our customer segments.
Influence marketing will create engaging videos for social media platforms. Influencers will be supplied with brand material such as logo, color guide, and copy for a specific call to action. The theme of the video will be fun, exciting, and encouraging, and will connect with viewers to motivate them to download and discover the app. Based on the size of the influencer, either a review, tutorial or testimonial video will be produced. The brand ambassador will be the face of the brand and would focus less on creating their own videos, and instead, be included in higher production ads.
The content for the social media ads will consist of video and still images depending on the platform and ad placement. Instagram ads will consist of both marketing materials that include images and videos. Graphic images and text will be placed in the carousel and 15-second videos would be placed in stories and reels. TikTok ads would be 15-second videos. YouTube ads will air longer at 2 mins maximum length. All the ads will use the color theme of the logo and have a studio production feel with lights and a darker ambiance. The message will create a curiosity for the app yet, provide clarity on how to download it.
The SEM paid search will focus mainly on creating ads with copy that is concise and targeted to our customer segment. The ads will include longtail phrases such as “get funding for your media project” or similar phrases like “how to get support for film project”. Each keyword will have its own ad group to test. When someone has a search query for keywords in our industry ASO can boost visibility (Redbox Mobile, 2018) and paid search and create perfect customers from this data.
Television advertising will consist of high-quality video production and licensed songs that attract our customer base. The theme for the initial videos will be dark, and mysterious and highlight the achievements of everyday people in the entertainment business. The commercials will not explain (Reapward with the hopes that it is compelling enough to make our audience want to download for more insight.
Section 7: Mockups
Section 8: KPIs
Influencer Marketing
Objective: Position followers to download the mobile app by clicking the link
Goal: To connect with social media influencers to promote brand awareness that will lead to an increase in app installs.
KPIs: Brand awareness, audience engagement, and conversion from social
Target: Monthly partnerships with influencers who have 3.5- 6 %engagement rates, with a monthly 5% conversion rate of total followers downloading app monthly.
Social Media Ads
Objective: Attract users to click ad directly linked to download page
Goal: Target new users with compelling content that will download the app
KPIs: Impressions, CPC, average click-through rate (CTR)
Target: Reach 150,00 impressions & increase click-through rates by 20% by the end of the year.
SEM Paid Search
Objective: Create visible targeted ad search campaigns with a direct link to download
Goal: Reach top ranks and have unique viewers directed to the download page
KPIs. Average CTR, cost per action (CAP), conversion rate
Target: Maintain a monthly average of 2.5-3% conversion rate & 1.3 average positions per ad group.
Television Advertising
Objective: Acquire targeted viewers in local tv areas and streaming platforms.
Goal: Strengthen brand identity and viewer trust to download app
KPIs: QR code downloads, ROI
Target: A range of 500-1,500 new downloads per commercial airing in Q3 of the campaign.
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