Launch Your App With A Bang!

Have you recently launched your app? Are you getting ready to launch your app? Did you launch your app a while ago but wish more people would download it? If you answered “yes!” to any of those questions, then this blog is for you! Let’s dive in to some practical ways you can get more people to take full advantage of your app!

What we learned

We found the five churches that had some of the most successful app launches this summer (most downloads in the first 30 days) and dug into the data for where those downloads were coming from. Interestingly enough, over 70% of each church’s iOS downloads came from external referrals. This means that less than 30% of the downloads came from organic App Store searches (typing “church name” in the search box), with everything else coming from a web link, share link, etc.

What you can do

Encouraging your congregation to download your app from the stage on Sunday is a great first step to help increase adoption. But if all you’re doing is asking them to go home and search for your church in the app store, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of additional app downloads. Here are a few practical steps you can take to put your gospel content in front of more people:

• Put a link on your website. In the past, we’ve written about how your website is often the “first impression” for visitors to your church. But statistically, after that first impression, most people are more likely to engage with your content via an app rather than continually revisiting your website. Putting a “download our app” button on your website can help keep your website visitors connected long-term.
• Take advantage of sharing. Have you ever noticed that “share” button that lives right under media items, events, and more inside your app? This allows your app users to easily share the app, a sermon, or an event with their friends and family. Tapping the “share” button opens up a menu to share via Facebook, Twitter, email, text, and more. If even just 10 people from your church with 500 Facebook friends share something in your app to their profile, that opens the door for thousands more people to get your app and engage with your content. Sharing literally only takes a few seconds!
• Get social. Speaking of social media, why not share your app on your church’s social media pages? Someone who is scrolling through your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feeds is most likely already on their phone, so downloading the app is just one click away! You can also share each weekend’s sermon on your Facebook and Twitter pages via the Subsplash Web Player. Those who click to check out your sermon will also have the option to give, listen to other sermons, or download the app right there.

What's the big deal?

So what’s the big hoopla about getting more app downloads? Why does it even matter? Well, the number of downloads is just that, a number. And while we can easily quantify numbers and recommend best practices, the thing that matters most is the people behind those numbers. That person who started listening to last week's sermon after reluctantly downloading your app may be struggling in their faith. That person who had a friend share your app with them may not have heard the good news of Jesus before. Having more people download your app means that more people are having more opportunities to be encouraged and strengthened in their walk with Jesus. And that’s what matters most. Subsplash is passionate about helping you help your community in their discipleship journey. If you have any questions about best practices for launching your app, please let us know! Our Client Success team would love to help you find the right strategy. You can reach us at 206-965-8090 or hello@subsplash.com