Freelancing: Why Entertainers Should Think Like App Developers

Unbelievable

On July 22, Justin Bieber posted an image of himself in full hockey gear. Perspiring but still shining in Bieber form. The star who boasts an audience size of 89 million fans on Instagram, had north of 250,000 likes on his post within ten minutes. This was great for Bieber, and even better for Instagram, considering the renowned entertainer and others like him supply them great content for their users.

Keep ‘em Busy

Daily and Monthly active users are the key performance indicators apps live and die by. Mobile app developers work tirelessly to enable users to remain engaged within their owned ecosystem. From the puppy face (Augmented Reality) feature on Snapchat to Facebook live video, these products are designed to keep you coming back. Even as old school as email may be, you are certain to find messages from the likes of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube using the medium to lead their users back into their properties.

Dodge The Digital Cemetery

If history can tell us anything it is that users are not loyal to platforms as much as they are to their friends and family. A recent Nielsen study, “Millennials on Millennials” revealed that younger audiences are “less likely to stay loyal to specific media the way other generations are.” This is not exclusive to millennials though, especially for those of us who can remember Myspace, Last.fm, iMeem, and iLike. Each of these platforms all serve as examples of what happens when you put all of your eggs in one basket.

Just like money, you can’t take your social fans with you when they die or when you lose interest. Fostering a direct relationship with your fanbase through your website, email or mobile app in addition to social media is critical to your long term success.

What’s next?

Take a page from the app developers and be just as diligent about keeping your fans engaged via channels you can own and invite them to a deeper experience. Harness your entire digital ecosystem to drive value for your business.

Let me know who you think is doing this well today? Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment below.