Photo credit: sozialhelden .
I first wrote about video chat app Rounds in September, noting that it’s fairly frictionless and comes with a bunch of great features. The fact that most of its 22 million users were acquired by organic channels is another important aspect. If you’re capable of building a product that people really need, then they’ll tell their friends and families about it and you won’t need to spend tons of money to drive downloads.
It’s not like the startup didn’t have money to burn. It has raised US$22 million in VC funding which certainly isn’t chump change.
A few weeks ago, Rounds came up with an ever sleeker video messaging app, Booyah. Its UX is great, minimalistic, simple, and with a minimum of fuss. All you do is download the app, click on “start video call,” and generate a link that you can share on WhatsApp, Line, Twitter, Facebook Messenger, or through a simple text message.
All your friends have to do is click on the link and they’ll be automatically added to the call. You can minimize the app whilst you’re waiting – it’ll prompt you when they’re online. There’s nothing more. No social logins, no usernames, and no need to scroll through a list of contacts.
I find it an excellent alternative to clunky apps like Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facetime.
Booyah has over a million downloads since it was launched. “We haven’t spent a single dollar on marketing it,” notes Natasha Shine-Zirkel, head of marketing for Rounds.
So what’s the startup’s secret to achieving such viral marketing and scale? Here are four key takeaways from my chat with Natasha.
Photo credit: aehdeschaine
1. Focus on what users really want
This term is now becoming borderline cliché, but its importance cannot be overstated. Rounds has several million downloads and the startup could have focused on this user base alone, but the team realized the need for an even more seamless experience.
“We understood that our users had a need for a one-screen, one-tap, no registration, instant group video chat experience,” explains Natasha.
The need was validated after the app reached one million downloads within 4 weeks.
Despite the fact that both Rounds and Booyah offer group video chats, their interface and experience are wholly different. Rounds also integrates photos, snapshots, games, and music, while Booyah is simply about instant connections. They’re catering to different needs.
2. Incorporate an element of virality
Both Rounds and Booyah are innately viral because in order to use them, you need to share them with your friends. However, that isn’t enough. The experience these apps offer compels users to share and invite others.
“With a sleek design, great UX, strong core technology, a data-driven approach, and a user first attitude we have built our apps with love and with the user’s best experience in mind,” explains Natasha.
I’m definitely a fan.
3. Spend time in the product development process
How many times have we downloaded an app, fiddled around with it for a few days, and then instinctively dragged it to the uninstall space? That’s every developer’s nightmare. All those hours burning the midnight oil and little to show for it.
Natasha explains that usability testing is a big part of the startup’s design ethos. Because only actual users can know what other users need, love, or hate, the team invests a lot of time and effort to gain feedback and then incorporates it into the design process.
To ensure that users remain engaged, the startup tries to constantly improve its offering. “It’s not just about fulfilling the needs they know they have, but also reading between the lines and finding the pain points we can fulfill that they aren’t even aware of,” outlines Natasha.
4. Growth hacking
Natasha is consistent in her belief that startups shouldn’t spend money for user acquisition.
“Anyone can buy a new user,” she explains. “[Paid] user acquisition, in our eyes, should only be used for seeding in new markets because it prohibits a company from understanding its real growth numbers.”
Alternatively, Natasha says to spend time and effort in understanding what will trigger users to adore your product, compel them to tell others, and give them the best experience.
But it’s also important to ensure easy access and visibility on the app stores. After all, what’s the point of a great app if it remains hidden?
So when it comes to that, the startup does a lot of A/B testing for icons, screenshots, and banner images. There’s also a significant amount of tests with the text to ensure users understand the app’s core offering and that it’s easily discoverable during search. Replying individually to each review is another technique employed by Rounds to help build a community and ensure ratings remain high.
This post 4 ways to scale your app organically to a million users in just four weeks appeared first on Tech in Asia.