Web Strategy Micksup

Surprise! Just what I’ve always wanted!
Originally uploaded by Sugar Pond

They don’t come in a box, or bought off the shelves. So how do people find new web applications? A really important question for someone who’s just made one and wants a few more customers, or someone who’s thinking of making one.  Notice that most of these hinge on you being awesome.

1. You see a friend using it.

This could be directly over the shoulder, or they could casually digesting someones twitter feed and hear that they use it. This is how I discovered Desklickr yesterday as Lachlan Hardy twittered it, not as a promotion, but just that he used it.

2. You get an invite from Facebook, et al.

Whether it’s a vampire app or something that is actually useful to the planet, when someone decides to spam/invite you to a new application it comes with (some) credibility. This credibility is like a borse in that the more Vampire’s I get from you, the lower your credibility, the more Quicksilver’s I get, up goes your credibility.

3. You get emailed an invite personally.

As far as referrals go, this is the big one. “Hey Mick, you really should check this out, you’ll love it”. Is pretty much a guaranteed click. We often miss this one in the viral shuffle, but it’s gold.

4. You read about it on the web.

Whether you’re daily on Read/Write Web, NY Times or your mothers blog people talk about the apps they use and test and it’s a way to get a recommendation along with a reason why.

5. You search for it.

This is the mega-high value that app owners want to get to. That moment when you say “Hmm, I really need to do ABC.” It’s fertile ground. When do you need it? Why do you need it? How much is it worth to you? You might start by searching the type of product or you might get specific. You will look at the Google ads in this case, but you often assume you have to pay for those.

6. You ask your friends what they use.

If searching comes up with nothing or nothing convincing, you will probably ask your network. Which network depends on which problem you are trying to solve. This can be an IM, email and increasingly for me, a Twitter, although the randomness of responses makes this hit and miss.

7. You are forced in order to join something or do something.

If your local sports team uses 3eep or your geek gang uses Google Groups, you don’t really have a choice. They’ll invite you and you can either try the app or miss out on the goodies. Or when Jyte asks for your OpenID account just to join.

8. It is an extension of an existing application or hub-app you use.

Google are great at this and Yahoo try it a lot, but to less success. You’re a Gmail user and now you can chat to your friends with GTalk. You’re already registered so it’s one click away.

9. You are referred to it by another application.

Less immediate then the extension, this is when Flock has an Flickr component and offer account association, or when WordPress says the best tool for creating favicons is Blahr. It’s not one click away, but if you love this app, then it’s a powerful push.

10. You see a widget for the app on someones blog.

Widgets are a great way to show off the end results of an app without a big take up cost. “Hey, I can see what music you are listening to, what’s LastFM?” Some widgets just let you see the goods, while some let you play with them right there.

11. It comes with your computer (BONUS)

Less with web apps than with desktop apps, but some computers come with either desktop links to web apps. Not Macs of course…

That’s my list so far, feel free to add to it, bash it and throw it around.

Discussion - Where do you find your apps?

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