Holidays are a time to relax, disconnect and forget about what is going on at the office. At least, that's what we should be doing in order to recharge our batteries for when we get back, right? But you may have realized that, nowadays, our work often overlaps with our personal life, even during time off. With the internet and the transition to everything mobile, work tends to follow us everywhere. Being aware of it is the first step towards managing this new work / life balance. The second is finding the right organization. 

Creating an app for the first time is an adventure, one that can take your business into a new dimension! But like with all adventures, it's best setting out on this journey with a few essential steps in mind. We've got you covered with our latest Infographic which focuses on what you should have in mind before getting started ;)

We have already discussed how to get your app reviewed and how to get PR for your app, if none of these crucial steps should be overlooked, what if the key to success was an effective pre-launch strategy? 

"It’s all about the notifications, not the apps", this quote by Fiona Spruill, head of global growth at Meetup, really struck a chord. Not that we don’t believe in Beautiful Apps anymore ;) But, we do agree that push notifications are among the most effective tools you can use to engage your audience. However, as we have often stated, we also believe they can be your own worst enemy. Remember our blog post about 4 reasons apps get deleted? An invasive use of push notifications is often to blame. 

2015 has come and gone and the new year feels like a blank slate, ready to be filled with new projects… Year after year, it’s the time most of us decide to take resolutions… Now, guess what our resolution this year is? To make sure you don’t give up on them come the end of January! With that in mind, we are going to take these New Year’s resolutions together and stick to them. Tried and true, they all come from experience and are bound to make your life at work easier ;)

Content Marketing has been big for quite some time now, and more and more companies are turning to it as they start to understand the stakes. Content creation is a time-consuming process which doesn't necessarily come easy to all businesses.  One thing's for sure, content is here to stay and 2016 will certainly see new developments unfold for those already relying on it as a strategy or considering it. Let's have a look at one of the major trends for next year: how quality matters when it comes to the content published by businesses.

Beacons have been around for quite some time now and are gradually becoming a part of marketing strategies for some of the biggest brands out there. These tiny devices are as powerful as they are mysterious, but one thing’s for sure, they are introducing a new way to buy .  By blending the digital and physical they are taking the user experience one step further, providing a very flexible approach to displaying information about products, the layout of the store or even discounts. Everything is possible, for any kind of business. A few weeks ago we explained how you could implement this technology inside your app thanks to our iBeacons Add-On. A breakthrough update since we believe Beacons are an incredible asset when it comes to developing your business ! However, we are well aware how intimidating these devices can seem at first, so here is an Infographic which will give you an overview of what you need to know about Beacons and how they operate, which should help you overcome your hesitations!

As an app creator you obviously hope your app will be downloaded, but for it to be an actual winner, you most certainly don’t want it to get deleted afterwards. In order to make sure your users stick around, here are some of the most common reasons why apps get deleted within the first minutes, if not seconds, of their being downloaded. Of course, we don’t want to leave you hanging so we’ve included easy to implement solutions to bypass these pitfalls. Read on!

"The world is yours to explore" This saying has never been more true than in the past few years, due to the rise of digitalization, increased power of social networks, the lessening of barriers between countries, and international communication being at almost everyone's disposition. However, to do things really well, there are a few key points to take into consideration when addressing an international audience. At GoodBarber, we've taken on the challenge of making ourselves available to different markets all over the world, all while remaining based on our wonderful, but tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean. 

Before GoodBarber was created, we were amongst the first few companies in the world to develop iPhone applications. At the time, app builders did not exist. The app features we developed were determined by client requests—they told us their needs and we delivered a custom-made product. For example, we created the first version of the M6 Replay app, allowing shows from the famous French TV channel to be viewed on demand, or even the app for the European Space Agency, letting viewers watch the Ariane rocket take off.  Things were going well, but we were dreaming of something bigger. We were dreaming about GoodBarber.  

If you have followed our advice up until now, you've surely created a blog for your business. But despite your efforts, maybe your results are still not where you'd like them to be? Time to take a look and figure out what's going on.

"Music exists to speak the words we can't explain" Music is a big part of our world—it's the universal language. Today, music plays an integral role in the strategy of many big-name brands, just like design, visual identity, or even marketing as a whole. The times when consumers were open eyes and ears, receptive to any old advertisement have passed, and now it's necessary to raise awareness amongst them and make them feel close to you all through focusing on their main interests. Music is one of the best ways to effectively reach your target, regardless of what your final goals are.  Here are a few things to take into account when building a music strategy:  

We have talked a lot about ways to market your app (advertising, social media, etc.) but the world of Public Relations has not been mentioned much. While the two go hand in hand, they are not quite the same—the goal of marketing efforts is to make a sale (or download in your case) and the end goal of PR is to build reputation, which can later be reflected in sales figures. You should include both in your promotion strategy to gain maximum recognition and notoriety.

More and more companies are beginning to implement digital strategies in order to organize their online presence. Today, all companies (even the small ones), can benefit from this type of strategy, but for those who have limited expertise and resources for carrying this out, here are 3 questions necessary to reflect upon in order to create the most pertinent and useful digital strategy for your business.

If you have an Apple Developer account, you should have received an email announcing the release of the new App Analytics available at no additional cost in your iTunes Connect account.  Devices operating with iOS 8 or later will be able to agree to send information on their app usage to Apple, who will generate reports concerning the user engagement, marketing campaigns, and monetization of your app. 

Convincing someone to buy your product is no easy feat, especially for brand new products that have little to no visibility in the market. If you are currently struggling with this dilemma, fear not—there are many things you can do to increase conversion rate and gain new clients. Today we are offering 6 simple tips for your marketing strategy that will help increase customer conversions and boost your sales according to the most popular theory in the marketing psychology field: Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence. Influence is all about psychology. Through many experimental studies, Robert Cialdini , a highly respected psychologist and psychology/marketing professor, found the 6 principles of influence that have helped many brands to understand the mind and strengthen their strategies according to high-potential sources of influence. Take a look at his findings and consider applying the Cialdini principles of influence to your marketing strategy.

Are you considering m-commerce for your business? Whether you’re not completely sold on the fact that m-commerce is necessary, or you’re unsure on how to go about forming an m-commerce strategy, it’s important to start by understanding this new way to buy. Just like transitioning from a desktop product to mobile is an adjustment, the evolution from e-commerce to m-commerce implies a few changes, to be profitable.

Engagement is an essential part of the customer relation. Years ago, the consumers were simply absorbing advertising but those days are gone. As nowadays the credo is "customer comes first", his behavior has a huge impact on brand reputation. In today's world, a lot of commercial information are displayed, but the time dedicated to purchases is decreasing. Consumers can filter the information they receive, and choose the ones they really want to see. This process brings us to the following observation: if your communication is not attractive, it will not have any impact on your consumers, because they will not even see it. To overcome that obstacle, and give your message a chance to be heard, there are only two words to say: Consumer Engagement.    

You've created your business—now it's time to start your communication strategy! But how can you reach your target without going down the very expensive route of external consulting? Here is what to do. Firstly you should reflect on exactly what it is you are offering (your product or service). Get to realistically know the sector you're working in, without only concentrating strictly on what you offer, and without thinking that your competitors are superior. Then, put yourself in the minds of your clients (before creating your enterprise you probably figured out who your target audience is): What do I think? Am I surprised (positively) by this product?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of this product/service? How would I prefer to buy? To be contacted? From asking yourself these questions you will gather a lot of information that will give you an idea of what the best strategy is for your brand. The possibilities are endless: you can work with SEO, AdWords campaigns, blogs, use an app and taking advantage of push notifications, use a guerilla marketing strategy, send newsletters, concentrate on social networks, create campaigns and competitions on social media, etc. You can improve yourself in many aspects, by using different tools, even open source (and free) and communicate via different channels. Today, I will speak about three strategies that are quite attainable—even with a budget close to nothing. In the long term, they will allow you to increase your internet traffic, gain the loyalty of your community, and simultaneously improve your reputation amongst your prospects and clients. 

Long term customer retention is definitely simpler in some industries than others. Many products and services strategically involve customer exit barriers, such as contractual agreements, high initial costs, fine print, and other ways of locking in the client. In other sectors, (the app marketplace for example, which is often described as competitive and even saturated) this is not quite the case, and some extra work is required to maintain content customers.   Even if your product is unique and of high quality, there will always be a multitude of competitors out there who have superior performance in at least one aspect and are ready to do all they can to capitalize on this and swoop in on your hard-earned customers. When there is no significant obligation or penalty preventing your clients from leaving, what’s stopping them from switching at any given moment? This is where the significance of investing in creating customer loyalty is apparent—neglecting this piece of your strategy can cause a great loss that will be a real struggle to recover from. Here are a few of the most common and detrimental mindsets that are huge drivers in destroying customer loyalty.