How to Use Your App to Connect with Audiences in a Virtual World

Appscension
Written By David Dombrosky

Your organization must embrace virtual experiences now more than ever. Your app is a powerful tool that can amplify your efforts.

In this article, we’ll go through specific examples to connect with your audience, keep them entertained, and inspire them.

We’ve divided this article by possible strategies. If you have not implemented all of these, you can review the sections to spark ideas that make sense for your organization.

Click on the plus sign (+) next to a tactic for examples and instructions.

Livestreaming Events

Are you livestreaming content? Use your app to grab your audience’s attention and guide them to the event.

Alert your patrons when the livestream begins

How? Schedule a push notification to go out when your event starts

Time Required: 5 minutes

Inspiration

On March 12th, Seattle Symphony launched a livestreaming series of archival performances to keep patrons engaged. They send a push notification at the start of each livestream. Within the first month, Seattle Symphony sent 135,000 livestream alerts for 19 events - attracting 10,300 viewers.

Best practices

  1. Link the push notification to your livestream content.
  2. Schedule it to go out the moment your livestreaming starts
  3. Include a call to action in your push notification message, such as “Tap to Watch”
  4. Target your notifications whenever possible.
  5. Limit yourself to no more than 3 broadcast notifications per week. (Broadcast notifications are sent to all app users.)

Resources

Promote your streaming event when patrons open the app

How? Highlight your livestream event on the Home screen

Time Required: 5 minutes

If you use Cards as the first tab in your app:

Inspiration

Alliance Theatre promotes their video streaming performances of Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience with a Card on their Home screen.

Best practices

  1. Create a card that links to your livestream content
  2. Move the card into the first position on your Home screen
  3. If you have a Header Image, remove it from the Home screen to maximize visibility for the livestream event

Resources

If you use Slideshow as the first tab in your app:

Inspiration

Slideshow images draw the eye. Be sure to have a clear, direct call-to-action.

Best practices

  1. Create a slide that links to your livestream
  2. Place the slide in the first position on your Home screen

Resources

Keep the content available after the livestream ends

How? Turn your livestream into on-demand content

Time Required: 1 minute

Best practices

  1. Keep the card or slide on your Home screen and linked to the recording
  2. Move it out of the first position if you need to highlight another livestream event
  3. When you eventually remove the card or slide, add the recording to your YouTube channel
  4. Sync your YouTube channel with your app

Resources

On-Demand Content

Looking for ways to connect patrons with your on-demand videos and audio content? Use your app to draw attention to items on your app, website, Soundcloud, Spotify, or video channel.

Increase visibility for your videos & audio content

How? Highlight your on-demand content on the Home screen

Time Required: 5 minutes

If you use Cards as the first tab in your app:

Inspiration

With in-person concerts canceled during the COVID-19 outbreak, Anchorage Symphony Orchestra moves their on-demand video content into the top position of the Home screen.

Best practices - Videos on your YouTube channel

  1. Sync your YouTube channel with your app
  2. Enable your Videos card
  3. Move the Videos card toward the top of the Home screen

Best practices - Videos on your website or another 3rd party site

  1. Create a card linked to video collection
  2. Move it toward the top of the Home screen

Best practices - Music & Audio hosted by InstantEncore

  1. If you have audio content in the Music area of the Control Panel, enable the Music card
  2. Move the Music card toward the top of the Home screen

Best practices - Music & Audio on your website or 3rd party site

  1. Create a card linked to your audio collection, playlist, or podcast
  2. Move the card toward the top of the Home screen

Resources

If you use Slideshow as the first tab in your app:

Inspiration

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center uses a slide on their Home screen to connect app users with their online repository of on-demand content.

Best practices - Videos on your YouTube channel

  1. Sync your YouTube channel with your app
  2. Enable your Videos tab
  3. Create a slide linked to your Videos tab
  4. Move the slide toward the front of your slideshow

Best practices - Videos on your website or another 3rd party site

  1. Create a slide linked to video collection
  2. Move the slide toward the front of your slideshow

Best practices - Music & Audio hosted by InstantEncore

  1. If you have audio content in the Music area of the Control Panel, enable the Music tab
  2. Create a slide linked to your Music tab
  3. Move the slide toward the front of your slideshow

Best practices - Music & Audio on your website or 3rd party site

  1. Create a slide linked to your audio collection, playlist, or podcast
  2. Move the slide toward the front of the slideshow

Resources

Connect patrons to your on-demand content with just one tap

How? Schedule push notifications to promote on-demand content

Time Required: 5 minutes

Inspiration

From Motivation Monday to Throwback Thursday, social media trends provide familiar themes for online conversations. Use them as a framework for connecting patrons with on-demand content.

Best practices

  1. Highlight on-demand content by scheduling weekly push notifications
  2. Link the push notification to your on-demand content
  3. Include a call to action in your push notification message, such as “Tap to Watch” or “Listen Now”
  4. Target your notifications whenever possible.
  5. Limit yourself to no more than 3 broadcast notifications per week. (Broadcast notifications are sent to all app users.)

Resources

Donations

Make it easy for your patrons to give their support. Tailor the tone of your ask for this extraordinary moment in time.

Tell app users how they can support your organization

How? Promote donations on your Home screen

Time Required: 5 minutes

If you use Cards as the first tab in your app:

Inspiration

Berkeley Repertory Theatre frames their fundraising efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic as a Resilience Campaign. To increase visibility, they position the campaign's Card directly beneath the Card for a virtual event.

Best practices

  1. Create a Donate card linked to your online donation path
  2. Move the card into one of the top positions on the Home screen

Resources

If you use Slideshow as the first tab in your app:

Inspiration

Use the center area of the slide's image to add any text for the campaign. This will keep it from overlapping the slide's title or call-to-action.

Best practices

  1. Create a Donate slide linked to your online donation path
  2. Move the slide toward the front of the slideshow

Resources

Make giving integral to the app experience

How? Add a Donate tab to your app’s menu

Time Required: 5 minutes

Inspiration

On Site Opera places their Donate tab in the center position of the Tab Bar menu. This keeps the concept of giving in view while patrons use the app.

Best practices

  1. Create a custom Donate tab that links to your online donation page
  2. Move the tab into one of the first four positions in your menu
  3. If you use Slideshow for your Home screen, use the Tab Bar menu format to keep your Donate tab visible while users swipe through your slides

Resources

Give app users an easier way to donate

How? One-Tap Donations with Apple Pay & Google Pay

Events

Keep patrons informed of major changes to your events.

Spotlight when in-person events become streaming events

How? Edit the event's information to reflect the change

Time Required: 5 minutes

Inspiration

When the Alliance Theatre repositioned Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience as a streaming event, they highlighted that in the event's title. They also provided instructions for securing tickets and accessing the online event.

Best practices

  1. Modify the title of your event to highlight that it is a streaming event
  2. If you’re not selling tickets to the stream, remove the Get Tickets button by deleting the ticket purchasing link to avoid confusion
  3. Add a link to the stream in the event’s description field

Resources

Inform app users when events are cancelled or postponed

How? Update the event's information to reflect the change

Time Required: 5 minutes

Inspiration

ArtTix makes the status of their events clear by adding Postponed or Canceled to event titles. They also include appropriate notes in the event description field.

If an event is postponed with a rescheduled date:

Best practices

  1. Change the event’s date and time
  2. Use the event’s description field to tell patrons when you anticipate tickets will go on sale.
  3. Give instructions for current ticket holders
  4. Remove the Get Tickets button by deleting the ticket purchasing link until you are ready to sell tickets

If an event is postponed without a rescheduled date:

Best practices

  1. Add “Postponed” to the front or end of the event’s title
  2. Remove the Get Tickets button by deleting the ticket purchasing link to avoid confusion
  3. Use the event’s description field to tell patrons when the event will likely be rescheduled
  4. Give instructions for current ticket holders

If an event is cancelled:

Best practices

  1. Add “Cancelled” to the front or end of the event’s title
  2. Remove the Get Tickets button by deleting the ticket purchasing link to avoid confusion
  3. Use the event’s description field to give instructions for ticket holders

Resources

Need Help?

If you need help making changes to your app, please contact support@instantencore.com

David Dombrosky
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