Tag: alexa

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App Everywhere B2B Apps Mobile Apps Push Notifications

Push Messaging: How they work and how to use them

Push messaging, also known as push notifications are one of the strongest tools to engage listeners.
Before we get into the “hows” of push messages, let’s cover what a push message is exactly. Push messages are messages from an app publisher that are “pushed” directly to the user’s notification tray on their mobile device. Therefore, the notification pushes them to open up your app and engage.
But, before you just start sending out a million messages to your listeners, it is important to know how they work and exactly how to use them.

How Push Messages Work:

When a listener clicks on your push notification message they’ll land directly in your app or web page. You can set up your notification to either take your listeners to your home page or send them to a specific page that relates to the push message.
Push messaging works for three reasons:

  1. Urgency
  2. Timeliness
  3. Call to action

All three of these elements create engagement with your app and your listeners. Check out our webinar Push Notifications 101 to learn more.

How to Use Push Messages:

It is important to know your listeners and to know what they would like to receive from you through push notifications. Some ways to use push messages include:

  • Breaking News Alerts
  • Event Reminders
  • Program Alerts
  • Weather Updates
  • Contests
  • Coupons and Discounts

These are just a few of the common push messages that have seen successful open rates. These types of messages will pull in your listeners to your app and keep them engaged and excited for future events and reminders. Check out our webinar Push Notifications 101 to learn more.
Push messages are the tools that will help take your mobile app to the next level and we’d love to help you do it with our push notification solution. Contact our Director of Business Development, Sari Zalesin sari@jacapps.com or 248-353-9030

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Alexa Amazon Echo B2B Apps Construction Mobile Apps Mobile Web Push Notifications

Connect with us at the CAM Tradeshow 2019!

Michigan Construction & Design Tradeshow 2019 hosted by CAM kicks off for a one-day conference on Tuesday, February 5th, and jācapps will be there to present and talk to you about taking your construction company mobile. In addition to the event’s productive networking, jācapps will hosting a workshop from 9:15am – 10:15am in one of the boardrooms!
Register today for our hour workshop where our COO, Bob Kernen will be discussing how construction businesses can leverage the ubiquity of smartphones to make their projects more efficient and profitable!

 

Construction In The Mobile World

Mobile apps are building the future and we are looking forward to this opportunity to meet local construction company owners, contractors, suppliers, architects, engineers and others to help take your companies mobile.
In the construction industry, where so many people do their jobs outside of a traditional office, whether it is training a mobile workforce, strengthening your safety procedures, and/or tracking your materials, mobile can make life a lot easier for communication and management. Mobile apps enhance communication, productivity, and transform bottom-line goals into reality across your project lifecycle. 
Here’s how:

  • Real-time logistics updates
  • Improved staff accountability
  • Easy, accurate document retrieval

But that’s not all, mobile construction apps have unlimited uses, such as:

  • Project management and productivity
  • Daily reporting and time entry
  • On-site photography and video
  • Safety trainings and monitoring

Mobile is the ultimate high-tech hand tool giving your projects a strong foundation. These are just a few of the ways our mobile solutions have helped clients succeed. We help clients differentiate themselves with complete custom solutions.
 
Don’t forget to register for our workshop and stop by booth 308 to learn more about how mobile strategy can impact your business! You will also get the chance to enter to win a FREE Amazon Alexa Echo Dot!
We look forward to seeing you at CAM’s Tradeshow 2019!
Register Here
If you are interested in expanding a mobile presence to support your business, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or 248-353-9030
 

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Alexa Amazon Echo App Everywhere B2B Apps Mobile Apps news and press Smart Home

Digital Summit Detroit

Digital Summit Detroit 2018 kicks off for a two-day digital marketing gathering on Wednesday September 12th, and jācapps will be there to talk mobile strategy, and to mix with hundreds of other leaders in the digital space. We are looking forward to this opportunity to hear brilliant speakers, meet the best of Detroit’s digital industry and pick up some cool event swag! In addition to the event’s productive networking, jācapps will be exhibiting with examples of our most recent apps and some swag of our own!
There will be over 50 sessions and workshops that will provide info about the latest digital trends plus lots of practical, game-changing ideas to apply to your marketing strategy!
Additionally, there will be over 45 digital marketing sessions in mission-critical topic areas that include: Social, Email, Data & Analytics, Brand Storytelling, Search, Conversion & Engagement, UX & Design, Mobile, Strategy, B2B Marketing and B2C Marketing. As you can see digital and mobile are some of the hottest marketing topics this year.
You will get the opportunity to learn directly from the brands and leaders who you believe make the largest impact on today’s world economy now and in the future! Some of the brilliant speakers include; Chelsea Handler, Scott Dikkers, Cailin Lavallee, Andrew Malcom, Rob Lawson, Kraig Hansen, Amber Lewis, Nick Skislak and many more! Along with the learning experience, you’ll get insight from BuzzFeed, Waze, Discover, Jaguar, Salesforce, and many more!
Not only will you gain great content from the different sessions, you will also have the chance to engage in professional networking! There will be hundreds of professional marketers, strategists, designers, and more to connect and chat with.There is a countless amount of opportunities here that may lead into inspiration, partnerships and/or business deals that you will leave with after ONLY two days at Digital Summit Detroit!
We’re excited for our second year at DSD! If you are attending, let’s set up a meeting to talk about your mobile strategy! Stop by our booth between sessions for a chance for a chance to win a free smart speaker!
Get your tickets here!

Categories
Alexa Amazon Echo App Everywhere B2B Apps Connected Car Google Home Mobile Apps Smart Home Smart TVs Voice Commands

Tech 248 Recap & Key Takeaways

On Tuesday, July 31st we hosted our first in house event, partnering with Tech248! We offered networking and refreshments while our executives gave brief updates on 2018’s mobile trends.  We couldn’t be more excited to see over 80 local business people attend our first event!
In case you missed it… here’s a little recap of the presentations and their key takeaways!

Apps For Business

Our COO, Bob Kernen gave an incredible presentation about apps for business. Bob refers to apps as a dynamic business tool. “We tend to think of apps as consumers – apps are these little tools people use to get us through our day. In reality, they are the most valuable real estate a marketer can have, and most importantly… ALL companies can participate.”
An app is self-contained piece of software that is designed to serve a discreet function and work on a specific type or types of devices. It leverages the power of your smartphone or tablet, way beyond the ability of a mobile browser. Mobile apps can be designed to help facilitate instant communication with customers.
App features an include: 

  • Real-time updates on product availability
  • Ability to request a quote or place an order
  • Provide login, video, and PDF sessions for education
  • Host an ultra-categorized, user-friendly product catalogue
  • Connect users with particular departments or teams instantly
  • And more!

With that being said…“There’s an app for that!” Did you know 81% of American adults use a smartphone… and mobile usage has surpassed desktop usage!

Media Consumption Trends

Our President, Paul Jacobs, gave great insight about the Media Trends in 2018. Paul touches on the results from Techsurvey 2018.

  1. We can definitely see a generational shift when it comes to media, as shown survey results, we see millennials and boomers both have the highest population dealing with media consumption.
  2. Here is the 2018 media pyramid representing media consumption, devices used, and trends between millennials and boomers: 
  3. In 2018, Techsurvey proves that audio streaming is still on the rise, and is quite balanced between male and female consumers. If your business has audio content to put out there – keep doing it!
  4. Lastly, in-car audio provides many different sources for content. The AM/FM radio is still standard but audiobooks, podcasts, streaming providers, and XM satellite are all sources for content and advertising if your business is trying to reach consumers on the go.

Now how do we here at jācapps relate to that? jācapps App Everywhere® provides solutions that encourage communication across all devices. We incorporate your brand through mobile phones, the connected car, smart TVs, smart speakers, tablets, and wearables.

Smart Speaker Update

Our Director of Business Development, Sari Zalesin, gave a great presentation about smart speakers! If you don’t know already… Alexa dominates the smart speaker space! Looking at smart speaker owners, 75% own Amazon Alexa only, 19% own Google Home only, and 6% own both Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
When it comes to business, Amazon Alexa skills need a strategy behind them. Creating “skills” is easy, but voice is actually something much larger! Voice is actually a whole new user interface, and more and more devices will be controlled by the human voice. With that being said, consider your business and how you might interact with users through voice. What content do you want delivered, and to whom? Do you have news, announcements, or recurring content? Or are you focusing on set database questions and answers?
Amazon Alexa has skills for all different industries, some of the hot industry skills around the US include; Healthcare, Automotive, and Food & Beverage.
Here are some great examples from her presentation: 

  • Healthcare –
    • Carolinas HealthCare created an Alexa skill where consumers can simply ask “Alexa, what is the nearest Carolinas urgent care or hospital?”
  • Automotive –
    • Ford and FCA partnered with Amazon to connect their cars to Alexa voice control for commands relating to appointments, trip management, and engine starting.
  • Food & Beverage –
    • TGI Friday’s created a skill allowing fans to place orders and make reservations with Alexa voice technology.

Overall, smart speakers are here to stay! Every business needs a voice strategy!

Thank you to all of the attendees and we hope to see you at future events!
We would also love to thank Farmington Brewing Company and Plum Market for catering with the best refreshments! The beer and food were a hit…we look forward to working with both companies for future events!
If you are interest in us, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030

Categories
Alexa Amazon Echo App Everywhere B2B Apps Connected Car Google Home Mobile Apps Smart Home Smart TVs Voice Commands

Tech 248 Recap & Key Takeaways

On Tuesday, July 31st we hosted our first in house event, partnering with Tech248! We offered networking and refreshments while our executives gave brief updates on 2018’s mobile trends.  We couldn’t be more excited to see over 80 local business people attend our first event!

In case you missed it… here’s a little recap of the presentations and their key takeaways!

Apps For Business

Our COO, Bob Kernen gave an incredible presentation about apps for business. Bob refers to apps as a dynamic business tool. “We tend to think of apps as consumers – apps are these little tools people use to get us through our day. In reality, they are the most valuable real estate a marketer can have, and most importantly… ALL companies can participate.”

An app is self-contained piece of software that is designed to serve a discreet function and work on a specific type or types of devices. It leverages the power of your smartphone or tablet, way beyond the ability of a mobile browser. Mobile apps can be designed to help facilitate instant communication with customers.

App features an include: 

  • Real-time updates on product availability
  • Ability to request a quote or place an order
  • Provide login, video, and PDF sessions for education
  • Host an ultra-categorized, user-friendly product catalogue
  • Connect users with particular departments or teams instantly
  • And more!

With that being said…“There’s an app for that!” Did you know 81% of American adults use a smartphone… and mobile usage has surpassed desktop usage!

Media Consumption Trends

Our President, Paul Jacobs, gave great insight about the Media Trends in 2018. Paul touches on the results from Techsurvey 2018.

  1. We can definitely see a generational shift when it comes to media, as shown survey results, we see millennials and boomers both have the highest population dealing with media consumption.
  2. Here is the 2018 media pyramid representing media consumption, devices used, and trends between millennials and boomers: 
  3. In 2018, Techsurvey proves that audio streaming is still on the rise, and is quite balanced between male and female consumers. If your business has audio content to put out there – keep doing it!
  4. Lastly, in-car audio provides many different sources for content. The AM/FM radio is still standard but audiobooks, podcasts, streaming providers, and XM satellite are all sources for content and advertising if your business is trying to reach consumers on the go.

Now how do we here at jācapps relate to that? jācapps App Everywhere® provides solutions that encourage communication across all devices. We incorporate your brand through mobile phones, the connected car, smart TVs, smart speakers, tablets, and wearables.

Smart Speaker Update

Our Director of Business Development, Sari Zalesin, gave a great presentation about smart speakers! If you don’t know already… Alexa dominates the smart speaker space! Looking at smart speaker owners, 75% own Amazon Alexa only, 19% own Google Home only, and 6% own both Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

When it comes to business, Amazon Alexa skills need a strategy behind them. Creating “skills” is easy, but voice is actually something much larger! Voice is actually a whole new user interface, and more and more devices will be controlled by the human voice. With that being said, consider your business and how you might interact with users through voice. What content do you want delivered, and to whom? Do you have news, announcements, or recurring content? Or are you focusing on set database questions and answers?

Amazon Alexa has skills for all different industries, some of the hot industry skills around the US include; Healthcare, Automotive, and Food & Beverage.

Here are some great examples from her presentation: 

  • Healthcare –
    • Carolinas HealthCare created an Alexa skill where consumers can simply ask “Alexa, what is the nearest Carolinas urgent care or hospital?”
  • Automotive –
    • Ford and FCA partnered with Amazon to connect their cars to Alexa voice control for commands relating to appointments, trip management, and engine starting.
  • Food & Beverage –
    • TGI Friday’s created a skill allowing fans to place orders and make reservations with Alexa voice technology.

Overall, smart speakers are here to stay! Every business needs a voice strategy!

Thank you to all of the attendees and we hope to see you at future events!

We would also love to thank Farmington Brewing Company and Plum Market for catering with the best refreshments! The beer and food were a hit…we look forward to working with both companies for future events!

If you are interest in us, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030

Categories
Mobile Apps

jācapps on FOX 2 Detroit

Paul-Jacobs-jacapps-fox-2-detroit

A few weeks ago, Derek Kevra from FOX 2 Detroit visited the jācapps offices and needless to say, our team was excited! The final piece, which aired April 10th on Fox2’s 6PM news, gave Fox’s viewers a taste of what jācapps is all about.
Derek interviewed Paul Jacobs, Bob Kernen, Ben Levy, and Kate Coyle-Levy about where we came from, what we’ve done so far, and where we see both jācapps and the tech industry going in the future.
Paul Jacobs described jācapps as the world’s oldest start-up, but the piece made it clear how far our “started in a storage closet” company has come.. jācapps has built over 1,100 apps – every single one right here in Detroit.
With mobile technology booming we are here to help our clients get to the next level. As Bob Kernen would say, Detroit is where builders and doers are born – we know how to make things, and we know how to make them well. California might be the tech hub of the US, but our “Detroit vs. Everybody” mentality extends to our tech companies.. With or without an Amazon location. 😉
We may have started as a radio app development company but we’ve produced logistics apps to help construction and trucking companies communicate with clients, apps for health and wellness leaders such as Dr. Nandi and ACCESS Community Health, and apps for travel companies.
Now, we’ve got our sights set on App Everywhere® – especially with the boom of Amazon Echo (Alexa) and Connected Car capabilities. These technologies create yet another sensor in which businesses can communicate with their employees and consumers.
We had a blast meeting with some of the FOX 2 team. Check out the official video below, or the FOX2 direct link here.

If you’re interested in us, the apps we’ve built, or a product of your own, contact us at sales@jacapps.com or (248) 353-9030.

Categories
Connected Car Mobile Apps Smart Home Smart TVs

jācapps Continues to Grow Into the New Year

Business people shaking hands, finishing up a meeting

BINGHAM FARMS, MI – January 30, 2017 — As the mobile application space continues to grow, our team grows as well. We have recently brought in a few new employees to help strengthen our mobile solution abilities and reach beyond our current industry base. Dante Ciullo, Senior Android Developer, brings with him 20 years of software development and 5 years of mobile app development experience. Jacquelyn LaFrance, Marketing Manager, is on course to ramp up our Marketing efforts, define our mark in the business and attract diversity in the industry segments we pursue. Marty Watson, Business Development Manager, will help to expand our mobile solutions beyond the Detroit and media industries. We are very excited to have our newest employees on the jācapps team and anticipate valuable insights from each of them.

We’ve officially begun the expansion into the office space next door!

Along with our team expansion we are also in the process of expanding our office space! We have acquired the office space next door to house our Development and Production teams and give them space to grow their departments. This expansion would not be possible without the hard work put in by all of our employees, but our fantastic clients as well. Without you, none of this would have been possible.
We also want to highlight our entire team for their amazing volunteer work at the end of 2017. In honor of Thanksgiving, we adopted a family to provide them with a Thanksgiving dinner. To celebrate the holidays together, our team also volunteered for Project Remodel to help remodel the previous Durfee School in Detroit, which will open as the Community Innovation Center. We are so excited to watch our team grow and continue their work in the local community.
To learn more about how mobile apps can benefit your business, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com we love talking mobile!

Categories
Mobile Apps

Delivering News To Millennials, There's An App For That

Reading news on mobile phone. Hand holding smartphone with newspaper, news website. Modern flat design graphic elements, thin line icons set for web banner, web site, infographics. Vector illustration

By: Paul Jacobs
Great news for news stations! Mobile Apps Are the Gateway For News Stations to Reach Millennials.
All news stations – whether commercial or public – struggle to generate great ratings among the notoriously hard to reach Millennial generation.  There are many reasons for this, and a new study from Qualtrics on behalf of Localytics indicates the best way for news-formatted stations to reach Millennials is with a mobile app.
The survey focused on consumers who have news-oriented apps on their smartphone, and found that overall, one-third (36%) report usage of these apps has increased in the past year.  Among those people, increased use of news-oriented apps was highest among Millennials:

Apps for news stations are a perfect fit for these young consumers as 85% of respondents get news from their smartphones.   The study finds that three-fourths (75%)  will get news on their app when they receive a push notification about breaking news.  Clearly, this is a feature you want to have in your mobile app.
Finally, we want to draw your attention to an outstanding mobile app we created for WTOP in Washington DC.  This study also concluded that the most effective news apps provide some level of personalization which is a prominent feature in WTOP’s new app.  Check it out – we feel this app is “best in breed” and exemplifies what a great mobile app should be for a news radio station.
Download the WTOP app from iTunes here. It’s also available in the Google Play Market here.
You can read more about the study’s findings at:  http://info.localytics.com/blog/news-and-streaming-apps-survey-2018?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo&utm
Simply having an app isn’t enough.  Understanding how to make the app reach new listeners and increase engagement is key to maximize your investment in your mobile strategy. And solidifying your future with a younger audience is pretty important too.
To learn more about how mobile apps can benefit your business, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com we love talking mobile!

Categories
Mobile Apps

Delivering News To Millennials, There’s An App For That

Reading news on mobile phone. Hand holding smartphone with newspaper, news website. Modern flat design graphic elements, thin line icons set for web banner, web site, infographics. Vector illustration

By: Paul Jacobs

Great news for news stations! Mobile Apps Are the Gateway For News Stations to Reach Millennials.

All news stations – whether commercial or public – struggle to generate great ratings among the notoriously hard to reach Millennial generation.  There are many reasons for this, and a new study from Qualtrics on behalf of Localytics indicates the best way for news-formatted stations to reach Millennials is with a mobile app.

The survey focused on consumers who have news-oriented apps on their smartphone, and found that overall, one-third (36%) report usage of these apps has increased in the past year.  Among those people, increased use of news-oriented apps was highest among Millennials:

Apps for news stations are a perfect fit for these young consumers as 85% of respondents get news from their smartphones.   The study finds that three-fourths (75%)  will get news on their app when they receive a push notification about breaking news.  Clearly, this is a feature you want to have in your mobile app.

Finally, we want to draw your attention to an outstanding mobile app we created for WTOP in Washington DC.  This study also concluded that the most effective news apps provide some level of personalization which is a prominent feature in WTOP’s new app.  Check it out – we feel this app is “best in breed” and exemplifies what a great mobile app should be for a news radio station.

Download the WTOP app from iTunes here. It’s also available in the Google Play Market here.

You can read more about the study’s findings at:  http://info.localytics.com/blog/news-and-streaming-apps-survey-2018?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo&utm

Simply having an app isn’t enough.  Understanding how to make the app reach new listeners and increase engagement is key to maximize your investment in your mobile strategy. And solidifying your future with a younger audience is pretty important too.

To learn more about how mobile apps can benefit your business, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com we love talking mobile!

Categories
Connected Car Mobile Apps Smart Home Smart TVs

Reinventing Legacy Brands

By: Bob Kernen
Among all the enormous city state-sized displays, and scrappy start-up booths, one of the things that caught my eye at this year’s CES2018 in Las Vegas was the presence of brands that have been around for a long time, but are hardly associated the cutting edge.
From Blackberry and Kodak to Polaroid and Sylvania, they were all there, some in better shape than others. What was clear is that while there is undoubtedly value in a recognizable name, consumers’ associations with that name are what really matter, and changing those associations is really difficult.
Some of these brands are truly “legacy” and their products have changed little from their pre-digital heydays, others are playing the “retro” card, while a few have truly reinvented themselves.
Companies like RCA and Sylvania are largely in that first category. While their products may be modernized, upon closer inspection they are haven’t really changed that much. RCA showed off a number of pretty standard-looking TVs, and even a portable media player that had a slot for a DVD (kinda retro, right?). Sylvania still makes lightbulbs, they’ve just gotten a little “smart”-er.
The “shake it like a Polaroid picture” guys had a colorful, brightly lit display. And while it had a number of interesting digital elements, the center of attention was the old school polaroid camera, now dubbed the OneStep 2. The camera is still the same boxy shape as it’s been since the 1970s, and it still spits out your picture (on actual photographic paper) from the front. Polaroid has embraced its retro, analog past with gusto, and is trying to make it relevant to a whole new generation of Millennial and GenZ hipsters as the new (old) way of enjoying instant photography. And it just might work: if you use Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that their icon on your phone borrows heavily from the original Polaroid camera. How it ultimately works out for Polaroid is hard to say, but people at CES were definitely enjoying taking their pictures, albeit digitally, sitting on the giant Polaroid camera at the entrance to the booth.
Some of those legacy brands, however, have transformed themselves into something entirely new. Rand McNally, the map people for those of you old enough to remember, has completely changed their business. As printed maps have been almost universally replaced by Google Maps, Rand McNally has morphed their business into one that could be described as a “data” business. They use their massive store of mapping data to drive a number of new products, most of them targeted at a very specific audience segment: truckers and trucking companies. Among their products are digital driver logs, and purpose-built tablets for helping truckers turn any truck into a connected vehicle.
Also in this category is Blackberry. Even though they were arguably among the first smartphones to market, they were overwhelmed by the innovations that came from Apple and Android to the point that their handsets went from being ubiquitous to punchlines. Their devices may have faded in popularity, but at heart Blackberry was always a software company. Now their software operating system QNX has become a popular OS for a variety of embedded systems, including dashboards, where real time processing and high security are important. The “crackberry” may be extinct, but Blackberry has successfully transformed itself into a robust software company.
I was most surprised by the Kodak booth, where I found not a single role of film, but instead drones, solar panels and smart lightbulbs. All of these new products were found beneath the familiar red and yellow “K.” The company even made an announcement about a new crypto-currency (think Bitcoin). Not exactly the Kodak of the flashbulbs and film era. But as a company that has always relied on technology, Kodak was perfectly positioned to put its legions of scientists and engineers to work on new problems. It may be a smaller, more focused company, but Kodak is still in the game, in new games, and it’s got a real shot at redefining this century old brand.
All of these established brands prove that while brands can be durable, the technology world never stands still. Brands must work hard to constantly evolve and redefine themselves for consumers, lest they be consigned to the attic of nostalgia.
To learn more about how mobile apps can benefit your business, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com we love talking mobile!