Love to fire up the ol’ pots and pans? Want to eat a little healthier? Got a little something for Rachel Ray? Yeah, we hear that, so do we.

There’s an increasing trend of food related apps to satisfy every foodie’s hunger. Apple has even dedicated a featured page for Foodie apps to help you discover recipes for any dish you’re in the mood for. Since we’re usually eating, hungry or playing with apps, we thought it was only right we placed our top 3 favorite food related apps on a silver platter.

Fiddme

It’s much more than a Food App, It’s a lifestyle! Fiddme is dedicated to building a community of members with similar culinary taste buds. Eat, Drink, Tell the world is their motto and the service works just as it says. The app lets you snap pictures of your meal, give it a rating and share it in real time by synching with Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. Discover and follow other members who are also sharing their delicious dishes through the recent meals public feed. Discover new dishes you haven’t had before or simply what to make for dinner. The Fiddme site is sure to spark up a few delicacies. Did we mention Fiddme is completely FREE!?

80 Bites

Think of it as a Pedometer for your mouth. 80 Bites puts your back in control of your eating habits. Over-consumption is everywhere. We’ll spare you with visual representation; suffice to say it’s destroying our bodies, our economy and our environment. Let’s face it: we need to take a good look at the impact of our own over-eating. Even eating too much “good food”—the definition of which gets revised regularly– stretches our stomach and wallet, leading to MORE eating, MORE health problems and MORE strain on our natural resources!  80 Bites reminds you to ENJOY your food. By using audio indicators each time you take a bite, the app informs you when you’ve reached your limit for each snack or meal—so you know when it’s time to stop without even looking! Also there are written alerts reminding you to slow down and chew each bite. Update, 80 Bites has just been featured in the News and Noteworthy section of the app store and we have a 3 promo codes to share with you. Drop a comment!

Hello Vino

Let’s face it; most of us don’t have a clue what to choose when we’re at the grocery store staring at a wall of endless wine choices. Hello Vino is your own personal wine expert in your pocket. The popular wine app recommends wine varieties such as Chardonnay, while offering specific brands to help consumers pick the ideal bottle. Wine brand details include the label image, vintages, price, tasting notes, and region of origin. Ratings and reviews from both professionals and peers are also provided to help consumers with their selections. The extra “wine pairing” feature that tells you exactly what wine goes best with your meal, makes the FREE Hello Vino app a must for both vino experts and novices alike.

CAZE announced the Zero 5 “world’s thinnest” case for iPhone 4. It’s sleek, slim and sexy and we’ve got 2 to give away to our dedicated fans!

Caze has introduced an ultra-thin case for the iPhone 4, the Zero 5. Made of impact-resistant Grillamid resin, the clear case has a .5mm thickness and protects the sides of the iPhone 4. The case comes with screen protectors, a microfiber cloth and a free Wallet Size iPhone Stand allowing you to watch movies on your iPhone without having to hold it in your hands the entire time. Let’s see a bumper do that.

We’ll be giving away one case to our Twitter followers and a second on our Facebook page. All you have to do is follow us!

1. Follow us on Twitter
2. Follow us on Facebook
3. Tell us what you love most about your iPhone 4?

The giveaway is open to everyone. We’ll be announcing the winners both via Facebook and Twitter so make sure you’re checking our updates regularly!

One of the biggest challenges we’re faced with at AppsMarketing.mobi is helping our clients create highly effective landing pages to feature their apps. Obviously, nothing beats a solid, addictive app to ignite the eagerness to download, but make no mistake; a well thought out landing page brings your app one step closer to sitting comfortably within the app user’s mobile device.

The way we see it is like this, there are 3 elements needed on any successful app download page.

1^st Visual stimulation: Most website visitors, no matter how they landed on your page, won’t waste too much time reading or trying to understand what you’re app does. Using the right video, image or screenshot should convey your apps purpose instantly.

2^nd Textual reinforcement: When it comes to text on your landing page, we’re big believers in less is more. Short to the point sentences work best. Remember that like with all good things, you should leave a little to the imagination.

3^rd Big Guns: If you can get someone really really famous to endorse your app, that’s a big plus. Hey, it’s worth a shot! For everyone else, there’s a testimonial. Invite your beta testers to submit testimonials to be featured on your app landing page. Testimonials’ always offers a personal feel to the process and allow the reader to identify with the offer. Another addition is featuring any awards your app may have won, so submit it to as many contests as possible.

With this post, we’re focusing on 5 of our favorite app download pages we turn to for inspiration, not the apps themselves although we do admit, theses are a really awesome group of apps

1. OUTSIDE APP

This app offers a beautiful and fresh UI for the all too familiar weather forecast app genre.
The folks at Robocatapps put the beauty of their app center stage by giving  it the focus it deserves with slick animated footage of the app. What’s more you instantly how much the app costs and where to click to buy it.

With an app and landing page like this, why bother going outside!?

2. POCKET ZOO

Who can resist cute pandas? Pocketzooapp brings the wild animal kingdom straight to your iPhone. The developers of this app “besides being amazingly nice people” have upped the landing page ante with a superb animated video throwing you right into the action that the app has to offer. They’ve also made it known that 1% of sales generated from the app will be donated to “For the Planet” an animal conservation fund.

A few other nice touches are integration to their Etsy shop and free app related wallpapers

3. SAFEWALLET PRO – Disclosure: Previous AppsMarketing Client

The recently rebranded SBSH wanted to keep it clean, simple and to the point with the Safewallet cross platform app landing page. The challenge was to organize the app scattered across multiple pages and make it easy to find and more importantly, easy to link to for our marketing efforts.

4. JOYP

The Joyp landing page goes back to the 2^nd point we mentioned above; less textual content and more visual captivating elements. The produced video throws the viewe right into the groove of the app while describing what it actually does. There’s very little room for the site visitors to get lost through the site since they’re presented everything they need in one frame above the fold.

An equally nice touch are the video tutorials of how the app works, they clearly didn’t cut back on the presentation costs.

5. APPLE – FUN AND GAMES

There’s a lot to learn from the Big App Daddy, Apple. Every page of their featured apps knocks the visual factor right out of the ballpark. You don’t always know what the app does, but you almost always want it. Making it to the featured sections within Apple’s site or the app store is no easy task, however Apple it’s clear that apple appreciates good quality, intuitive apps and pays attention to apps that are in the limelight (which is where we come in).

Remember this; your apps engagement factor begins from the moment your visitors land on your page.

Conclusion Tips:

Don’t hide the good stuff bellow the fold.
If you’ve created a video demoing how awesome your app is, give it the respect it deserves in the top section of your landing page.

Invest resources in bringing your landing page to life.
You’ve obviously invested valuable time and money developing an app, the landing page is equally important in ensuring its success. Video, Music, Images, don’t underestimate their impact.

Give your visitors quick access to the app, whether it be a download link to the App Store, a QR code, SMS, whatever. Just don’t expect them to look for it.

Honarable mentions, Gowalla.com, Flipboard, Cooliris

Have you recently launched a download page for a recently approved app? We’d love to see and hopefully learn from your work too! Share your app download site in the comments with the AppsMarketing Blog readers.

App fever is at an all time high, with the sheer number of apps developed and approved on the app store at just over 225k for the tail end of Q2 2010. It’s crystal clear that the current app landscape poses both a huge opportunity and challenge as more brands, marketers and developers take their shot at app success. This post will focus on the current state of the app industry and outline how you can maximize success for you app by preparing a strategy for 2011.

Those who choose to avoid the forward march of the app industry, do so at a considerable risk.

To stay ahead of the curve, we need to take a quick step back and carefully examine a few milestones we’ve crossed so far.

On June 22nd Apple announced a stellar debuted for the iPad, reporting that they’ve sold three million iPads just 80 days after it was introduced. Developers haven’t held back either with over 10 thousand apps created specifically for the iPad and almost all of the previous apps being compatible.

The average price for popular apps in North America is roughly $2.43, European iPhone users are ready to pay an average of about $3.86, as per Distimo’s App Store Worldwide Report. Overall iPad apps prices are pushing the average up, although not considerably.

Apple’s big roll-out of its iAd advertising network is just around the corner, set for July 1st. So who’s already signed up and hoping to benefit from iAd’s potential? Leading brands such as AT&T, Best Buy, Nissan, Sears, The Walt Disney Studios, and many more; with commitments reaching the upwards of $60 million. iAd promises an engaging, relevant and interactive commercial experience, that is as long as creative directors can create content that’s original enough for it (I’m thinking mini games / apps) and marketers are ready to dish out an estimated $10 per thousand impressions plus $2 per click (ouch).

The Matter at Hand

If 2010 has taught us anything (so far) it’s that people want to talk to their friends, family, colleagues, anyone who cares to listen, about their apps.

Word of mouth is critical. It builds excitement and helps push the app into more devices than any other strategy alone. Luckily, there are countless app review sites, blogs and social networks (Twitter, Buzz, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Viddler, etc…) to share your app on.

The strategy we’ve devised for our clients at AppsMarketing consists of what we’ve defined the Hollywood approach. Let’s put it this way, how often do you see big productions just go to theaters without weeks of trailer buildups and promos? Not often right? The same technique should be applied prior to your app being approved on the app store. Think of your app as a blockbuster just waiting to hit the (mobile) screens!

Pre launch – It’s all about anticipation

You’ll have anywhere between 1-2 weeks before you app goes live. With just the right timing and screenshots prior to the app’s release, you’ll have bloggers discussing your upcoming app, people subscribing to be notified of its launch and potential users ready to buy it as soon as it’s available. App screenshots and video teasers are the perfect way to ignite the pre launch spark. Post select content through social media channels and by reaching out to influencers in your app’s industry; they’ll help amplify the hype (drama) as long as you’ve peaked their curiosity. Remember – don’t give away too much.

Launch – Showtime for your app

The moment your app hits the app store, you’re on a deadline to make a serious impact. You’ll have to go in strong with all the artillery available at your disposal. By now you should have generated a healthy subscribers list during the pre launch phase. Your initial email should offer value and insight on your app with a clear “call to action.” Give your readers a genuine reason to grab your app right away. Combine your email outreach with a solid app launch press release. For those with a deeper advertising budget to invest, we recommend branding your app on relevant review sites. You’ll want to filter through available ad spots on BuySellAds & AdvertiseSpace.

Post Launch – Give your audience an encore

Typically 1-2 months post launch, it’s time to get creative with your app pricing strategy. We’re talking serious price drop and by “drop” we mean “free”. Just like in the previous 2 phases, you’ll want to make sure everyone knows about the “special offer” through social networks ahead of time. Why drop it down to free? Giving your app a little extra attention by going free for a limited amount of time will in turn give it a bump in rankings and bonus reviews. Discounts have been proven to work best with a deadline, i.e. for the next 2 days! Price drops are great when run in conjunction with holidays or other major events.

Remember, success of your mobile apps depends primarily on them being both useful and well executed. If they are useful, simple and perform as expect you will acquire users with much less effort than expected. A well-developed and intuitive app will simplify your app marketing strategies any day.

We’re kicking off a whole new week with a very wild giveaway!

As a kid, there’s nothing I loved more than visiting the Zoo. Now that I have 3 daughters of my own, I see the exact same excitement in their eyes every time we get a chance to go out and see Monkeys, Pandas, Penguins or any other wild animals.

Luckily, the awesomely creative team of Pocket Zoo has made it possible to invite animals from the wild right into our homes, with an adorable and educational iPhone/iPod touch app for kids!

Pocket Zoo is your very own, personal live animal Zoo in your pocket! The app is packed with features like:

Watch Live Animal Cams! (Pandas, Penguins & Other Animals Monkey Around)

Original Animal Illustrations

Real Animal Sounds

Teacher Approved Details and Facts

So Much More!

Pocket Zoo Giveway!

To celebrate the release of Pocket Zoo for iPhone / iPod Touch, we’re giving 3 lucky readers a chance to win a free Zoony iPhone/iPod touch case!

To participate, simply Re-tweet or Post the Pocket Zoo link on your wall! Post: Pocket Zoo for iPhone/iPod Now Available – http://tinyhearts.com/pocketzoo

Let us know you’ve posted it and you’re in for the draw, simple enough!

Support and protect our amazing animals

Team Pocket Zoo is donating to 1% For the Planet, a growing movement of companies worldwide who donate 1% of sales to environmental organizations. So each time you use Pocket Zoo, you’ll know you’re part of a bigger team working hard to protect wildlife!

The evolution of marketing and branding has brought us to a point of no return. Our advances in technology have created the ultimate game changer called the Mobile Application (Mobile App). Essentially mobile apps by definition are Internet applications that can run on smart phones and other mobile devices and perform specific tasks normally restricted to the PC. Nearly 95% of businesses are currently using some type of mobile application to assist them in their day to day business activities. However only a third of businesses are utilizing mobile apps as a way to market, brand, interact, and/or relate to existing or potential customers.

The mobile phone is our beloved communication device. Many days we may want to say “Oh how do I love thee…Let me count the ways.” Certainly, the two things you do not leave home without is your wallet and cell phone.  Our lives are attached to this device which allows us to make and receive calls, email, browse the web, capture video, play music, navigate through traffic, mark our calendar, create to-do lists, interact with social networks, and create documents.

As the popularity of mobile devices increase and outnumber the purchases of PCs 3:1 the demand for mobile applications have followed suit. The demand for mobile apps over the past two years has been influenced by the growth and popularity of Apple’s iPhone App Store. Apple’s business model and philosophy entices users who have a desire to obtain the best device which can do more tasks to suit their busy lifestyles.

The two main mobile app categories: Business and Consumer

For the sake of time let’s primarily focus our attention on consumer driven apps.  Consumer driven mobile applications consist of over 20 content categories ranging from games, entertainment, music, social networking, productivity, reference, and lifestyle.

Mobile applications if created with the consumer in mind present an excellent opportunity to begin brand engagement. A “good” company creates a multimillion dollar marketing budget aimed at increasing brand awareness through advertisement seen in print and on television. However, a “great company” will do this and more by creating a feeling of inclusion among potential and existing customers through the use of branded mobile applications. Studies show businesses who invest, develop, and launch mobile applications help their bottom line by attracting new consumers to a specific brand, product and/or service.

Currently Mobile Applications are found in mobile app stores depending on the device used.  The retail environment for mobile apps will continue to grow in 2010 at a steep rate possibly hitting its peak by 2013. Please note in 2009 Wireless Expertise predicted global mobile app market will be worth $4.66 Billion and increasing to $11.60 Billion by 2013.

So what does this all mean for you? If you own a business and /or you are responsible for marketing, sales and/or business development within a organization I recommend you hire someone fast who can help you navigate through this paradigm shift. Letting this tsunami of an opportunity pass you by is just unacceptable. Corporations with bright futures who believe in the power of mobile consist of brands like Gap, Marriott, Kraft, Weight Watchers, Budweiser, Coca Cola, and Fox Entertainment to name a few.  Consequently, Mobile apps have been used to promote movie openings, introduce new product offerings, share unique content, and support local government,schools, or organizations while occasionally adding additional revenue to the bottom line.

Viable mobile app revenue models include one of three options. To begin, you can create a app and charge the end user fair market value per download. Consequently, the brand will share some of the proceeds with the network and you the brand take the rest. The key to a successful launch and lifespan of this model is based upon the content. If the content is unique or proprietary in nature and unavailable in other media forms the end user will not mind paying the required nominal  fee. On the other hand, a business may create a killer app which becomes an extension of their brand and business philosophy.  In this model the app is given away for free in a effort to promote brand engagement with the end user. The ads placed within the app by a mobile ad agency thus creating a new stream of revenue for the organization. This model can be highly successful because everyone loves a free, cool, and fun mobile app.  Finally, the third model is a hybrid of the first and second one. The brands choose to sponsor a application created by a third party developer. They too have the option of selling the app for a nominal fee or giving it away for free and creating revenue through ad sales. Consequently, making a in-application media buy to reach an audience instead of building your own application from the ground up can save both time and money.

Formulating a mobile app strategy and sticking to the plan

The decision on how to market, brand and push the app to the market place is contingent on the business model of the developer.  To begin, “know thy market” is the most important point one must consider before beginning any type of mobile marketing program. Second, ask yourself who is my competition and what makes me special.  Simmons-Shelley Entertainment,  a full service multi-faucet production company, based in Atlanta, Georgia  has experience creating entertaining reality TV programming . They too believe the  next evolution of creativity will include some type of mobile application which can showcase new and unique content while allowing the network to interact with the viewer. The additional revenue opportunity is a positive by product that can not be overlooked. In other words, packaging mobile with TV and other properties for advertisers should be a no brainer.

The best advice given here is – do your research, by learning more about successful mobile app programs. Integrating a creative component to the app such as video and/or user generated content which supports interactivity is a popular feature among users. Remember, creating key partnerships with those who are experts in mobile development, testing, and deployment will solidify your chances in making this an overall good experience. Organizations such as MH Mobile Group, a mobile content development firm, have the expertise to create a great mobile app while managing the project from beginning to end making sure all objectives are hit in a timely manner.

The world has changed and we are in the midst of unprecedented shift of power from Television to Internet and now to Mobile. Mobile applications absolutely should be included in long term marketing and brand strategy for businesses. Businesses will greatly benefit by extending the customers experience, generating app revenue, assisting in customer acquisition, and creating a mobile marketplace.

First and foremost, doing proper research making sure mobile makes sense to your respective brand, product, or service is imperative. If the final answer is yes do your due diligence and get ready to change the game.  This type of opportunity comes around once or twice in the life span of a business.

Go for it and enjoy the ride!

Apple, the world’s most valuable technology company with a market value of $234 billion said it sold 2 million iPads since launching the touch-screen tablet in the United States nearly two months ago.  In comparison, the iPod took 2 yrs to reach this milestone and 4 months for the iPhone.

The company may go on to sell up to 8 million iPads this year, according to Royal Bank of Canada. Apple has popularized a category of computer between Smartphone’s and a laptop’s, prompting competitors such as Dell Inc. to promise similar devices.

At the core of the iPad’s success is design-driven innovation, putting it’s user in the driver’s seat of one of the sexiest products ever designed. Take a product that has an accepted use, a common set of features, and provide something new and turn the traditional meaning of the product on its head.

The current leading iPad apps are taking this strategy into account and following the same path.
A few of our favorite examples include:

Pulse – A visual news reader that takes up to 20 news sources and creates a visual mosaic around them.

Alice in Wonderland – The classic story comes to life in the interactive storybook and clearly shows how the publishing world is using technology to innovate.

Star Walk – A handheld planetarium. The app shows you a glorified starfield based on your exact location as well as how the sky above you changes over time.

Weather HD – One of those apps that needs to be seen to enjoy the full effect. Weather HD is the most beautiful way to check the weather no matter where you are in full HD video. (This will be the app you’ll want to show off to your friends.)

Last but not least, the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference 2010 is due to start in next six days where Apple is expected to announce the next generation iPhone 4G along with iPhone OS 4.0 update release. Apple is also set to start shipping the iPad to nine more countries in July, including Mexico, Austria and Ireland. Pricing for these markets will be announced later.

To effectively stand out, brands, developers and organizations need to understand the result of focusing on innovation through the development of their app strategy. As more an more unique apps are approved, user expectations are increased which is both offers both a huge opportunity and a challenge to upcoming apps.

We’re sort of inseparable these days, we have have the same flair for colors and unlimited gold coins. I’m talking about the little orange guy from Mega Jump, a game I just can’t seem to put down.

The beauty if it comes stems from it’s simplicity, tap the screen once and you’re off. Jumping away chomping at gold coins that take you higher and higher through the level. Grab any of the unique power ups and you little orange guy goes zooming up faster and higher. It’s one of those games that makes you wish you thought about it first and will inevitably bring with it endless imitations. Grab it while it’s free!

As a father to 3 beautiful girls, one of the moments I look forward to most at the end of each day, is relaxing next to my daughters and sharing a good story. Kids are captivated by quality and fun content. From a parent’s perspective; I need to know that what I’m reading to them offers educational value.

Enter Touchoo – A publishing house for quality interactive book apps for toddlers and children.
The team behind Touchoo is some of the most passionate and creative people I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. They’ve combined their talents to bring childhood story classics to life on touch screen devices. We first posted about Touchoo just as we were kicking things off here at AppsMarketing.mobi and they haven’t ceased to impress us since!

The release of their 1st app storybook, 1 little boy (already in the app store for the iPhone and iPod Touch) teaches the kids to count while interacting with the characters. The story follows a boy’s journey before bedtime and safely back to his bedroom in time for bed. Written by Touchoo’s co-founder Keren Ben Or and illustrated by the incredible Ido Hirshberg, who is an Israeli illustrator and comics artist.

Following on the success of 1 little boy, Touchoo will soon be publishing Thumbelina, the classic story about a tiny fairy-tale character by Hans Christan Andersen. With beautiful HD illustrations in a unique style, great original text and some cool features (record yourself telling the story, follow the text as it is read, interactions and games).

You’ll want to make sure you follow AppsMarketing on Facebook for news and promo codes on the release. We all lead busy lives, but spending quality time with our kids forms a bond that will last forever. It’s a moment that no parent can afford to lose.

Your storybook – 1 little boy app awaits after the jump!