Here are the problems with only spending $30 on ads.
#1. Ads are experiments both is where they're located but also the text, target, etc. IE: you didn't spend nearly enough and try enough possible ads to get anywhere.
#2. You're only charging $.99 - This just flat out doesn't work as a model unless you're a novelty that goes viral. Even then though, the majority of apps that achieve this are running at a $.99 price point in order maximize downloads and not revenues because they capture an audience to their brand or via social networks and eventually market expansions, in app purchases, or other materials (the moron test is a great example of this).
Like another user said your purchase rate isn't going to drop horribly when doubling to $1.99. Once a user has made the decision to purchase an application, by which I mean spend any amount of money, the difference of a dollar in the mind is minimal. It's the hurdle between free and paid that creates a huge barrier in conversions.
Example: Currently you have ~4% conversion rate (with that demographic at least). This means that at $1 price point (and because of apple fees, $.70 profit) you'll need to spend less than $.027 per click to the page to break even.
Now under the assumption that you drop down to a 3% conversion rate when doubling your price. You'll make $1.39 per purchase, meaning you can spend $.042 per click to break even.
Lastly, while still on this note... you're unable to ever offer a 'sale' unless you'd like to go temporarily free. Sales, while not a huge deal for applications that no one has really heard of... they do still drive people to purchase through impulse if they were already thinking about it.
Warning: While I say this and it tends to be true... test it... always test it! Play with different prices and see what happens.
#3. Offer upgrades/in app purchases. If someone has already come to pay $1 for the application, they're likely to invest more into the game.
Hacker News is not ALWAYS about tech and programming. It's a means of sharing stories with people of a similar interest. It just so happens this became a big deal and everyone found it important to make sure everyone was aware.
Additionally, this does actually reference technology and programming and the web. "Online freedom" is a big deal for everyone here. Major websites like Facebook and Twitter being used to track what we are doing by one or many Nation's governments is something to discuss.
It appears as though the author is unaware that this feature has been here the entire time. This 'leaderboard' has always been accessible to anyone and everyone. In the past it was an out of app mechanism, I would have to go to the site and go to made up example url: snapchat/user/Mitchella to find the information but it would still show my 'score' and my 'most snapchatted to list.
The Yahoo inbox has been broken for years. It's one of the main reasons I switched over to google. Honestly I'm impartial to the idea of them using it for targeted advertising, the majority of sites I visit have a retargeting system or something else.... plus, I'm a facebook users.
This new email targeting change is making me believe more and more that the purchase of tumblr was in fact related to yahoo's shift towards improving revenues from advertising.
You should not be 'angel investing'. Here is why: you don't have pre-established terms and contracts that state the exact terms.
If you gave me money with the only requirement being that I 'pay you back', all that means to me is. Give me $XX... I'll give you EXACTLY that amount back later on. No more, no less.
The beer online is the part that's most likely to be illegal. Even if legal it's risky. If someone underage faked their ID and you sold to them anyways and something were to happen that could come back very negatively in many different ways (IE: lose of licenses, lawsuits, potential criminal charges).
This is a legal/finance question. Go talk to legal/finance guys about this issue. Why am I passing your question off onto someone else. 1. Getting it wrong by listening to a random forum poster could bankrupt you. 2. Answering questions like this can get people into trouble if "1." happens. 3. Each company needs something different and is unique in structure so your case needs to be looked at due to unique factors you may be subject to that we do not know about from a 4 line message.
Have a lawyer read it to make sure there aren't any clauses that are 'over the top'. A basic NDA should only tell you to not tell anyone the 'secret sauce' and to not talk to press without consent of the company. These aren't things you should really be doing anyways, just now there is a contract reminding you not to.
This is a slightly ignorant claim to make. There are plenty of startup companies who have different business models than just "make a program and sell it".
Additionally, you're assuming that every startup is also a saas startup. Most aren't, meaning they might have a thousands in lets say production molds and an order of 10000 units from retailers. They'll need the investment money to help them fulfill orders and grow.
Lastly for many other startups there are costs that exceed past general development. Security is a good example of one of these large costs especially if you're dealing with money or private data in any way. These additional necessary costs could be minor but for many startups they're large and unable to be paid for by the hopeful entrepreneur.
You can always try adding some type of affiliate plan to your page that has a product relative to your content.
When I was doing ad based revenue on my apps one thing we did was play around with different advertising providers. Play around with the audience who could view the ads. Placement, etc. Take a day or two and play with the ads to see which gives you the best result. Whichever placement, rotation, etc. gives you the better result is obviously the better long term choice revenue wise.
I'd like to know which site this is, seeing it always helps. I don't understand why most people ask questions but don't provide their website.
I'm going to stick to a firm no on this one. For starters, this is very expensive to some. Second, not everyone owns or has internet access. So to say "billionS of people" is already incorrect. The second problem with this is competition, you're assuming that people will just line up in droves to come learn and this super company will have no competition. When you put a pricetag on something it becomes a harder competition to fight. The example of google being used as an 'empire' is comparable to that of Facebook. They're both free services, so the idea of using them is a no brainer. People will easily sign up for something that is free.
The final problem is most people don't care. I can say myself that I get nothing out of most education programs and learn more from experiences and communication. Of the people who are willing and able to sit down and educate themselves further on a regular basis with a paid program is a fraction of the population.
In many ways though being a 'different'/'ethnic'/'cultural', whatever you want to call it, brand and marketing as such can be brilliant for a business. I come from an arab/white american background and everyone within that culture will stay loyal to anyone with a good business that is also arab(to some degrees of cultural diversity). With that comes your base market to keep your business going, then because of that loyalty you have people hear about it and come regardless of their backgrounds. If you're running a good business those people become loyal to your brand even if you don't sell hotdogs and hamburgers per se (the typical 'white american' food :P).
Add me on linkedin - Mitchell Abdullah
I'd be more than happy to chat with you about your business to hopefully help you get out of your current downward trend.
#1. Ads are experiments both is where they're located but also the text, target, etc. IE: you didn't spend nearly enough and try enough possible ads to get anywhere.
#2. You're only charging $.99 - This just flat out doesn't work as a model unless you're a novelty that goes viral. Even then though, the majority of apps that achieve this are running at a $.99 price point in order maximize downloads and not revenues because they capture an audience to their brand or via social networks and eventually market expansions, in app purchases, or other materials (the moron test is a great example of this).
Like another user said your purchase rate isn't going to drop horribly when doubling to $1.99. Once a user has made the decision to purchase an application, by which I mean spend any amount of money, the difference of a dollar in the mind is minimal. It's the hurdle between free and paid that creates a huge barrier in conversions.
Example: Currently you have ~4% conversion rate (with that demographic at least). This means that at $1 price point (and because of apple fees, $.70 profit) you'll need to spend less than $.027 per click to the page to break even.
Now under the assumption that you drop down to a 3% conversion rate when doubling your price. You'll make $1.39 per purchase, meaning you can spend $.042 per click to break even.
Lastly, while still on this note... you're unable to ever offer a 'sale' unless you'd like to go temporarily free. Sales, while not a huge deal for applications that no one has really heard of... they do still drive people to purchase through impulse if they were already thinking about it.
Warning: While I say this and it tends to be true... test it... always test it! Play with different prices and see what happens.
#3. Offer upgrades/in app purchases. If someone has already come to pay $1 for the application, they're likely to invest more into the game.