I don't leave home without business cards that have my apps printed on them. If I see someone with an iPhone or iPod Touch they are getting a card! No shame! Sometimes in crowded areas you can hand out 30 cards in a few minutes. Remember people love to flash their hardware, so it is dead easy to spot them! Standard Line.... "Here is a list of my games that you can download." Standard response....... '' Yeh right, you make apps for the iPhone?" 90 % of "victims" for some odd reason don't believe the games are real or that it is impossible for someone to make apps for iTunes. Oddly enough this is the main response I get.
Cool! Very interesting "standard response" Any Idea why?? It is a very interesting idea for developers. I personally see at least 5 iDevices daily, normally around 10
I think the concept on the street is.... only big companies make apps. and all apps make tonnes of money. I think this mentality is nurtured by the fact that the majority of people only view the top 25 lists on their devices nothing else.
I'd agree with your assessment. People are usually confused about how I could make an iPhone app. The usual response I get is 'wait, what? You can do that? How?' While handing out a business card might not get you a bajillion downloads, the exposure certainly won't hurt. This depend on the type of game and who you are targeting, though. i am in my final quarters at the local Community College, and it is extremely easy to approach people there. Flickitty is fairly easy to talk about and gather interest, which is an important factor. I also have extremely long dreadlocks, so it is normal for people to approach me anyway. I am highly recognized (for better or worse). A really good place to get cards is http://moo.com . I would suggest taking advantage of their mini-card sale, 100 for $17.98 . Mini-cards are pretty dang cool, and you can upload up to 100 different images. Certainly there are cheaper ways to go, but the moo.com cards are really nice and double-sided (image on front, info on back).
I hand out business cards when I am in a public setting and I have extra time. Like you guys said, people are quite surprised that I make games, they always have to look my games up on the spot Nothing beats "door to door" style marketing!
This is also I great way for guys that still live in their mom's basement to meet chicks. Spot a chick with the right hardware and the business card gives you something to break the ice with!
Heh - been doing this for a few months now. The standard response is 'cool - you make them yourself?' To which I reply 'Yes'. The next question is - 'Anything I'd have heard of?' To which I reply 'No'. It is fun to do, and you meet some interesting people!
@quantumsheep At least you're being modest. Might be better to sort of head off the question with a line like "these are some of my games, you might not have heard of them, but they're pretty good" and possibly, "if you like it maybe you could spread the word, or post an app store review". Then make yourself scarce so they don't feel your trying to pressure them into buying an app of yours
I agree with Flickitty, try out moo.com--you can customize your business cards to reflect your app's icon or whatever you want. I'm currently using their minicards to promote my games.
This isn't a bad idea. It would be especially effective at a large iPhone or Mac-centric event such as Macworld. For casual users, instead of saying "Here is a list of my apps…", maybe you should say, "Here is a list of my company's apps…" — That should curtail some of the doubters, while adding a touch of professionalism at the same time.
My friend, and the artist on Charmed, rides the train to work every morning. He often approaches people who have iPhones and iPod Touches. I don't know exactly what he says to the people to break the ice, but it seems most people, both guys and girls, think he is hitting on them. He had a pretty young girl just completely turn away from him in her seat and ignore him completely. He approached an older lady one day (he thinks she was in her early 60s) who told him to stop harassing her and she got up and moved to another part of the train. So far nobody has bought the app while he was still there, even though many said they would check it out. So I don't think it has been effective so far, but it is fun to hear some of his stories.
I suppose it would depend on what he looks like and where he lives. Riding a train, it sounds like he might live back east (NY, DC) although there are other regions that have commuter trains as well. Those regions aren't particularly accepting of casual talk (I lived in Manhattan, everyone keeps to themselves mostly). Furthermore, saying you are an artist or even a developer in those areas raise a 'so, big deal? Who isn't?' response. I've been extremely lucky in persuading people to buy Flickitty- I've even witnessed them purchase it on the spot. As I've said before, though, I am approachable and being a game developer or artist might be the least interesting thing about me, from an external standpoint. So it really depends on what you look like and who you are talking to.
I've thought about creating business cards as a promotional tool as well. I haven't made them yet. This is definitely a great way to have people remember the conversation you had with them when they go back home and pull your card out of their pocket. I also try to make friends with the employees at the Apple store near where I live. They sometimes tell customers about your app if it is worthwhile.