The Hack - Make Your App More Social

AARRR stage - Retention

Growth Problem - x

Haxplanation:

Adding social sharing options to your app is not what we mean here. We're referring to adding a deeper, social element to your product.

It may seem strange but many of your users could really do with a friend. Now, we're not suggesting that YOU become their BFF. Or that you need to care so deeply about your users that you start getting involved in their personal lives. You're a growth engineer not a psychologist after all.

But you know what makes some apps go viral? Nope. It's often not their feature set. Nope. It's not their polished interface. Nope. It's not their fabulous customer support. Although, all of these are contributing factors they are not the cause. What is the cause then of certain apps' popularity. We'll let you in on a little secret…

People are interested in other people. We're social animals by virtue of the last million years of evolution. And we often crave interaction with other humanoids just for the sake of it. Video game developers know this and purposefully design their apps to tap into this deeply felt human need.

Take World of Warcraft for example. There's even an addiction test that helps you to see just how bad your particular case is to this video game. And that comes down to creating a great social experience. Now, let's see just how to hack your user's psyche.

Just Hack It:

• I hate to disappoint you but there's no one clear-cut way to make your app more social. It all depends on what it is that you help your users do
• However, dating apps are a great example of hacking into our need to be social. Their business model depends on this: Tinder, OKCupid et al are great examples to study if you want to learn more. You may even meet someone yourself (it's OK, you don't have to thank us)
• Lyft Line, MeetUp are also great examples of startups that have used our need for socializing into profitable businesses
• What could you do to increase the appeal of your app to your user's prefrontal cortex?

Source or Inspiration:

http://www.benjihyam.com/marketing/lyft-converted-brand-loyalist/