Media

3 Ways to Take Your App to the Next Level

When it comes to building an app, the concept of "if we build it they will come" doesn't hold true. With all of the content available at your audience's fingertips, it's impossible to be passive about your mobile strategy and be successful.

When you first made the decision to build an app for your organization, you likely had a vision and audience in mind, but it's easy to get lost along the way with competing priorities, limited resources, and maybe even slow adoption after launching your app. To help you make your app the best possible resource for your congregation, we've put together a few ideas to get you on the right track.

Let's ask a few questions that will serve as a framework so you can determine what success for your app would look like. 

1. What content does your audience want to engage with?

We would suggest starting with three of the more popular features for churches and ministries, and then building from there based on who your audience is and what is relevant to them:

Media

 
 

Regardless of what elements you include in your weekly services, every church has media in some shape or form. Whether you have videos, music, or only record sermon audio, our unparalleled media experience will help you provide great content that your community can integrate into their daily lives.

It's easy to download for a later time, users can multitask and do other things on their phone while listening, and there's even a handy 30 second rewind and fast forward feature so listeners don't miss a word of your content. 

Bible and Bible Reading Plans

 
 

The awesome thing about this feature is that your community can use it during the week, or directly in their app on Sunday morning. 

Giving

Subsplash Giving is an incredibly easy mobile giving solution, and we are invested in making sure awareness and adoption is successful. Subsplash Giving enables you to have a welcome place for new donors to give, and provides opportunity for increased donations from existing donors.

 
 

Not all churches have the same resources available to them, but that doesn't have to limit how they can use their app, which leads us to our next important question...

2. What kind of bandwidth does your team have?

Whether you're running a lean staff of 3, or a large team of 100 we are committed to walking with you every step of the way and making your app a success! We have a whole team dedicated to that purpose. If you are looking for free resources to maximize your app, tips on how to organize your app, or technical questions, our App Specialist Team is willing and ready to take your call or answer your email! 

Regardless of what your leadership team looks like, answering this question as it relates to your app is important in helping you determine what ongoing maintenance of your app might look like, which leads us to our last question...

3. What would it look like to scale your content?

As your church evolves over time, your content should change too. Maybe you want to expand into video or start including blog posts in your app. Making a plan for the future will set you up for success.

Get in touch with us if you have any questions about creating an app! 

 

Merry Christmas! A Year-End Update from Subsplash

It has been an exciting year here at Subsplash! Here are some of the highlights...

Total number of live apps in stores:

  • 2,600+ iOS apps
  • 2,400+ Android apps
  • 1,400+ Amazon apps
  • 1,300 Windows Phone apps

Platform and Feature Updates:

And last but not least... support for Apple TV!

We also worked with more than 3,000 clients, welcomed dozens of new team members, and threw some great parties! We are blessed to work alongside so many great clients to share the good news of Jesus. We can't wait to see what's in store for 2016!

We decided to end 2015 with a bang by throwing a Christmas party to rival all company Christmas parties. Here's a little glimpse of the fun we had...

Nerds. Takes one to know one.

Nerds. Takes one to know one.

Nothing brings a smile to your face like Christmas... and a night away from the kids.

Nothing brings a smile to your face like Christmas... and a night away from the kids.

You can never have too many props!

You can never have too many props!

She married him for his mustache.

She married him for his mustache.

Subsplash ladies (minus 1). Keeping the office beautiful since 2009.

Subsplash ladies (minus 1). Keeping the office beautiful since 2009.

This ISN'T how the Finance Team actually manages money.

This ISN'T how the Finance Team actually manages money.

Just an average day for the Sales Team

Just an average day for the Sales Team

When dinosaurs crash Christmas parties...

When dinosaurs crash Christmas parties...

Support team ladies. More than just pretty faces.

Support team ladies. More than just pretty faces.

A few team leads. Always leading the charge to more delight!

A few team leads. Always leading the charge to more delight!

 Merry Christmas and happy New Year! From our weird team to yours. :)

 

Merry Christmas and happy New Year! From our weird team to yours. :)

The Subsplash Media Experience

However you choose to engage your audience through your app, we want to help you give your community the best experience possible. Developing smart mobile experiences empowers our clients to go above and beyond in delighting their users. 

One of the many things that makes Subsplash unique is our in-app media experience. Our media player was built with great care, with our client’s needs in mind. The result is a feature-rich media player that performs beautifully on every device.

 
 

Here are some of the features you can expect from a Subsplash app:

  • Offline Listening: Subsplash apps allow you to download unlimited audio content in your app and listen anytime. Your listeners will love downloading your sermons and listening on-the-go without streaming. This is a great feature for commuters, travelers, and anyone who wants uninterrupted access to your content!
  • Audio Bookmark: The audio bookmark remembers playback position, so users can keep their place in whatever item they're currently listening to. This saves everyone a lot of headaches!
  • Beautiful Interface: Our crisp media interface ensures that you can showcase your content in the best way possible. We create a customized background for each image based on color scheme.
  • Video Optimization: The Subsplash Media Player is optimized so that your users have the option to watch videos in landscape or portrait. Expanding to full screen is a seamless experience. Viewers can use AirPlay or Google Cast to watch your media on the big screen with the tap of a button.
  • More Flexibility: Our audio play controls are available on the lock screen, giving your listeners the freedom to multi-task. By controlling your listening outside the app, you can use other apps and perform other tasks on your mobile device while you listen.
  • Social Sharing: Giving your users the option to share your content is easy and quick. Social sharing pages are automatically generated in Subsplash apps so you don't even have to think twice about it. Check out Social Sharing for Great Content to learn more about our sharing experience. 
  • Ongoing Innovation and Updates: All of the thousands of hours invested in the Subsplash media experience have been spent in an effort to keep you up-to-date with the latest technology. We’re committed to leveraging every platform’s technology to create the best experience for you and your users!

    When you experience media in a Subsplash app, you might not notice all the great features because they work so seamlessly. That’s our goal! We’ve worked hard to create an intuitive media experience that showcases your content and delights your audience.


    Are you looking for ways to keep your audience engaged with your content? Get in touch with us. We’d love to help!

Are you Maximizing the Potential of your App? (Part 2)

After reviewing some ways that you can engage with your community during Sunday services, it’s time to look at how you can keep your congregation connected to your church and each other throughout the week.

1. Push Notifications

 
 

Quickly becoming one of our clients’ most useful features, push notifications is an incredibly effective way to communicate with your community at any point in time. Just create your notification and schedule it for the optimal time to reach your audience.

You can instantly get your messages to your congregation by sending event reminders, updating your congregation about meeting times and locations, and more.

2. Bible Reading Plan

 
 

Lead your community through the Bible each week with a Bible Reading Plan feature. Whether you’re wanting to guide your congregation through the whole Bible, or wanting to focus in on a specific book, this feature can be a supremely helpful tool to keep your community rooted in the scriptures during the week.

3. Prayer Wall

Creating a Prayer Wall for your app will help foster community and encourage your congregation throughout the week. The customizable nature of this feature allows you to address the needs of your church, even when circumstances don’t allow for face-to-face interactions.

4. Media: Sermons, Podcasts, and Music

Showcasing your media in your app is one of the best ways to communicate your vision and mission in a clear and creative way. Is there any type of media that you haven’t been sharing with your community yet?

 
 

Whether it’s weekly sermons, podcasts, recordings of other events, or music, including your media content in your app will take your audience engagement to a new level.

 

What are some of the ways you’ve refreshed your app lately? Let us know about it in the comments below! For more tips on maximizing the potential of your app, check out part 1 in this series.