Back in my previous role as Product Manager for the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, I had the privilege of working with Ronjon Nag, VP of BlackBerry App World. Ronjon has been around the mobile world for a long time. He’s been featured on the cover of Fortune and involved in the development of apps, user interfaces and new m-commerce distribution methods of mobile applications and devices. All of this work culminated in the founding of Cellmania, which was acquired by Research In Motion® (RIM®) in 2010. But he’s not all suits and business meetings – he’s also my go-to guy around the RIM campus for marketing insights about apps.

Ronjon has put together his top tips, based on his experiences, for making more money from your apps on BlackBerry App World– and we’re happy to share them with you today.

Optimize Your App

• Your App Name Is Key
  • Have fun with your app name, but keep it simple and immediately recognizable.
  • Give your app a relevant name to boost discoverability and make it memorable to help your app go viral through marketing and social media channels.
  • Remember to include your app name and a few keywords in your description to increase search result placement.

Best Ways To Make Money

• Optimize Your Price
  • Pricing and value associated with apps differs throughout the world.
  • Be aware of these sensitivities and price your apps accordingly; i.e. in the US, customers might pay $5 for a one-off app purchase, but in developing economies you’ll want to charge much less or use a different payment model.

• Optimize Payment Type
  • In-App Billing, Try & Buy and Subscriptions are the best ways to increase discovery and increase revenue. Learn more about Payment Service.

• Ads Can Make You Money
  • Advertising Service can simplify your path to in-app ad revenue. It takes care of the commercial and technical requirements so you can focus on what you do best: building fantastic apps. Learn more about Advertising Service.

• Analyze Your Performance and Adjust To The Market
  • Analytics Service is a FREE analytics service powered by Webtrends. It helps you improve your end user experience, optimize your app and know – not guess – where to invest your resources to increase your ROI. Learn more about Analytics Service.

• Respond To Negative Feedback
  • If you feel any of the reviews of your app are unwarranted or inaccurate, you can apply to ask RIM to have the review removed by going into the BlackBerry App World vendor portal, flagging the particular review for removal and outline your reasons for doing so. For more information, please refer to the BlackBerry App World administration guide.

Social Media and Cross Promotion

• Get Tweeting
  • Take advantage of social media channels including Twitter® – they’re free and a brilliant way of spreading the word.
  • Follow relevant people and encourage your own followers – build a community and expand the viral spread of your app.
  • Use tools such as TweetDeck to help find your audience, and mention others in your tweets to encourage reciprocation and wider promotion.
  • When you tweet, deep link straight through to your app on BlackBerry App World.
  • Note: Ensure that whenever you use Twitter to promote your app, you follow their applicable terms and conditions of use

• Create a Facebook® Page
  • Build a social community around your app by creating a Facebook page.
  • Include links to your app, screenshots and useful information.
  • Get your users interacting and commenting to spread the word – it’s also a useful channel to gain direct feedback from your users for future app optimization.
  • Note: Ensure that whenever you use Facebook to spread the word about your app, you follow their applicable terms and conditions of use

• Get Users to Your App Quickly and Easily
  • Use the BlackBerry App World logo on your own webpages and ads to drive users to where they can find your app. The logo is instantly recognizable and trusted, directing users straight into the store to find your app.
  • Note: Ensure that you follow the BlackBerry App World naming and logo guidelines.

• Cross-Promote
  • Take advantage of any cross-promotion activities, especially if you have more than one app.
  • Link from each of your apps to the others for increased awareness.

BlackBerry App World Promotion Opportunities

There are many opportunities for promoting great apps or content items on the BlackBerry App World storefront. All you need to do is submit a proposal including specifics on why your app is great, what you are doing to promote your app, and which countries and device models should be targeted in the promotional campaign. Submit your proposal today to BlackBerryAppWorldMarketing@rim.com.

Please verify you have provided the following assets and information so your app is ready to be featured if/when the time comes:

• Feature Image for your app (1920×1186.PNG) is uploaded on the BlackBerry App World vendor portal.
• Feature Description (50 characters max) of your app is uploaded on the BlackBerry App World vendor portal in every language your app supports (e.g. if your app supports EFIGS languages, please provide feature descriptions in all 5 languages)
• Illustrate that you are using the “Get it At BlackBerry App World” logo on your Web properties and linking it back to your app on BlackBerry App World – if you require this logo, or logos in other languages, please contact BlackBerryAppWorldMarketing@rim.com.

If you have other tips, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!

(I’d like to introduce Trevor – the Product Manager for our BlackBerry® Payment Service. Trevor’s here today to talk about the launch of BlackBerry Payment Service 1.5! – AK)

This past January we introduced the BlackBerry Payment Service SDK 1.0, which provided new ways to monetize applications through the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. Since then, many developers have leveraged the SDK to start accepting in-application purchases, and today we are excited to announce a great extension to the SDK that will enable developers to start offering subscription-based services. Starting with BlackBerry Payment Service SDK 1.5, developers will now be able to offer auto-renewing subscriptions for applications and in-application digital goods.

The BlackBerry Payment Service SDK 1.5 builds on the existing API from 1.0, so it is designed to allow developers to quickly add subscriptions without having to learn a new API. The new SDK provides APIs to check for the status of a subscription and the ability to cancel subscriptions. BlackBerry Payment Service manages the subscription renewals automatically and sends out renewal reminders and receipts to users. Please note that applications with subscription services will require users to have the recently released BlackBerry App World 3.0 installed on their device.

Subscriptions are offered with 7-day or 30-day renewal periods, and all recurring billing is automatically handled by BlackBerry App World. Developers also have the flexibility to offer a free or reduced price “trial period” to entice users to test-drive the subscription. Users can pay for subscriptions using PayPal®, Credit Card and Carrier Billing (as available for their country and carrier), which gives users the same payment options they already enjoy today in BlackBerry App World.

This new subscription feature could be used to offer premium content like a newspaper or magazine or provide access to a cloud-based service. A great example of this is the recently announced BBM™ Music – a new social music sharing and discovery service. BBM Music uses the BlackBerry Payment Service SDK 1.5 to offer a monthly subscription to an easy-to-use cloud-based service; this enables social and viral music discovery by allowing users to build an evolving, community-based music library that is shared amongst their BBM Music friends.

With the introduction of BlackBerry Payment Service SDK 1.5, developers now have access to a new business model for their application and can easily move to a “freemium” model if they choose. Premium features or content can now easily be offered on a subscription basis. This has benefits for both the customer and the developer. The customer can take advantage of the service for a free or lower up-front cost, and the developer receives a more predictable revenue stream. BlackBerry Payment Service SDK 1.5 is designed to take care of the heavy lifting required to offer subscriptions so our developers can continue to focus on providing great content.

To get started, you can find the documentation here and download the SDK. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Last week, we saw the BlackBerry® Application Platform take a major step forward. We’ve posted several key announcements made at BlackBerry DEVCON Asia, and we’re already receiving tremendous feedback from the developer community. To recap:

BlackBerry® Tablet OS announcements

• With the release of the beta version of the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ SDK, developers can now build BlackBerry® WebWorks™ applications for both the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and BlackBerry® smartphone platforms!
• The release of the updated Adobe® AIR® SDK for the BlackBerry Tablet OS will enable developers to create custom loading screens for their applications and leverage some of the updated look and feel for the native components.
• We announced an extension to the free BlackBerry PlayBook tablet offer, presenting WebWorks developers with the opportunity to participate and providing additional time for Adobe AIR developers to finish their applications worldwide.

BlackBerry smartphone platform announcements

• Developers can now fully test in-app payments with the BlackBerry Payment Service, with the release of the BlackBerry App World™ v2.1 client now available for beta testing.
• With the release of an updated BlackBerry® Push Service SDK, it has never been easier to develop push applications for the BlackBerry platform.

With these announcements we’d like to open the door further, talk about where we are today – and what’s to come.

The BlackBerry Tablet OS will support Adobe AIR and BlackBerry WebWorks apps when the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet launches. Stay tuned for updates regarding support for Java® and Native C/C++ apps.

Last week at DEVCON Asia, we provided updates on several enhancements to the BlackBerry smartphone platform. We previewed what’s coming soon with the BlackBerry® 6.1 platform, including OpenGL®-ES2.0, Support for Digital Compass (enabling augmented reality), new location and user interface APIs. We also provided an update on the highly anticipated BBM™ Social Platform, confirming BETA SDK availability in Q1 of this year.

We couldn’t be more excited about our direction!

Today’s BlackBerry WebWorks offering is a sign of what’s to come with the BlackBerry platform. We are fully embracing modern Internet technologies including HTML5, JavaScript®, Adobe® Flash® and AIR, Java and OpenGL as platforms for content services and powerful applications. With the Adobe AIR and BlackBerry WebWorks platforms, we are immediately opening up the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to millions of web, Flash and mobile app developers who can also leverage our application distribution channels and BlackBerry Payment Service. With Java, Native C/C++ and OpenGL coming to BlackBerry Tablet OS in the future, we have an exciting vision for a mobile platform that offers the broadest choice and greatest flexibility to developers.

We hope you join in our enthusiasm and excitement for the future of mobile computing. As always, we look forward to hearing your feedback and we’ll provide further updates on both our smartphone and Tablet OS platforms soon!

Hey BlackBerry® developers – Alex here, guest blogging from Inside BlackBerry. I’ve got some exciting news on new ways to monetize your applications through BlackBerry® App World™. Today, BlackBerry App World offers you access to consumers in over 100 countries and territories supporting 26 different currencies. To increase the options you have for monetizing your applications, we’re proud to announce the release of the Payment Service SDK Beta, which allows for live in-application purchases via the new BlackBerry® Payment Service.

The BlackBerry Payment Service SDK allows you to easily offer content for sale in your app, while still providing the consumer with the same trusted and consistent purchase experience they have today in BlackBerry App World.

As with any app or theme that you distribute in BlackBerry App World, there are certain restrictions that apply to the types of digital goods that you can sell within your applications. For example, the following are types of digital goods that are okay to distribute:

• Digital Content – Digital content can include items such as eBooks, magazines, photos, artwork, or digital property that you can use on a BlackBerry® device.
• Additional Functionality – Additional functionality can include new features, levels, characters, or games. These digital goods can be distributed with the application and unlocked for a BlackBerry device user after a purchase. Additional functionality must always exist in the application code when you submit your application. Digital goods cannot add to or modify existing application code in any way.
• Services – Services can include any kind of digital service that a BlackBerry device user must pay to use. For example, your application could offer video streaming or voice transcription.

On the other hand, here are some examples of what you can’t sell:

• Virtual currencies or in-app credits – The BlackBerry Payment Service does not permit the sale of digital currencies or in-app credits that can be used to purchase digital goods. Using an intermediary currency to sell digital goods can cause confusion as to what exactly is being purchased.
• Physical goods or services – All in-app purchases must be content that is usable on the BlackBerry device. You can’t use the BlackBerry Payment Service to sell physical goods or services.
• Digital goods used across multiple applications – You can’t sell digital goods that can be used with other applications. For example, you can’t sell a car in one game that can be used in another game.

* For more information about restrictions on the types of digital goods that you can sell in your applications, see the BlackBerry App World Vendor Guidelines.

Download the BlackBerry Payment Service SDK in Beta today and stay tuned to Inside BlackBerry where we’ll be highlighting apps that take advantage of in-app payments.

Free, paid, ad-supported, try-and-buy, or freemium…whatever your BlackBerry® smartphone app, we’ve got your service. BlackBerry DEVCON 2010 featured three platform services that are sure to make their way into thousands of apps this coming year: Advertising Service, Payment Service, and Analytics Service.

Let’s start with the Advertising Service, which allows you access to a wealth of ad networks and advertisers very simply and easily. How simply and easily? Well, with just three lines of code, you’re plugged into a mediation platform that grants you access to a number of top ad networks, no negotiations required.

Banner bannerAd = new Banner(MY_APID, targettingData);
bannerAd.setMMASize(Banner.MMA_SIZE_AUTO);
add(bannerAd);

Simple as it might look, the Advertising Service has more power than you might think. You have the option of displaying a traditional ad banner or with no additional coding, you can support ads that to do a whole lot more:

• click to launch BlackBerry App World™ to a given vendor or app download page
• click to add a calendar or address book entry
• click to view full screen rich media

So how do you track your success with the BlackBerry Advertising Service? Analysis and control are accessible via a single web console that houses all your data for analytics, tracking, reporting, fill rates, ad performance, and earnings. The central console allows you to easily add or remove ad networks and manage ad allocations without making any changes to your app.

If an ad-supported model doesn’t fit your needs, maybe micro-transactions/in-app payment is more up your alley. The BlackBerry Payment Service will allow you to easily offer digital goods for sale in your app while still providing the consumer with the same trusted and consistent purchase experience they have today in BlackBerry App World. As you would expect, with BlackBerry Payment Service, you will have access to the same payment options that BlackBerry App World supports today for traditional app purchases: PayPal, credit card, and carrier billing.

So when might you want to use the BlackBerry Payment Service? Some typical use cases are:

• Digital Content, such as eBooks, magazines, photos, artwork, or digital property that you can use on a BlackBerry smartphone.
• Additional App Functionality, which might include things like new features, levels, characters, or games. This use lends itself extremely well to the freemium app model and should be used as the new gold standard for try-and-buy.
• Services, such as premium video content, subscription renewal, pay-as-you-go application use, or voice transcription. Basically, any kind of digital service that a BlackBerry smartphone user pays to use.

Whether you’re using the BlackBerry Advertising Service, BlackBerry Payment Service, neither or both, the one service that most apps will be clamoring to access is the new BlackBerry Analytics Service, a service to monitor the adoption and effectiveness of your BlackBerry application. Here’s a high-level overview of the BlackBerry Analytics Service’s features:

• Key app metrics such as when and how often a user opens your app.
• Information about how much time a user spends in your app.
• User base stats such as which model of BlackBerry smartphone is being used, which version of software the user has installed, which carrier network the user is on, and which version of your application the user has installed.
• Flexibility to define your own metrics such as how many users make it to a certain level or actually complete a game, which features of the app are accessed more commonly than others, how and when users access remote data on a server versus leveraging cached content.

The BlackBerry Advertising Service is now live.

The BlackBerry Payment Service SDK is in beta now and the full SDK and app implementation is expected to launch this fall.

The BlackBerry Analytics Service goes into beta this fall and launches in the first half of 2011.

Let us know what you think of these or any other BlackBerry Platform service! http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/platform/