With all the various marketing avenues to utilize, i.e.: social media, email blast, direct mail, video, your website, is it really necessary to have a custom application? Necessary no, but something to think about. Now nearly half of American adults own smart phones and one in four own a tablet. Let’s explore the possibilities of building better relationships with your donors through this interactive medium.

Last week I was at the Museum of Modern Art sitting in on the “Think Beyond Ink Tour”. We were learning about the next-generation cloud-based solution that supports content-based apps. It’s something I’m already familiar with having created a couple of digital magazines, but this platform is even better. This powerful and engaging medium is getting more affordable, which is why I’m mentioning it to you now. The HTML5 format-base effectively optimizes the layouts for improved app experiences over the iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android devices. This allow users to search and select text, share, tag and bookmark among other such options.

So why should you consider it when you already have PDFs you can email with hyperlinks? Engagement.

The enhanced interactive content means your patrons can jump right in and interact with your message. You can really connect with them adding video, audio and other interactive features. We can even integrate it with most major e-commerce systems and that means you can offer a positive, easy donation experience. I’m really excited about the potential of this medium to help foster relationships and showcase the wonderful aspects of your institution. In the next month or two I plan to have a sample app for the iPad to show how it can work. Stay tuned.