Social Media and Your Mobile App, Pt 1 - Feeding Content into Your Buzz

The Buzz area of the InstantEncore control panel provides dynamic content for your mobile app - in the What's New section of the home page as well as its own separate Buzz tab.  Many artists and arts organizations publish fresh content online through social media platforms and social networks.  So how can you bring this fresh content into your app's Buzz area?

The Buzz area automatically brings your content into the mobile suite by synchronizing with your content's RSS and Atom feeds.  The best way to automatically pull your social media and social networking content into your mobile app is to identify the RSS feed for your account and add it to the Buzz area.

Finding your content's RSS or Atom feed 

• Blog or Podcast - Most blog and podcast platforms provide you with an RSS address so that your followers can subscribe to your content.  If you are not sure what your feed address is for your blog or podcast, conduct a search within the platform's FAQs or in its forum area.
• Facebook - UPDATE: As of June 2015, Facebook no longer provides RSS or XML feeds for sharing content with web services. Click here for information on how to add Facebook content to your app.
• Twitter - UPDATE: As of June 2013, Twitter no longer provides RSS or XML feeds for sharing content with web services.  Click here for information on how to add Twitter content to your app.
• MySpace - MySpace provides you with the ability to grab the RSS feed for your MySpace blog.
• On your profile page, click on "View All Blog Entries." 
• In the top right-hand area of the next page, there are a few text links, one of them says "rss". 
• Click on that link and the RSS feed address for your MySpace blog will appear in the web address bar.
• Google+ - Here is the workaround for Google+.
• Find your Google+ ID number by going to your Google+ profile page.  The number is located in the URL address between 0/ and /posts.  For example:
  https://plus.google.com/u/0/117336246664676002690/posts
• Copy your ID number
• Add it to the end of this sequence:
  http://plu.sr/feed.php?plusr=YourGoogle+IDHere
• Tumblr - Tumblr definitely has the easiest RSS feeds to find.  Use http://YourTumblrBlog.tumblr.com/rss
• Flickr - This one is pretty easy, too.  
• Go to your Flickr photostream page and scroll to the bottom.
• Where it says "Subscribe to YOUR photostream," click on the link next to it labeled "Latest"
• The RSS feed address for your photostream will appear in the web address bar.
• Pinterest - For Pinterest, the RSS feed will depend on whether you want the feed for your account or for a particular pinboard.
• The RSS feed for your account will be http://pinterest.com/YourScreenName/feed.rss
• The RSS feed for a particular pinboard will be http://pinterest.com/YourScreenName/YourBoardName.rss

Adding a feed to your Buzz

1. Once you have located the feed for content, go the Buzz area of the control panel.
2. Select Feeds in the submenu.
3. Enter the RSS or Atom feed address in the empty text field.
4. Select if the feed falls into the Blog, Podcast, or News category.
5. Click on Add Feed.
6. Once you have added your feed, be sure to click on Edit Image and upload a 75px X 75px graphic to  associate with the feed.  (We recommend PNG or GIF image files.)  Whenever content from the feed appears in your Buzz tab or on your Home tab, this graphic will appear in the list as a visual indicator of the source.

And you're done!  Now, you have dynamic content automatically feeding into the Buzz tab and the What's New area of the Home tab of your mobile app from your social media account.

Something to Consider 

Take a moment to think about your social media behavior.  If you frequently repost items from one social media source to another, then you may not want to add both feeds to your Buzz.  This would create redundant content entries.

So, if you automatically pull your Twitter posts into your Facebook wall posts, then perhaps you just want to select one of those social media accounts to feed into the Buzz area.

In our next post, we will look at two other ways of bringing your social media content into your mobile app.

Keep Your App Subscribers Engaged with Push Notifications

Adding new content to your app on a regular basis is a great way to keep your mobile audience engaged over time, but people have busy lives and may not always remember to check your app for updated events, videos, music, etc.  How can you keep your fans apprised of new additions to your mobile app?

Push It

Push notifications are short text messages sent directly to your Apple and Android subscribers on their mobile devices.  When downloads your app from either the Apple or Android marketplaces and launches the app on their mobile device, they are asked if they would like to receive these notifications from you.  By tapping "OK," subscribers have actively indicated that they would like to hear from you - so you should keep them updated and engaged!

Mobile devices are highly personal.  They are always with us and always turned on.  Therefore, it is important that you respect your fans' invitation to contact them by adhering to 2 golden rules:

1. Keep it relevant.  While it may seem obvious, make sure that all of your push messages are relevant to your audience's primary interest - your work.  They want to know if you have new content in your app.  Are you streaming new music?  Did you add a series of video interviews with artists?  Do you have a special promotion for mobile users who purchase tickets for this weekend's performance?  Did you just announce next year's season?

2. Keep it fresh.  Use your push notifications to alert your mobile audience to new content, events, promotions, etc.  Do NOT use push notifications to highlight content or events that have been in the app for awhile.  For example, continually sending messages reminding your fans to buy tickets for this event or that event is not a smart use of push notifications.  Now, if you have a special promotion for your app subscribers related to a particular event, then of course you should let them know.

Pushing Strategically

Here are a few things to consider as you develop your strategy for using push notifications:

• You have 100 characters of text for your message
• App subscribers will receive your message whether or not they are using your app at the time your message is sent
• You may choose to have a sound associated with your push notification, so that there is an audio cue in addition to the visual alert
• When a user taps on your push message, they are taken to your app's Home tab.  
• TIP:  Use your Home tab's welcome message to highlight and connect to the content or event mentioned in your push notification.

How do you send push notifications?

1. Login at InstantEncore.com 
2. Open the Mobile submenu
3. Select Push Notifications





4. Enter up to 100 characters of text in the space provided
5. Check the box if you would like a sound cue to accompany your message
6. Click on the Push Message button to send your notification

Your apps subscribers have taken the initiative to download your app and give you permission to send messages to them.  Keep them informed, and keep them engaged.  

CIM to Stream Van Cliburn Commencement Address via Mobile App

On Saturday, May 19, the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) will live video stream its Commencement exercises at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) on www.cim.edu and on its mobile optimized website and smartphone apps powered by InstantEncore. The ceremony will feature iconic music figure, pianist Van Cliburn, as CIM presents him with an honorary doctorate. He will also give the Commencement Address to approximately 120 graduates.

The musical program includes tribute performances by critically acclaimed pianist Sergei Babayan as well as pre-recorded work by his protégé – the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition Grand Prix Winner, pianist Daniil Trifonov.

"Our new ability to present CIM on a variety of internet platforms, including the web and mobile devices, offers exciting opportunities for us and for our audiences," said Conservatory Dean Adrian Daly. "I'm delighted that CIM will be streaming this year's Commencement, allowing us to share the celebration of our newest graduates and of Van Cliburn with a wider audience."

Connecting QR Codes to Tabs in Your Mobile App

QR codes are two-dimensional images that can be linked to online content. The image is scanned using a smartphone's camera, and the mobile user is taken directly to the content.

In this video, we walk through the process for connecting content from your InstantEncore mobile app with QR codes. The codes can be included in a variety of print publications: season brochures, postcards, posters, print ads, business cards, and more.


Expand the video to full screen for optimal viewing.

For tips on ways to use QR codes, check out these resources:

• The Arts Administrator’s Guide To Becoming A QR Code Superhero 
• 5 Ways QR Codes Can Transform Posters for the Arts

5 Tips for Customizing Your Mobile App’s Background Image

It may seem trivial, but a customized background image can make a world of difference for the mobile app experience.  The background image within an app can enhance the visual palette, fortify your brand recognition, and provide graphical context for the mobile experience.

Your InstantEncore app defaults to a solid black wallpaper. While this is certainly not the most exciting choice, it is a useful default color due to its neutrality.

When customizing your own background image, remember that you want it to be interesting but not obtrusive. It should be a tasteful, thoughtful representation of you or your organization.

Here are five tips to help you create a great background image for your mobile app:

Tip #1 – Prepare and upload an image according to the specified dimensions.

UPDATE: The recommended image size is 640px wide by 960px tall. Must be JPG or PNG format. Smaller images (e.g. 320 x 480) will load more quickly, but may not look as sharp on higher resolution devices. Larger images (e.g. 1240 x 1920) will look sharper on tablet devices, but will take longer to load initially.

It is usually best to avoid landscape-oriented photos, but you can easily modify one to fit the proper background size. Try cropping the image or adding onto it in creative ways. Sometimes it’s not the best choice to merely crop a portion of your photo to 640x960, since the result could be a larger distraction to the eye. When that is the case, you can try this suggestion:

A quick suggestion to turn your favorite landscape-oriented photo into a useable background image. Click here to enlarge the photo.

Tip #2 – Subdue and avoid bright hues.

The primary text throughout your app is white, so we recommend keeping your background image dark – the darker the better. A light background will cause your content to be washed out, and any abrupt textures will create too much of a disturbance for the user.

Avoid light backgrounds and textures like this.

If you really insist on your background being a pile of sticks, because for some reason it’s the best representation of you, add a black overlay and bring the opacity down to about 85% to lessen the attack - though using such a hectic image is still not advised.

Textures are usually great for a unique look, just remember to keep it simple. Avoid sharp repeated patterns. At such a small screen-size, an overly busy texture is very off-putting. If you like a particular image, but you’re worried about how it will look behind the text in your app, you can add a black (or other dark solid color) overlay with the transparency set anywhere from 50%-90%, depending on just how busy or bright the image is you’re using. Then simply preview, adjust as necessary, and use your best judgment.

The best digital wallpapers, small or large, are those that are subtle enough to not take away from the foreground, yet maintain a fair amount of elegance.

Tip #3 – Avoid text.

Text will get in the way of the actual content in your app. When positioned appropriately, a little subtle text or logo is manageable, but too much text – no matter how faded it is – will be distracting.

Tip #4 – Match your splash screen and remember your color scheme.

An easy and effective background idea could already be right in front of you. Your splash screen image is already the right size, so why not apply it to the rest of the pages in your app? You may have to adjust the intensity of the colors, or remove (if not fade) any logos or images, but using elements from your splash screen for the background is a great way to create a beautifully unified look throughout your app. Choosing a complementary color scheme for your header and accent features will give your app the sophistication your fans are looking for.

Tip #5 – Preview your app.

The background image appears on every page, including any custom pages you create, so spend some time previewing your app to make sure the pages are readable and looking the way you want. Remember, you can update your background or change it out as much as you like, whenever you want to freshen up the overall look of your app.

Here are some background examples from various InstantEncore Partners to help inspire you.

To view the most detail, expand the slide deck to full screen.

Customizing a background image for your app is a small step in enhancing your mobile appearance, but it makes your content more approachable and contributes a unique visual environment. Users will undoubtedly notice and appreciate your attention to detail. 

Be creative, and have fun with your style!  If you would like feedback or suggestions on your background image, send us an email.  We're happy to help.