Are you thinking of building an app to sell on AppExchange? Are you just about to publish your paid app? Join us for tips and tricks on how to get the most out of AppExchange before you hit that "publish" button. After this session you will have a better idea of how AppExchange works, how to generate more leads from AppExchange, and how to give your app the best chance for success.
Publishing Your First Paid App on AppExchange: The Inside Scoop
1. Publishing Your First Paid App on
AppExchange: The Inside Scoop
Kevin Chan
Director, CloudClickware
kevin@cloudclickware.com
@ccwkc, @cloudclickware
2. Safe Harbor
Safe harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
This presentation may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If any such uncertainties materialize or if any of
the assumptions proves incorrect, the results of salesforce.com, inc. could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements we make. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward-looking, including any projections of product or service
availability, subscriber growth, earnings, revenues, or other financial items and any statements regarding strategies or plans of management for future
operations, statements of belief, any statements concerning new, planned, or upgraded services or technology developments and customer contracts or use of
our services.
The risks and uncertainties referred to above include – but are not limited to – risks associated with developing and delivering new functionality for our service,
new products and services, our new business model, our past operating losses, possible fluctuations in our operating results and rate of growth, interruptions or
delays in our Web hosting, breach of our security measures, the outcome of any litigation, risks associated with completed and any possible mergers and
acquisitions, the immature market in which we operate, our relatively limited operating history, our ability to expand, retain, and motivate our employees and
manage our growth, new releases of our service and successful customer deployment, our limited history reselling non-salesforce.com products, and utilization
and selling to larger enterprise customers. Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial results of salesforce.com, inc. is included in our
annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year and in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the most recent fiscal quarter. These documents and
others containing important disclosures are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Information section of our Web site.
Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other presentations, press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be
delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase our services should make the purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available.
Salesforce.com, inc. assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
3. About You
• Thinking
– Have an app idea and want to build for AppExchange
• Running
– Currently building your app for AppExchange
• Swimming
– About to market or already in market on AppExchange
4. Assumptions
• Flying solo or part of a small/medium team
• Development “skills”
– Apex, Visualforce, managed packages perhaps
• Joined a partner program
– https://partners.salesforce.com
– Partner org, License Management App (LMA)
• One or more dev orgs
• AppExchange listing
5. AppExchange Insights
• Apps in market over the last 12 months
– Roughly 450 apps have entered the market
• App installs over the last 12 months
– Roughly 600,000 app installs
1900
2000
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
10/01/2013
11/10/2013
11/24/2013
12/09/2013
12/22/2013
01/05/2014
1/19/2014
02/02/2014
2/18/2014
03/02/2014
3/16/2014
3/30/2014
4/13/2014
4/27/2014
05/11/2014
5/25/2014
06/09/2014
6/22/2014
07/06/2014
7/20/2014
08/04/2014
8/17/2014
09/01/2014
Total Apps
2000000
2100000
2200000
2300000
2400000
2500000
2600000
2700000
10/01/2013
11/10/2013
11/24/2013
12/09/2013
12/22/2013
01/05/2014
1/19/2014
02/02/2014
2/18/2014
03/02/2014
3/16/2014
3/30/2014
4/13/2014
4/27/2014
05/11/2014
5/25/2014
06/09/2014
6/22/2014
07/06/2014
7/20/2014
08/04/2014
8/17/2014
09/01/2014
App Installs
Note: data based on weekly observations of appexchange.com
10. Idea
• You have an idea
• What makes for a good idea?
– It adds value
– You are passionate about it
• What is your idea?
– What does your app do?
– What are the top 3 benefits of your app?
11. Idea Example
• What does it do?
– Allows you to build a target list quickly, make calls and track results
• What are the benefits?
– Create a target lead or contact list quickly
– Make calls from your browser or using your
existing Open CTI softphone
– Log calls, measure call results
and track last called
12. Idea Reach
• How can you increase the utility of your app?
– Integrate with APIs
• Why is it a good idea?
– Diversify the capabilities of your app
– Speed up your time to market
– Focus on your core competencies
– Leverage user familiarity with existing services
13. Idea – Key Takeaways
• Follow your passion
– to follow through on your idea
• Consider the reach
– Integrate with leading services to give your app a boost
• Define the benefits
• Use your app’s top 3 benefits as a roadmap
15. Build - Basics
• The Top 3 Benefits
– Let them guide you throughout the process
• Wide vs. Deep?
– Do you have the industry expertise?
• Scope Creep
– Its easy to keep building
– Do you really need to add that extra feature?
• Testing
– Environments (production, sandbox)
– Features (PersonAccounts, MyDomain)
16. Build – The Customer Experience
• First Encounter
• Install
• Setup
• Configuration
• Usage
17. Build – The Customer Experience Goals
Goals for each touchpoint with the customer
Area Detail Goal
First Encounter Customer finds your app on AppExchange or
traditional internet search
Customer installs the app
Install Customer installs the application Easy click-click-click no-hassle
installation
Setup Customer performs initial setup of your app Minimal (10 minutes). Application
is functional out of the box
Configuration Customer configures different aspects of your app Point-click, drag and drop
configuration options
Usage Customer uses your app Application is intuitive, minimal
training is required
18. Build – Salesforce1 Platform
• Post Install Script
– An Apex script that runs automatically after a subscriber installs or upgrades a managed package
• Custom Settings
– List or Hierarchy
– Enable application developers to create custom sets of data
• Fields Sets
– A grouping of fields
19. Build – Key Takeaways
• Focus on user experience
– think about each touchpoint
• Make it functional out of the box
– everyone is pressed for time
• Make it customizable
– everybody wants something slightly different
21. WWW
• Company Info
– What is your company’s goal?
• Product Info
– What products do you have?
– What do they do? What are the benefits?
• Support
– Install, configuration, troubleshooting
Tip: Twitter Bootstrap
22. App Naming
• Google Search
– How many similar results are found?
• Google Image Search
– What kind of associations?
• Domain Search
– Is the .com available?
• Trademark Search
– http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/
– http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/
Tip: buy all the domains
23. App Logo
• Solo vs. Series
– How many apps are you creating?
• Color Scheme
– Is there a theme to your apps?
• Search
– Are you infringing on any logos?
• Competitor Comparison
– How do you want to differentiate?
24. Do You Blog?
Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages. And companies with more
indexed pages get far more leads.
–SEJournal
Benefits
- content, content, content
- build a reputation
- get feedback
Tip: blog now to generate interest
25. Do You Tweet?
• Stake your claim
• Follow and Followers
• Your Content
• Only 19% of brands tweet on the weekends
• Tweets < 100 characters, 17% more engagement
• Tweets with #hashtags, 2x more engagement
• 12x higher chance of retweet if asked for, 23x higher if using“retweet”
• Tweets including links, 86% more likely to be retweeted
-fastcompany.com
Tip: create a tweeting guideline and stick with it
26. SEO – huh?
the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's
"natural" or un-paid ("organic") search results
• Benefits
– Increased web traffic
– Cost Effectiveness
– Usability
– Brand Awareness
27. SEO – Tips
• What can you do to contribute to SEO?
• Fresh content
– Your blog, website, twitter
• Guest blogging
– Free press, backlinks
• Contextual on-topic blogs
– Industry leaders
28. Online Presence – Key Takeaways
• Do your homework
– Pick your app name and logo wisely
• SEO
– Keep it in mind for any public content
• Get organized
– Get the blog posts and tweets flowing
30. What’s in a Title?
• AppExchange search results
– first thing viewed by prospects
• 80 characters
– use keywords, avoid buzzwords
– use name and tagline
• Example
– “Client Alerts - track important client
dates and receive mobile alerts”
31. A Brief Description
• Be Concise
– about 75 characters to work with
– pick the keywords carefully
• Example
– “track birthdays, anniversary and
more - get mobile notifications”
32. AppExchange Digest
• Sign-up
– salesforce.com/form/appexchange/news.jsp
• One-time Free Press
– Not immediate
– Whenever there are enough apps
• Brief Description
– 130 characters
– Important to focus on keywords and
Phrases
33. The Listing - Screenshots
• 8 / 750 x 500 px
• Keep it simple
34. The Listing – Screenshots (part 2)
• Mix it up
– pricing
– testimonials
– statistics
• Keep it simple
35. The Listing – Video
• What is the optimal length?
– under 2 minutes
• Is professional or self-made better?
– doesn’t matter, content is key
• What kind of content?
– remember the top 3 benefits
– don’t forget to show the app
• What is the goal?
– app install
36. Test Drive
• Think about the customer experience
– Landing page - provide instruction and information
– Side components - viewed with your app
37. Free Trial
• Optimal Duration?
– 15 or 30 days
Tip: don’t use a site-wide license
38. AppExchange Presence – Key Takeaways
• Focus on content
– Keywords and phrases
– be compelling
• Think like a prospect
– what kind of information is needed?
40. Launch Reality
• It never ends
– app is a living breathing entity
• Prepare for change
– customers will give you feedback
• Respond quickly
– customers react positively to good service
– implement suggestions fast
41. Now What?
• Your Idea
– what does it do and what are the top 3 benefits
– can your app’s reach be extended?
• Your build
– review your customer experience
– make it functional and customizable
• Online Presence
– focus on content
– get those blog posts and tweets flowing
• AppExchange Presence
– make everything count (copy and visuals)
– optimize your test drive and free trial
44. Welcome to the Dreamforce ’14 Presentation Template
• Please convert existing and create new slides using this template for all
Dreamforce presentations
• This should only be used at Dreamforce, not before!
• Slides provided here are samples of layouts and design elements
• Delete unnecessary slides
The Dreamforce color palette is embedded in this template
Top row of colors are the
Dreamforce palette
45. Copying Existing Slides into the Dreamforce Template
• Open Dreamforce template
• Open the existing presentation you would like to copy from
• View both in the Slide Sorter View
– Lower right of your screen
• Select the slides you would like to copy > Copy
• In the Dreamforce template > Paste
• File > Save As > Session Name.pptx
• To ensure correct formatting of each slide select Home > Layout
• Note: If slide elements reformat when you do not want them to,
Copy those elements then Paste > Keep source formatting
from the Paste button on the far left side of the Home tab
46. Converting Slides from 4:3 to 16:9 (Widescreen) Ratio
• While you can copy slides without graphics from one ratio into another without a
hitch, sometimes when you convert slides with images, you get stretched or
distorted graphics
• If you have a large number of slides to convert, you might want to paste all the
slides into the destination presentation (letting the graphics distort), and then go
back slide-by-slide and copy and paste the graphics individually (deleting the
distorted ones)
• More tips on resizing distorted images:
– http://HowToConvertAPowerPointPresentationFrom43RatioTo169
59. Show Flow
Dreamforce 2104 Breakout Session Show Flow Template
Notes
Session Title
1:30pm session
Presentation Device:
Customer Speaker:
Salesforce Speakers:
Demo Device
Demo Driver:
Deck Owner/Filename:
1:15 PM Doors open
1:30 PM Start
:01 Welcome and Intros
:34 Q&A
:38 Wrap-up, Thank yous and Close
:40 Walking off Stage
60. Example of an Editable Pie Chart
Subtitle is 24 point Arial
• Bullets are set in 24 point Arial
• Limit the number of bullets on a slide
• Try not to go below the recommended
font sizes
• Example of highlighted text
Sales
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
61. Example of an Editable Line Chart
Subtitle is 24 point Arial
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
Sales Sales2 Sales3 Sales4 Sales5
62. Example of Editable Bar Charts
Chart style and coloring
4.3
2.4
2
3
3.5
2
5
4
3
2
1
0
Chart Title
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6
4.3
2.4
2
3
3.5
2
5
4
3
2
1
0
Chart Title
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6
63. Example of a Table
Table subtitle
Column title Column title Column title Column title
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
64. Example of a Table
Table style and coloring
Column title Column title Column title Column title
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
66. Salesforce vs. salesforce.com
• When referring to the Salesforce product, always capitalize the name;
never refer to the product as Salesforce.com, which is the company name
• When referring to the company, use salesforce.com
• Capitalize at the beginning of a sentence, lowercase everywhere else
67. Use of Salesforce1
Do not use the or Salesforce1 before the product, except when referring to Platform (the Salesforce1 Platform,
the Salesforce1 Customer Platform) or Mobile App (the Salesforce1 Mobile App).
Mobile App
Initial capped and preceded by the.
Chatter Mobile is now part of the Salesforce1 Mobile App.
Platform
The Salesforce1 Customer Platform
This is at the brand level. It is initial capped except when locked up with the logo. In copy, it is always preceded by “the.”
The Salesforce1 Customer Platform lets you connect data, apps, devices, and more so you can connect with your customers
in a whole new way. “Customer Platform” is initial capped when used this way.
The Salesforce1 Platform
This is at the product level. It is initial capped except when locked up with the logo. In copy, it is always preceded by “the.”
The Salesforce1 Platform offers the APIs, mobile tools, and more to make it possible to sell from anywhere with the Sales
Cloud, deliver customer service for a connected world with Service Cloud, and create 1:1 marketing with ExactTarget
Marketing Cloud.
Notas del editor
Key Takeaway:We are a publicly traded company. Please make your buying decisions only on the products commercially available from Salesforce.com.
Talk Track:
Before I begin, just a quick note that when considering future developments, whether by us or with any other solution provider, you should always base your purchasing decisions on what is currently available.