More than 239 million users are already tapping the hamster, with 4-5 million people playing the game every day. Tap-based apps have gained popularity thanks to the game Notcoin, which listed the NOT token, and many users have earned between $50 and $400. However, tap apps can also be a powerful tool for driving traffic. Let’s find out how.
Hi there! Nikolay Bordunenko, Business Analyst at MetaLamp, and Dmitry Kubko, Venture Analyst and Founder at Cubeko Consulting, talk about how to drive traffic using tab-based apps, which products are best suited, how to launch an app from scratch, and key considerations.
Telegram’s tap app (clicker) allows users to complete tasks and earn tokens (coins). Once these tokens are listed on a cryptocurrency exchange, players can convert them into real money.
Tap app owners can monetize their tokens through advertising, partnerships, in-app purchases, or when their tokens are listed on exchanges. Businesses can also use the Tap app to promote their products and drive traffic.
Telegram clicker apps for traffic generation are not for everyone. It is important to consider your product type and business sector. This approach works well for products that aim to drive sales through high user volume rather than deep engagement. For example, it works well for products that have a model of monetizing learning, such as educational platforms, exchanges, websites, apps, and games. However, tap apps are unlikely to work for traditional offline sectors, such as dental clinics.
It’s not enough to just launch an app. You have to make sure it’s successful. If you’re a solo founder, you’re faced with too many tasks, including monitoring the entire product market. That’s why it’s often easier to hire a team or work with an agency.
Hiring a team is more complex and expensive. Initially, you will need:
Founder If you have expertise in marketing or business development. If you lack this expertise, consider bringing in an advisor with experience in your core product area. To avoid hiring someone who is not up to standard, you can bring in up to three advisors. Usually one or two is sufficient.
Co-founder Skilled in marketing and business development, and managing development teams.
Product Manager, Marketer or Business Analyst This is the person who will structure the product launch process and highlight the strengths. This is important to ensure the successful launch of the project.
You can either build your initial team yourself or hire an agency.
If you have your own team, you will need to hire developers after the project discovery phase. This is usually handled by your advisor or founder. You can choose between packaged outsourcing solutions, outsourced development teams, or in-house teams.
A packaged outsourcing solution is the cheapest and fastest option. The team will develop a basic app in 3-4 weeks for around $7,000-$8,000 if they already have a template or ready-made solution that fits your needs.
For short-term projects, it is easier and more convenient to work with an outsourcing agency than to form an in-house team. An in-house team (full-time developers) is usually cheaper than an outsourcing service, but there are risks associated with hiring and managing, which increases the workload of the founder.
Hiring an in-house developer can cost between $13,000 and $16,000, while a custom solution from an outsourced team can cost between $20,000 and $50,000. It usually takes about two and a half months to develop an app. The best option for a client is to have a full analytics department or an outsourced team with established contacts launch the product.
If you have a full team but need to hire one or two more developers, consider outsourcing. I covered this in more detail in this article. Hiring a single developer typically costs $30-$50 per hour or $4,200-$7,000 per month.
If you want to build a single project, finding a partner and hiring an outsourced development team is the best option. Choose a team with a large audience and strong MAU (Monthly Active Users) and DAU (Daily Active Users) metrics. These metrics can be verified through the dApp’s internal tracking.
Dmitriy Cubko. Founder of Cubeko Consulting
To develop a basic app, it is easier to delegate the project to an outside contractor who will handle everything from start to finish. Minimum costs typically start at $25,000-$30,000.
Project budgets range from $1,000 to $500,000. Generally, the larger the budget, the easier it is to grow. However, there are exceptions. Some projects have succeeded with a budget of $800 to $1,500, while others have failed with significant investment. The success of a project depends on the team and their experience.
In addition to monetary compensation, team members may also receive equity. Equity in this context means owning a stake in the project. Equity is given when the project is promising and likely to be profitable in the future.
Traffic can vary greatly. The number of visitors is not the only metric, as you can easily attract hundreds of thousands of bots. Therefore, the quality of your traffic and the strategy for managing it are important. For example, you can sell traffic, convert inbound customers, or become a media buyer and aggregate and distribute offers.
If you invest $50,000 in promotion, you can expect to reach 1 million users. Even if your app is launched primarily to drive traffic, tokens still need to be integrated into your app.
Dmitriy Сubko. Founder of Cubeko сonsulting
Outlines how the concept will evolve over one or more releases. Development is typically planned over multiple releases. The duration of this phase can range from one day to a week.
The duration will vary depending on the team’s experience, activities such as conducting research, preparing technical specifications for developers, etc.
To discover projects:
- Analyze market competition.
- Identify key features relevant to the project.
- Describe the project’s mechanics, technical and product architecture, and technology stack.
Once completed, the project discovery should be handed over to the developer. The cost of creating a project discovery report varies depending on the scope, but typically ranges from $500 to $3,000.
Consider design, features, user success, and bonuses related to both the core product and the blockchain.
design. Stick to what your users are familiar with. For example, Instagram developers analyze TikTok’s heatmap, realize that its interface is user-friendly, and end up adopting similar design elements.
App design should be consistent with color psychology. For example, blue evokes calmness, while red represents danger. Therefore, it is important for designers to understand user psychology and color perception.
characteristic. Clicker apps should be as simple as possible. For example, the Aqua Protocol bot on Telegram has over 3 million users, while the Zealy platform leaderboard has only 128,000 participants. The reason why there are far fewer people switching to Zealy than to the bot is because it requires an additional step of creating a wallet in another network outside of Telegram. There is already a native wallet here. Downloading another wallet, saving the seed phrase, and processing additional transactions would significantly reduce the conversion rate.
Every app should have at least the following essential features: a task board, a recommendation system, and a leaderboard.
Task board It’s necessary to attract partners who pay you to do things like click on links and watch videos. Users earn in-game currency by completing these actions.
Recommendation System It is essential to attract new users to your app. While you reward users who invite referrals, new users receive a welcome bonus if they sign up through your referral link instead of discovering the app on their own. According to official statistics from Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, more than 90% of new users are referrals.
Leaderboard It is necessary to motivate users.
Success rate. Developers create the illusion of choice to ensure a smooth user journey. Users believe they are free to choose to participate, which increases engagement. It also provides the illusion of high success rates. For example, in trading, users may see a high success rate for trades on the platform and be encouraged to continue trading. They may become “hooked” on the system and try again, which ultimately leads to the final product.
Bonuses for core products. The app should complement the main application. For example, if the core product is a game, the app can promote it by offering coins and boosts for the game.
We are developing a clicker app at MetaLamp. The goal of this app is to generate interest in the main product, the game, to attract and retain an audience in the early stages of the project, and to build a core user base. To earn coins, users must pet, feed, and play with their virtual cat. The game features a pet satisfaction gauge. The higher the satisfaction, the faster the currency is earned. Players also earn coins by making purchases in the in-game market and subscribing to updates. These coins can later be used to purchase items in the main game.
Nico Bordunenko. Business Analyst at MetaLamp
Blockchain. If you are developing an app on Telegram, it is recommended to integrate with the TON ecosystem to guide your users. This approach simplifies the promotion of your app. Redirecting users to other ecosystems increases the journey and reduces conversion rates.
Clicker apps are still in development, but you can either generate traffic to your landing page or wait until production is ready. The choice depends on your product and strategy, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. For example, Notcoin and Blum focus on traffic sales, while Catizen focuses more on in-game purchases. There are also hybrid projects that combine multiple goals.
It can be difficult to predict what will convert users into paying customers. Users may be attracted to an app because of the free opportunity to earn rewards, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will use the main app that the app is promoting. However, a large user base supports the ecosystem and increases the credibility of the project. For example, the TON Foundation supports Hamster Kombat by mentioning the app on its channel and hosting joint live streams.
These steps will help you use your app effectively to drive traffic.
- Make sure the Telegram clicker app is a good fit for your product. Make sure the app aligns with your core product and goals.
- Hire a team or consult an outsourcing agency. Decide whether to build an in-house team or work with an outside agency.
- Set a budget. Set a budget for development and promotion.
- Set measurable goals. Define clear and measurable goals for your Telegram clicker app.
- We will conduct a project discovery. We will outline how the Telegram clicker app will be developed and operated through the initial release.
- Develop your Telegram clicker app design and choose features. Create an intuitive design and choose features that enhance user engagement.
- Decide on a marketing strategy to increase your popularity. Plan a marketing strategy to make your Telegram clicker app well known.
For more information about Telegram Mini app development and TON, check out: Website and Telegram channel.