August 25, 2011
OPEN Forum Message
Watch MSNBC's Your Business
If you missed this week's show or want to catch up on past episodes, you can find the videos on OPEN Forum.
View videos
You might not think a business that provides antique and original replica frames for some of the most well-known and costly paintings in the world could go mobile. But you’d be wrong.
The story of my iPhone app began many years ago. I had long wished to find a way to share my work with a wider audience. Even in 1988, before digital imaging became so widespread, I had begun to experiment with magnetic frames (a photographic print of a frame from my collection adhered to a magnetized backing), and then with several other concepts, but none of them proved to have the mass appeal that I wanted.
By the mid-90s, we were using digital technology to create mockups for our clients to show them what their artwork would look like in different frames, and we have continued to use it ever since.
In 2009, I read an article on apps, and it triggered an immediate response in me. It seemed like the perfect iteration of what I had been trying to do with the magnet frames. I was amazed to learn that over 1 billion images are uploaded to Facebook each day, and many billions of images are stored on dedicated websites like Flickr. I realized that my dream of sharing my work with millions of individuals would be attainable through this new technology.
Through the eWilner Frames app for the iPhone and iPad, we now offer over 100 high-resolution frame styles that people can add frames to their photos and then publish the framed photos via e-mail, Twitter, Myspace, Flickr, Facebook or their home printer.
I believe that every business should have an app. Ideally, each business would find a creative angle that separates their app from all others. I’d suggest working with an experienced app development team who can provide the knowledge and expertise to create and market the app. In my experience, a simple app can be created for $10,000, while an elaborate one like ours can cost over $100,000. My wonderful team, led by The Zagoren Collective, has spent a lot of time and energy working to deliver a truly high-quality app that is not only easy and fun to use, but also creates meaningful keepsakes that can easily be shared with friends and family.
To promote the app, we relied mainly on word of mouth: e-mailing our existing clients, blogging to specific target groups and AdMob ads. Since the first release of the eWilner Frames app last year, we have received some excellent feedback and heard a lot of suggestions from users, much of which has been incorporated into the latest release (August 2011). We were especially thrilled when Steve Jobs e-mailed to say, “Very nice!”
Beyond streamlining and increasing overall user friendliness, we’ve added some really cool features, such as a “shuffle” button that selects a new frame at random each time it is pressed—a great way to quickly experiment with different styles during those moments of artistic inspiration!
And the app is becoming a great asset to my primary business. For example, one of my new clients has been enjoying the app as a way to experiment with how different frames would look on the beloved paintings in his personal collection. Apps are a great way to engage an audience.
In today’s digital world, with the marketplace as fragmented and diverse as it is, it is difficult to pinpoint where a client is going to come from, so I think it is in the best interest of a company to maximize its reach and target as many resources as possible. Clients and potential customers increasingly expect both a website and an app.
OPEN Cardmember Eli Wilner is the founder and CEO of Eli Wilner & Company. He is a leading frame dealer, restorer and collector, as well as an acknowledged and published authority on antique frames and creator of the eWilner Frames app.
Check your balance, review recent transactions and pay your bill on the go.
community manager 8 months ago
Eli, congratulations on your first post as an OPEN Forum Cardmember contributor. The story is a great example of thinking creatively and being innovative. In your case, you took a traditional business that is solidly "brick