AppZaloot is a social media platform redefining what it means to be connected. Unlike many other platforms, AppZaloot gives users back control of what they see when using the app, offering them 3 dedicated feeds: one dedicated to private friends, another dedicated to local happenings in the user’s community, and then one dedicated to global news and events, which includes content from companies and influencers.
In the case of the local community feed, it enables users to have discussions with locals in the area, no matter where they are. This way, users will always have a hold on community interaction even on the go, getting a heads-up first on the most relevant news to them. A feed totally dedicated to one’s local community even encourages more interaction among neighbors, kicking off a cycle that strengthens community ties. The fact that it’s a separate feed entirely even ensures that users aren’t bombarded with info that they don’t want to see, controlling instead when and which updates come to them—standing in stark contrast to platforms that integrate unwanted ads and updates into the main feed.
According to AppZaloot founder Max Thomas, the company is proud to give a new definition to what it means to be a community. “Community is now more important than ever, and it’s up to platforms like us to truly connect people where it matters,” Thomas said. “We’re eager to help in any way we can.”
Thomas, who founded AppZaloot in 2016, is no stranger to unique business ventures. Some of Thomas’ past businesses include the first-ever hop-on-hop-off scheduled coach service in Europe and a full-service travel & marketing business servicing major corporations. In all of these businesses, Thomas has sought to bring new ideas to the table and shake the traditional way of doing things.
Thus, AppZaloot’s unique approach to ads is timely considering the prevalence of social media ads. Though social media ads are no doubt a useful marketing tool, 74% of people already say they think there are too many ads on social media. 63% even say that ads tend to repeat themselves over and over again. 14% of users even cite “too much targeted advertising/sponsored content” as one of the main reasons why they deleted their social media accounts.
Of course, it’s not just individual users who stand to benefit from AppZaloot’s unique set-up. As well as offering users a new way of interacting with their community, AppZaloot was designed to support smaller, local merchants with a unique local advertising system.
For example, AppZaloot’s predominant focus on localized info—especially in the localized community feed—gives users detailed info on what’s going on around their area: venue photos, opening times, reviews, prices, directions, and more are available. This feature stands to benefit small, local businesses who can advertise on the AppZaloot platform and gain exposure among app users within a specific radius.
Additionally, local advertising fees on AppZaloot will be suspended for a short time, as a way of helping small businesses recover during the pandemic. Considering that ads on other social media platforms can cost as much as $10 USD per user click, temporarily free advertising is an unprecedented opportunity for small businesses to maximize their savings. “Instead of adding another expense for them to worry about, we want small businesses to be able to focus on recovery,” explained Thomas.
With 90% of small businesses saying social media has increased their brand exposure and 40% relying on social media ads for revenue generation, the potential role AppZaloot has to play in post-pandemic recovery can hardly be understated. With up to a third of all people researching brands or services first through social media, any business that proves popular in their own community will surely have a steady stream of customers.
In addition to AppZaloot’s community-centric features, a portion of ad revenue will even go to a target community of the user’s choice, with the platform electing to “benefit the many, instead of the few”.
Though AppZaloot is still in the beginning stages of launching internationally, the team behind the app hopes to usher in a new era of responsible advertising and sustainable community interaction. While this aim starts today with helping out small businesses, it’s surely just the first of many great things to come from the AppZaloot team.
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