It is no secret that the competition is cut-throat when it comes to app development. App developers churn out hundreds and thousands of apps each year for different mobile platforms and as such, it is more likely that your app is going to get lost in the melee of apps out there.
Going by the numbers, in May 2015, Android users had the choice to select from as many as 1.5 million apps on Google’s Play Store while Apple’s App Store followed closely , giving users the choice of 1.4 million apps.
There is no shortcut to success and there is no shortcut to marketing your app in a way that it can determine phenomenal success.
App marketing model is changing at a fast pace. It is not just about making your app visible to the target audience by advertising through traditional media such as TVCs and Newspaper ads, but working towards its visibility in various app markets.
Even if you have a stellar app, which will definitely grab the attention of your users once they try it out, you still have to aggressively market it to stay ahead of competition.
How about going through some of the best steps, which you can implement as a part of your app marketing model? Know more by taking a look at the pointers that follow.
#1 – Optimize the app for app stores
There are numerous ways through which you can easily optimize your app for various app stores. This not only helps you to enhance the visibility of your app, but also step up the ranking ladder. It is the most organic way to be visible in the search results by users on the stores.
Here is a quick take on how to optimize your app for different app stores:
1 ) Work on the title of your app. Go by the app store guidelines for this purpose. Research about and include relevant keywords in your app’s title, which are most likely to be searched for by your end-users. You must also make sure that the title is unique and attractive.
2 ) Work on the app’s description. Working on the app’s description is another must-do when you want to optimize your app for various app stores. Cleverly use keywords in the description but do not make it look ‘spammy’. An ideal app description is crisp, to the point and delivers only the most important information about the app to the potential users. You basically have the app description to pitch your app to the buyers.
3 ) Choose the right category. There are some apps, which can fit into more than one category. In such a scenario, you have to take your pick and select the category, which describes the features and functionalities of your app in the best possible way. Sometimes, choosing the least competitive category of app gives you a better chance of improving your rankings on various app stores.
4 ) Give importance to icon design. Believe it or not, but the icon of your app also plays an important role in influencing users to download and install the app on their devices. Make it look attractive, distinguished and related to your app. This will be useful when you want to create a brand out of your app and market that brand.
5 ) Localize the app. Localization is more than just translating your app in native languages. A broad topic, localization is all about getting more downloads when you know that your target audience is in a particular country and they would be more interested in installing an app, which is in their native language. Apart from translating the name of your app and its description, you need to take a lot of things into consideration when it comes to localize it. The best example of localization is that of Ecommerce apps.
#2 – Create a microsite
Microsites have tremendous potential when it comes to marketing an app. You can use it to highlight your app, promote it, offer social sharing buttons to make it sharable on various social media platforms and to augment your marketing campaign.
The advantage is that these sites do not take up much of your time or investment and yet, they provide you a great return on your investment.
What you can do is create a well-designed microsite. The trend is to create sites that have minimal interface, are intuitive and provide the basic information about your app.
There are many ways to use a microsite. For instance, you can use it to create a buzz around your games app much before launching it on the market. You can embed a video showing the trailer of the app or use some interesting infographics to make your customers know more about the app. Alternatively, you can also publish links to other websites that mention your game, post peer reviews, offer them screenshots, provide a copy of the press kit or even introduce characters in your game on the microsite.
You can also include email subscription and a contact or enquiry form on the site to interact with your potential customers.
This was just a hint as to how you can up your marketing game, when it comes to your mobile app. Now let us go through some particular categories of apps and know how you can market them efficiently.
You can also provide a link of the app to the app store to guide your users.
#3 – Ask for a genuine review
App review websites is another option, which you can explore when it comes to promoting your app. There are numerous websites out there from where you can get free or paid reviews for your app. Many a times, the success of an app depends on the coverage that it gets on reputed app review websites.
You can also post blogs and articles on known websites to spread the word about your app. Another option is getting Press Coverage. Getting press coverage for an app launch is difficult, but not impossible. Let your app gain exposure by posting Press Releases or do some quirky campaigning (within your budget constraints), which gets media attention. You can also approach tech publications and submit write-ups related to your app and get publicized.
Whether you opt for a paid or an unpaid review, make sure that it is carried out by an influencer, a thought leader or someone, whom people trust. This will give you more returns and also get you loyal followers.
Utility or productivity apps can be best promoted in this way. Users will be more interested in knowing about the functionalities offered by these apps and getting a review that explores the functionalities will help them take an informed decision.
Even you can post reviews or comment on app review websites or discussion forums to get more exposure and publicity for your app. This comes in quite handy when you have a website or a microsite for the app and your profile links to the same.
Read also:Developers Can Finally Respond to App Store Reviews – Here’s the Best Response Strategy
#4 – Utilize the power of social media
Whether you are a startup, a small scale company or a huge app development firm, social media is for everyone. It is free (to an extent) and offers you opportunities galore to reach out to billions of your potential customers.
Social media platforms are one of the best things to have happened over the years in terms of brand building, increasing brand visibility and connecting with audience on a one to one basis. The level of consumer engagement that you can get by being on social media platforms is rarely achievable through any other media channel.
It is not going to be a cakewalk for you. You have to work hard towards creating the best social media strategy, which works in the favor of your app.
Social media platforms are the places where buyers and sellers converge. Buyers user it to go through peer reviews, post feedbacks and get firsthand information about products and services before taking a call to action. Sellers on the other hand, use it to gain more information about consumer behavior such as – what is the time period during which their users are most active on the platform and use it to interact with them in real time.
Read also:Super-Charge Your Mobile App Marketing With Social Influencers
#5 – Cross promote your app
Cross promotion is one of the marketing strategies, which have been done to death. However, it still retains its importance when it comes to promoting your app. You can always contact other developer or development companies and request for in-app banner exchanges.
This is great for those of you who are trying to cut down on the app promotion costs. The strategy works great because there is no exchange of currency; it is only the app downloads, which will bring you monetary benefits.
Since there are numerous ads that flash on the mobile screens of your end-users, you need to make sure that your ad is what gets their attention. Needless to say, you have to prepare an attractive advertisement with a clearly visible CTA (Call To Action) button. Make sure that the advertisement is scalable and looks aesthetic to create an instant impression on the target users.
It is always better to collaborate with a non-competitive app for promoting your app so that you get a new set of potential customers.
#6 – Go for giveaway promotions
Giveaway promotion is an interesting app marketing strategy, especially for small businesses and startups. You can use to encourage direct consumer participation through your website or through your social media page. Make your giveaway promotional posts visible on the app’s website or someone else’s website by creating a well-written copy citing the giveaway. The aim is to make it look lucrative to your target audience and compel them to take a call to action. Additionally, remember to use the relevant keywords and hashtags to grab the attention of potential customers, even if they are not following the app’s page.
Keep your giveaways short, simple and include countdown to the day of announcing the winners to keep the interest levels up. If hosting a giveaway on your website, follow the same rule and as an additional step, the link to the giveaway as status update.
To Conclude
These are some of the pointers, which will prove to be fruitful as and when you go about doing the marketing of your mobile apps. Use them to create a dependable marketing strategy. Have a query or want to add a point to the list? Post your comments in the comments section and let us know.
