Working in a mobile apps dev company for 2 years now, I’ve interacted with various business owners and entrepreneurs who invested lots of $$$ in building their apps, all in vain unfortunately.
It’s not because their idea was not original or the app had oodles of bugs, but rather the false expectation of immediately reaping the rewards after uploading their apps on App Stores.
For small businesses, it’s almost always a tough call when it comes to bearing the cost of marketing and promotion. So they end up giving a backseat to marketing and relying solely on hopes and dreams to make it. For a fact, not everyone gets by with the same luck as Dong Nguyen.
If you’re from the same small businesses and entrepreneur pool, having just launched your prized race horse app and ready to market it, but being held back due to a budget restriction, this article is for you.
I’ve gathered 11 tried-and-true methods that will let you market your app just right, so that it gets a nice spot on the app store and sets you on the road to success.
Let’s get to it then.
1. Get in Touch
The marketing of a product ideally starts before its birth. Do not rely solely on your development company during the building phase; identify authentic, honest influencers & entrepreneurs who have similar interests as far as your app goes.
You have to put your people skills to the test and forge a healthy business relationship with them. Once they let their guard down, let them know about your app’s current status and value every ounce of feedback they hurl at you. They may very well act as the brand ambassador of your app once it’s launched.
2. Customers Are Your “Press”
Customers are the backbone of any business and it is because of them many businesses enjoy continued success.
According to Bain and Co., “…a 5% increase in customer retention can increase a company’s profitability by 75%”. Retain your customers by letting them know about your app’s idea and ask them what they would really like to see in it. How can you make the app more savvy and beneficial for them? Remember, your customer has their own audience and if you’re able to convince them, you’ll be hitting all the right notes to bolster your success and staying power.”
3. Leverage Your Mobile Website
If you have a mobile website that gets a decent amount of traffic, it’s time to use that to your app’s advantage. These people are ideal candidates for a ‘targeted group’ who will be happy to use your app right from the get go. Take special care while working on the architecture and think how you can make it easy for them to spot your app.
4. Feature the App in an Official Blog
Write a complete story about your app and let your audience know the purpose behind it. Tell them how this app can facilitate and make things easy for them. Include your app links, screenshots and videos to help them get a good understanding.
5. Focus on Emails
Emails still have their charm provided they’re used under the right circumstances. According to a study by Exact Target, “91% people check their email daily”. Capitalize by incorporating your app links into newsletters, customer service emails and also make it a habit to use it in email signatures.
For more stats on email marketing, check out this piece.
6. Create a Demo Video
Choose the most creative person in your organization to nail this part down. Create a video that clearly speaks out its purpose. Make it humorous, entertaining and informative so that your audience can easily relate to it. Publish it in your official YouTube channel and also embed it within content you’ll be producing in future.
Here is a great example of a nice app teaser byEverything Butt Art.
7. Consider Alterative App Stores
Do not rely only on Google Play & App Store; there are various other app stores on the online market where you can upload your app. According to One Platform Foundation, if an app is submitted on other relatively less popular stores, it will increase the expected downloads 200% more compared to Google Play.
These are some very good app stores that you should consider:
For more information, read this useful guidehere.
8. Apply for Awards
Participating in app awards is the most recommended channel and I would highly suggest you take advantage of it. It can give you tons of press, exposure, reviews and plenty of downloads. Although the chances of winning very much depend on your pitch and app idea, however, if you manage to get things right the first time, you can expect to enjoy a little stardom.
These are some of the most famous app awards sites:
- Appy Awards
- Best App Ever Awards
- AppCircus competition
- Apple Design Awards
- Appsters Awards
- Ericsson Application Awards
- The Webby Awards
- Best Mobile App Awards
- OZApp
9. SEO Matters Here
Yes, I’m talking about SEO not ASO… what happens is your app URL shows up in search results when users key-in related queries; for example when they look up music apps, you want your app to start popping up among the first 5 entries or so, before users hit Enter.
All you need to do is identify “best-targeted” keywords that you want to rank for. Also analyze which keywords your app is currently ranking on, build some quality links accordingly to boost rankings.
For this purpose, try these two awesome tools.
10. Reach Out Like Mr. Fantastic
Don’t rely on App Stores alone. Explore Google’s search engine and believe me it can do wonders for your app.
Let’s say your app is related to music; Google the term “best music android apps” and see what results you get.
Out of these 5 top results, at least 4 of them are high authority blogs that can be contacted toyou’re your app featured. If you get this shot, you can kill more than a few birds with one stone. Getting your app featured offers long-term benefits such as:
- Exposure
- Targeted Traffic
- Powerful Link-building
- Rating & Reviews
11. Join Developers & Entrepreneurs Groups on Social Media
Increase your visibility on social media groups & communities, especially Linkedin, Google+ and Facebook, to become better known among entrepreneurs & app developers go.
Ask for their feedback on your app and give them free promo codes to try it out. Discuss current features, bug fixes, future updates and value their opinion. You can build great relationships with them which might present the opportunity to cross promote each other’s apps without spending a cent.
Feel I missed any note-worthy points in this post? What is your secret app promotion weapon? Let’s discuss that at length in the comments section.
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