A general rule of thumb is to spend about as much time promoting your product as you do creating it. If you spent two days writing a blog post, then spend the next two days distributing your blog post in as many outlets as possible.
The same concept can be applied to your mobile app. Months on development should translate to months of promotion.
The more you promote your app, the easier and faster the process becomes. We know small businesses do not have a large budget to dedicate to marketing or promotional events. Even those that do have the money may find themselves only having a few channels to promote their content.
This in-depth guide will show your how to market an app and take your app marketing strategy to the next level.
Let’s dive in.
1. Customer Research
Mobile app marketing starts long before you ever bring it to market. Before you start telling your development team to start building out your app with a million different things, reach out to your customers and talk to them.
After all, you want to make sure that whatever you are building, is going to be just right for them.
You can start your market research by first creating a list of every single person you have ever sold to and even those who have only signed up to your newsletter. Send them an email and ask them for 5 or 10 minutes of their time.
Incentivize your customers by offering them a special discount, or some form of educational content. After you have their attention, ask them a few questions to get an idea of what they might be searching for in an app.
You want to understand the expectations your current and potential customers have with your app. In going through this process you will begin to uncover gaps you may have never seen before and you will have successfully built a bridge between yourself and your customers.
By including your customers in the app creation process not only are you subtly promoting your app, but you are making sure that the app you make fits the people you are catering to.
Retain your customers by letting them know about your idea and ask them what they would really like to see in it. How can you make the product more savvy and beneficial for them? Remember, your use base has their own audience (word of mouth) and if you’re able to convince them, you’ll be hitting all the right notes to bolster your success and staying power.
All of your marketing campaigns need to start with effective research. This ensures that you deliver a seamless user experience.
2. Influencer Marketing
Developing honest, authentic, and mutually beneficial relationships with influencers will go a long way in helping to promote your app.
The key to this strategy is finding influencers who align with your user base and target audience. Most social media platforms give influencers data on follower demographics. Installations coming from an influencer campaign are less likely to churn. In addition to social, you should also look for bloggers to partner with and promote your app before its launch.
Leveraging the power of influencers can drive mass amounts of traffic to your mobile. To do this you simply have to go to a website like buzzsumo.com to find a list of relevant influencers in your mobile app’s space.
3. Leverage Your Website
If you have an existing website that is fully functional and mobile-friendly, then your site can be one of the greatest assets to promoting your app. At one point or another, all of your customers or anyone interested in your company will find their way to your website. When they do, it is important they all know you have an app.
Including your app in your site could mean sectioning off a part of your site exclusively for the app. Such as the corner of the screen or towards the middle of the web page. You can even use web push notifications for app promotion.
In addition to including your app on your website, including it in your regularly scheduled blog post is one of the best mobile app promotion strategies you can leverage. You may do so by creating a complete blog post solely about your app or including a call to action at the end of every blog post to invite your viewers to download the app.
When writing the blog post solely about the app, write a complete story about your app and let your target 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.
As mentioned previously in the influencer section of this guide, you can also get bloggers on other websites to build hype for your blog.
4. Email Marketing
Your new app needs to be engraved into every aspect of your marketing, which includes all of your emails. As a business, you will send out countless emails and not including your app in each of those is a missed opportunity.
Any email that is sent out, whether it be from your tech support, your newsletter or even the payment confirmation email should include a footer with one line advertising your app. Include details such as what can be accomplished through the app and a link redirecting towards the download page.
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.
Example Template:
- Our new app, (Insert app name here), helps you (insert what the app does). Click here (include hyperlink) to check it out!
5. Create a Teaser Video
Videos are an easy way for you to showcase everything your beautiful and well-built app has to offer. For your demo video, create a simple 30 second commercial with the principles of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle: Why, How, and What.
Once you are finishing creating your demo video, be sure to leverage your social media channels and other platforms to promote your app. Your demo video can be included in your blog post, Instagram, and Youtube channels.
6. Consider Alternative App Stores
Do not rely only on Google Play and the 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, and they’re growing in the mobile app market.
Remember, the app market is bigger than those two popular stores. Expanding your reach can make it easier for you to drive in-app purchases as well.
7. Apply for Awards
Participating in app awards 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.
8. 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” and most relevant keywords that you want to rank for. Also analyze which keywords your app is currently ranking for, build some quality links accordingly to boost rankings.
9. 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.
10. Choose the Right Social Media Platforms
Increase your visibility on social media groups and communities, especially Linkedin, and Facebook, to become better known among entrepreneurs and app developers.
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.
11. Create An Eye-Catching App Icon
With over 1.6 million apps in the Google Play Store and 1.5 million in the App Store, there’s a lot of noise in any category you choose you to have your app in. Due to that noise, many people choose to take interest in apps, only when the app icon entices them.
To make your app icon stand out, it should:
- Have a unique shape that stands out
- Have a limited pallet of colors – 2 is enough to create contrast
- Avoid using a photo – it blends in too much!
- Avoid a lot of text, it’s barely readable anyways
- Be creative!
Testing your app icon out on a dozen different wallpapers also doesn’t hurt.
