So, this mobile app thing… it’s really blowing up huh?
So you’ve got an idea for an app or you’ve already fleshed out the details, or maybe you’ve already launched it but can’t quite seem to get the traction that you would like. We would like to give you an idea of what mobile app promotion strategies you could make use of to catch up to or get ahead of the competition. We hate to bore you with specific facts and figures if you already have a foot in the market, but for the sake of some of our readers who might be completely new to the game, we would like to quickly quote a statistic that the number of app users is now at a staggering 3.5 billion users, with nearly 50% of them opening their mobile apps at least 10 times a day. I think it’s clear that apps are an essential part of our lives and the potential is definitely there; what matters is how we take advantage of this. So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get on with the meat of things and go over what you need to do in order to effectively promote your mobile app as best as you can.
Get the word out with better marketing of your apps and organic networking
The number of downloads that an app has is the biggest indicator of its successfulness. It’s just basics really; the more downloads you have, the more brand awareness you get and as your brand awareness increase, you are likely to have more new users as they become curious or feel reassured that you have a good app and this then feeds back to the total downloads, and the cycle continues. In other words, once your app downloads start snowballing, it would actually become difficult for you to limit the number of users even if you wanted, although we’re not sure why you would. So how do you get to that point initially? We’re going to level with you; this part is not going to be easy as you will have to hustle and grind your way through. Our recommended way to go about this is to try and expand your network, which could be done by reaching out to relevant technology news and opinion outlets, participating in communities, optimizing your SEO so you can be more visible to interested readers within your niche and making yourself available on social media to your intended audience. You could also do what we do, write blogs! It doesn’t matter if you happen to be in a pre-launch phase or are still considering your launch strategy; having development blogs that document your progress is likely to show authenticity to your users and help them relate to you. You could even make this the focus of your mobile app promotion strategy; that you’re a grass-roots developer who has identified a need for your app in the market based on your own first-hand experience perhaps with other not-so-effective apps out there.
Presentation is everything so make sure to optimize your app’s design in the store
This title is no hyperbole. When we say ‘everything’, we mean everything. Let’s play a game; picture yourself scrolling the store for an app that will meet some specific requirement that you have. If that app were to have a poorly designed icon, incoherent description or a clunky-user interface as displayed by the screenshots, would you even bother downloading that app? If you answered yes, then you are either lying to yourself or perhaps you like self-torture, but we’re not going to judge either way. The point here is that you need to make good presentation one of the core parts of your mobile app promotion strategy and as we love our cliches, we will say this too for good measure: “first impressions are the most lasting”.
Consumer is always king, and that won’t change for mobile apps
People can’t seem to decide whether they want to use the phrase ‘the best defense is a good offense’ or the other way around. However, what we will say regarding this while considering our current topic is that a good approach to app development is to not just focus on offense; you will need to play some defense too. What do we mean? Why, we’re talking about those darned negative reviews on the app stores of course! As part of your mobile app promotion strategy, you need to ensure that you are keeping an eye on the reviews for your app as your user base increases and try to single out and address negative reviews as and when they crop up. You will need to come to terms with the reality that you might not always be able to convince these negative reviewers to put up some more stars, but what matters is the effort on your part. We say this because whether you realize it or not, other current and potential users of your app are definitely looking at how you troubleshoot your problems and whether you are listening to any feedback.