hello mobile application developers! do you know how to promote an app ?
DESCRIPTION
App stores of both Android and iOS are nearly flooding. Together they have more than 2 million apps for smartphones and tablet devices, but not all of them are performing well.TRANSCRIPT
DO YOU KNOW HOW
TO PROMOTE AN
APP?
App stores of both Android and iOS are nearly flooding. Together they
have more than 2 million apps for smartphones and tablet devices, but
not all of them are performing well. Many of them have been striving
even for a respectful number of downloads since their launch. Even if
developers have spent weeks or months in mobile application
development, don’t know what goes wrong so that the app does never
get desired market exposure.
First and foremost, an app is a digital product, and if you are aware of
this fact then you should also be aware of all the steps that marketers
take to market or promote their products. Although strategy will
change but a campaign is still there. Let this piece of information help
mobile developers promote their applications.
Make a website and micro-site.
If you have more than one app, you must have a website where all
your apps can be displayed. Many users want to check the website of
the developers before downloading an app. A website will also be the
destination point of all your app-promotion campaign. You can also
make separate micro-site for separate application. A one or two-page
website will work.
Pre-launch Campaign
No one is going to have a dream that a fantastic app is out there in
app stores if you have not done anything for the app’s pre-launch
campaign. A pre-launch campaign helps audience build interest
several days before the actual release of an application. The website
intended for pre-launch campaign is supposed to showcase all the
major features that the app will have. If you don’t have real video
because the app is still in the progress, animated videos will let
audience imagine what the app will look like. You can ask audience
for their suggestions by encouraging them for filling a form and
allowing them to suggest features. A suggestion section can help in
two ways. First, it will help you collect audience’s email IDs which you
can later use to send information about the release data of the
application and second, it will let you know what audience wants in
that app.
A blog or forum, or both
Add a blog to the main website of the app and begin posting
interesting content to draw the attention of
future-users. You can begin it either before or
after the launch of the app. Both ways will work.
In the blog you can also share that you have
implemented a new feature. This will keep your
audience engaged. A forum will also help
audience clear their doubts about app support. For example, not all
Android phones support all the apps and thus a forum by developers
will help them easily finding their answers. Also, you can contact to
those blogger who write and share content in similar app-niche. Try
pitching your app to their blogs.
Use social media sites.
Social media sites are rocking. They are fit for almost all types of
product promotion, whether it’s software or a machine. Google+,
Facebook and Twitter are three major social media
sites. LinkedIn can also be a choice, but it’s not a good
place when it comes to promote a game; instead;
promoting an enterprise application on LinkedIn sounds
good. Create pages on these social media sites where you need to
post content several times in a week.
Announce a release data
Once you succeed to create hype around your app through social
media sites, it is time you announce its release date. The release date
will quickly increase the number of downloads. Send emails to people
that you are launching app on a particular date. This will make your
efforts more trustworthy for audience and of course, release the app
on said date. No excuse please.
Respond to reviews of users
If your app is really useful, you can ask users to review and rate it in
app stores. Apart from good reviews, you will get mix or bad reviews
two but don’t be disappointed for bad reviews. Bad reviews offer you
an opportunity to improve your existing app.
Put your app in reviews websites
Websites like AppAdvice, AppStoreApps, 148apps and several others
provide insights of an app. These companies can create enough buzz
if they list your app on their websites. These lists may come in the
search of users who, after reading reviews provided by the review-
website, will decide on downloading or not downloading the app.
Create a how-to and FAQ.
There are a number of how-to websites where how-to articles for the
app can be posted. These articles help users clear their doubts about
particular app features or settings. Similarly, you can also create FAQ
on the website of the app. The FAQ is supposed to provide answers to
all the possible issues that users can experienced while using the app.
App-page optimization
App page optimization is nothing but the SEO of an application. For
every app submission, app stores generate a dedicated page where
developers can put description, videos and images of the app. Try
making the page as informative as possible. Provide all features that
the app has. Present them in bullets so that users can easily go
through them. Also, a perfect combination of keywords and key-
phrases is necessary. But do not let keywords or key-phrases affect
the actual sense of information. Put the best of the screenshots and
videos in the page of the app and also keep responding to both
positive and negative reviews written by users.
Go in the field, get press and speak about the app.
Not all the parts of a promotion campaign can be executed online. For
some of them, developers need to go in field too. Get press and for
this purpose, developers need to manually reach out journalists.
Similar to this, you can also research the events that match your app
theme and get chance to speak about your app. This will really set you
in market as an authority.
Apply for awards
There are a number of forums that provide awards
based on the performance and uses of a product.
Winning even a single award is going to establish your
app as a brand in market. And most interesting part of these awards is
that you can apply for them online.
Create Facebook Fan page of likewise users and also, contact
admins of related Facebook pages.
Mobile developers can also create Facebook Fan page of likewise
users and share content among them on regular basis. This will keep
audience engaged. Also, they can contact the administrators of similar
Facebook pages which have 100+ likes and ask them to share about
your app; however you need to give them solid reason to do so.
Social media integration in the app
You can also put social buttons in an app and encourage users to
share about the progress in the app. In case of game, you can
encourage users to share the update after completing each level
successfully. This will let the connections of particular user’s social
profile know that he/she is using the app and making good score too.
Share content on Pinterest and Stumbleupon
Pinterest, as a visual discovery tool, provides good exposure to
whatever is posted on this. Here you can post images of your app,
blog, infographics and various types of
visual content. But make sure that images
you have put on Pinterest, are striking
enough to hold audience. You can also go
with Stumbleupon’s paid discovery which
will get you hundreds of visitors per day in limited budget.
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