Spending millions of dollars in building mobile applications are useless if you are unable to make space in the mobile phones of your target audience. Usually, entrepreneurs feel over confident after developing the mobile application and with the excitement of having the mobile app developed they miss to make an effective marketing plan to promote the mobile application, which ultimately resulted in them a tremendous loss.
Every year there are millions of mobile applications which goes live on iOS, Android, and other platforms. Therefore, it is very significant for every mobile app developer to stand out in the boundless sea of available applications. Here are some strategies and best practices which will help you to increase your visibility and the number of downloads. These marketing strategies include both pre-launch and post-launch work.
Here is the complete guide for you.
Before your Application Launch
1. Include the keyword in the app’s name
The keyword means the whole world in the app world. An appropriate keyword should represent a word that makes the viewer understand at once what does your app do. For example, the important keyword in the puzzle game Sudoku will be “sudoku.” Selecting the best keyword for your application will act as a critical reminder for your app marketing strategies.
Try to give a name to your application which is unique and memorable and at the same time contains the most relevant keywords which the users can search. After you analyse the keywords for your application, you can proceed to research your competitors. Try to find out what feature sets they are using? What other keywords they are targeting? And then finally, the whole science lies in choosing the right category. It is very significant to select the right category because it helps to fall your app in the top chart category. There are so many downloads which are driven by “Top Chart”.
Calculation the risks for your business and your app, understand the pros and cons of each category available in the app store and choose the most relevant category for your app to drive its success.
2. Create a wondrous App Icon
App Icon conveys a great message to your customers. It is usually the first thing with which a user interact. Your app icon should be designed in such a way that it conveys your app’s purpose. Try to design your app icon amazingly so that it entices your visitors to click on your app as and when s/he finds it in search results. Your app icon should also stand out in a grid on your user’s device which helps them to interact and open your app frequently.
3. Take great screenshots
Always keep in mind that the users will take a look at the app screenshots before reading anything. It is crucial to convert that visitor to real users by convincing them to download your app. So, try to upload memorable, informative and convincing screenshots. They should be eye-catchy and explain well what is the basic function of your app.
After the Launch of your Application
Congratulation first of all, for the successful launch of your app. But this is not the end of your job. You next big focus is to market your app. It can be done organically and paid marketing.
– Organic marketing refers to the marketing methods which do not cost any money to the marketer to earn downloads
– Paid marketing is one in which a marketer runs a paid campaign to earn downloads.
Organic marketing
1. Sign up for an App Store Analytics
It is important to understand your organic app distribution progress. This can be well done via signing up in analytics tools. A variety of analytics tools exists on the internet. They help you to track your application and your competitors application through the Top Charts and Search Rankings. App Annie and MobileDevHQ are two most prominent analytics tools available on the Internet.
2. Build a great web landing page
There is no doubt you have made a great application. But if it is not recognised on the web page it is of no use. So, it is important to promote with different methods on the web so that ultimately users fall on web landing page. You can give link to two places:
– Homepage on the web
– App’s detail page in the app stores
Whenever a user searches for your app on Google, they’ll find both of your homepage and app’s detail page. This ultimately makes a great support develop a beautiful landing page for your application. The application page on the app store is quite limited, non-riched which can give non-customized experience to your users. Therefore, aim for a rich, enjoyable and engaging web page.
Paid Promotional channels
1. You may Install Mobile App Tracking
Mobile App Tracking is an excellent tool which helps the app promoters to understand how many downloads has arrived from each paid ad source. It ensures you that whether you are paying money in the right direction or not. This further helps to take a decision which ad networking is performing best.
2. Calculate the number of downloads
To move into the top charts for that category, each category requires a different number of downloads. Calculate how many downloads per day you will need to get into the Top Charts. We know, it is quite difficult to find the exact numbers, but you can find approx numbers which your app needs to move up in the Top Charts rankings. You can keep an eye and see how many downloads/ratings/reviews are following your apps and how they change on a daily basis. If the app store doesn’t offer a way to follow some downloads, do your best to approximate.
3. Run a burst paid ad campaign
This is one of a great way to rise quickly in the Top Charts. Once you begin with your ad campaign, you can notice the number of downloads. There is no doubt, if your app is valuable, you’ll get great ratings and reviews. Due to the increase in downloads, you will begin to rank higher in the app stores’ Top Charts.
Conclusion
Marketing an app is harder than building an app. It requires a multi-faceted approach. The above-written steps and techniques will surely help you to market your application better. You need to work harder; rest is your luck. You can even use email marketing method, make your app free or deeply discounted for a few days or promote via social media.
Author’s Bio
This Case Study is a guest post written by Kaira Clark, a Senior Web Developer at Xicom Technologies Ltd. Apart from donning, the role of a Magento Developer her passion is also helping in all aspects of online marketing flows through in the expert industry coverage she provides. She believes, “Focus on what you need to get done that will move you forward to accomplish your goal. It’s way of life.”