Mobile app market is on the rise, incredible rise today. More and more people get awareness of tangible advantages of mobile app usage on a daily basis.
You may have heard dozens of stories of unique brilliant ideas that can cost millions, for sure, but that bring nothing in the end. The same is attributed to any product in the supermarket and in the online stores, as well. Not every high quality product is sold well. Marketing and promoting plays the leading role here. Businessmen and entrepreneurs know it and apply marketing strategies for their product promotion.
But is it always necessary to pay for promotion? There are thousands of companies whose budget cannot afford such expenses. What should they do to make people engaged with their app?
There is a long list of what can be done, but let`s shorten it to 12 efficient ways that can enhance your mobile app promotion for free:
1. Create the pre-launch anticipation.
Everyone knows that the product selling starts long before its launch, but only few make use of it. It is not sufficient just to post your app at the AppStore and to sit waiting until it becomes ‘the app of the day’. You should predetermine the app success by starting its promoting long before, at least a few months before its launch.
There is a great variety of the so-called « promoting helpers » – websites where you can write a brief description for your product and a crowd of hungry users will die from anticipation to be the first to have your app. By the way, ‘Launching Next’ and ‘Betalist’ are one of the most popular among the hungry audience waiting for the groundbreaking apps to appear.
Make sure your description conveys the main idea or main function of your app letting people know why they must have your app and the reason why they will not be able to survive without it from now on.
2. Influence the opinion leaders.
Did you know that telling only 20 people about your app may bring you hundreds or even thousands of devoted users? But make sure that these twenty are opinion leaders. Define the opinion leaders within your target group and speak to them. Tell them how they can interact with your app, how it will simplify their life or work, and listen to what they tell you.
Discuss what can be improved and what they do not like. Fix it and they will become your best « followers » and will promote your app better than any ads you could place at an expensive rate.
Where to look for the opinion leaders? Well, search for your niche related websites, blogs, social networks pages – make sure you contact the ones who are on the top of the search list in Google.
3. Launch a teaser website or use your current mobile website to announce your app launch.
Predetermine your app success.
How?
There is one more efficient way – to create a teaser. It should contain the most popular keywords for the search related to your app functions. It should comply with the laws of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so that it could be easily found while searched. Collect the emails of those who are interested and notify them about the app when it is launched.
4. Blog your app.
If you already have a blog, well, you are lucky, half work is done. You have readers and the only thing you need to do is to tell them about your new product.
If you do not have a blog, create it. It is a powerful tool for your website SEO and any product promotion.
Not good at composing texts? Turn to bloggers who write on related topics, let them try the app and describe it in their blog. You may also offer them some benefits like free promo codes to use your app.
Blog about negative reviews too. Tell how you worked to resolve them.
5. Make your app social.
Outline your app strong sides in Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. Best promoting campaigns are built there, in social networks, now. News is spread with a wind speed and there are also lots of groups related to your app niche.
Add there app links, screenshots and videos. They are quite useful.
Communicate with your users through social networks – give unsatisfied customers a way to contact you.
6. Let your app be reviewed.
« Appstorm », « Rate my Startup », « Sus », « Startupli.st », « Netted », « Springwise » – the websites where you can have your app reviewed and rated by hundreds of people. There you can learn what your app is liked for and what bugs are to be fixed. For sure, if you app is liked, it will be shared. And there is no better place to do it than here with thousands of interested visitors daily.
7. Create the demo video impossible to forget.
There is a long list of tips how to create a good video and you can meet them all over the Internet. But the main principle remains the same – the video should be remembered being it informative, entertaining or humorous.
You can ask your friend full of creativity to help you with this or post a contest in social networks or at your teaser website. People will become engaged trying to shoot the video for your app and you will reward them with free app version in the end. Everyone loves to shoot with the camera, give them a chance to express themselves and post the video on YouTube.
8. Visualize your app.
Post your app images at Pinterest, use infographics, screenshots or your happy users` photos. Visual information is well-memorized and interesting to look at.
9. Meet your target audience in person.
Do not just sit and wait your app to be spread. Go to meet your target audience in person, go to libraries, offices or art schools. Go there where you can meet people that may take interest in what you’ve created. Discussing your product with potential users may be useful and may expose those aspects you have not thought about before.
10. Hold contests.
Contests imply great part of involvement attracting hundreds of people giving them a chance to express themselves. Post contests via social networks, teaser websites or Youtube. They may be related to your app unusual usage, for example.
11. Apply for app rewards.
There is a long list of websites where you can apply for rewards. « Appsters Awards », « The Webby Awards », « Best App Ever Awards », « OzApp », etc. If your app is groundbreaking and worthy, apply for reward there. Besides the prize, you will get the press coverage.
12. App Store Optimization ( ASO)
If you have decided to place your app at AppStore, do not ignore ASO. Make your app easily searchable within the Apple Store. It can be achieved in the following way:
– The name of your app should convey its main idea
– The description should contain effective keywords
– The icon should be attractive with simple design and solid colors
– Your app value should be written in 2 lines
– The screenshots should be customized to show how the app works
“Mobile apps now account for more than half of all time spent on digital Media.â€
“The average time people spend on their apps is increased by 21% over the last year.â€
As you see, the mobile app market is in demand. With more than 3.65 billion unique global mobile users, there are lots of people who may find your app useful. Make sure your app`s idea is worthy, your promotional campaign includes 12 tips described above and your app will get across the footlights, for sure.
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Industries and Technology Areas:
Industries: IT
Technology Areas: software development, mobile application development, iOS, Android
