Some companies have been building apps for years and already have a well-established mechanism for marketing their products. Some have just created their first app. They need to figure out what their promotion might look like. Which actions can you do yourself? And which can you entrust to a specialised agency?
We’ve prepared a checklist for you. You can go through it and determine whether you have done all you can to ensure that your product is seen by as many members of your target audience as possible.
Optimise the app's stock page
Getting your app noticed amongst the hundreds of others like it is a huge undertaking. Improving visibility is not the easiest task, but it’s important.
The app is ranked for keywords and keyword phrases. Effective optimization allows you to attract users and get more downloads. You need to know your target audience and the keywords they use to search for the app. Use these words in the title, description, and tags. 63% of apps on the App Store were found through search.
Use guest blogging
Guest blogging is publishing your content on third-party web resources suitable for product promotion. The blog owner receives valuable content, and you gain access to a new audience. Guest blogging is as old as blogging its own, but it is also very effective. This kind of action allows you to promote the app. It also helps to get new people interested in it and get links to the product from good sources, which will be a big plus for search engines.
Of course, it’s not an easy method, creating additional interesting content requires some effort, but it’s well worth the result. If you can come up with quality content that is relevant to your product or service, you increase your chances of getting a lot of potential customers not only from your guest posts but also from search engines.
Use Pinterest
Many people think of Pinterest as a source of inspiration, a warehouse of interesting images. But few see the site as a marketing tool. Pinterest is designed for visual content. You can use it to share interesting graphics, save your favourite images to themed boards, and look at other people’s boards. The site is ideal for promoting the visual component of an app, especially if you have a limited budget for advertising.
The app’s product images and themed infographics don’t always get a lot of attention on other social networks, but on Pinterest, they can easily go viral. The site’s users are passionate about visuals, and they appreciate memorable images. And, most importantly, these people are eager and happy to buy.
Hold a contest or lottery
Contests and lotteries are a great way to draw attention to a product. You can hold contests before the release of the app, on different holidays, and just for fun. Contest-related words (‘win’, ‘contest’, ‘winner’, etc.) are good to attract users.
Running contests, especially on social media, is one low-cost way to promote an app. People will talk about your contest on their social media pages if the terms of the competition involve reposting, voting, or doing something unusual.
You will get a huge audience reach. You can give contestants products that are available for purchase through your app as well as nice bonuses.
Use PUSH notifications
PUSH notifications are messages that appear on your mobile device. App creators can send them at any time, whether the app is currently running or not. With PUSH notifications, users can be notified about promotions, discounts, special offers, and more. The user will be aware of your news even if they are not actively using the app.
To make them work, it is important to remember some of their features:
- the name of the PUSHs makes it clear which app the message is from;
- the app icon improves the app’s visibility;
- the message can be any length, but users will only see the first 60 characters on iOS and 45 on Android.
Use QR codes
The QR code is one of the powerful mobile app marketing technologies. For a person to use a QR code, they must have a smartphone equipped with a camera and a QR code reader or scanner function. Most modern smartphones come with a QR code reader app pre-installed from the factory. You can place them in advertisements, books, and magazines and thus draw attention to the product.
Use ASO
App search engine optimization is a special action needed to get your website higher in search engine results and increase traffic and with it the number of customers. ASO application promotion is an important step in product development because applications have recently begun to appear in organic search results.
Use the app as a marketing tool
You’ve developed an app that helps people solve their problems, now you need to get the word out to potential users. Encourage users to leave reviews and rate the app in stores. This will increase product visibility and downloads. People are more willing to download an app that others have praised.
If you have a commercial product, provide a free trial. This way users will know they’re not being offered a pig in a poke and will appreciate all the benefits of the product and can purchase the paid version knowing exactly what to expect from the app.
Add a share button
Make sure you add a ‘Share’ button to the app that includes the most popular messengers and social networks. And don’t forget Twitter! The top 100 global brands have Twitter accounts specifically for 42 of them.
Create a promo video
A good promo video is an effective tool to promote any product/service and helps a lot of people make a purchasing decision. A video about a mobile app shows you how the app works. Also how you can use it and you can appreciate the interface and the user-friendliness.
Another advantage of a promotional video is that it can be used not only for storerooms but also for promotion. For example, people search for a ‘foreign language learning app’, and your video fits the title or description on YouTube. This way, it can appear in search engine results.
Contact a marketing agency
Millions of people are ready to download your app. But how do you get the word out about your product? One effective way is through the services of a marketing agency specialising in mobile app promotion. Such agencies have the necessary tools and experience to make the app visible on the global web, bringing it to your target audience.
Using someone else’s promotion experience will avoid many mistakes. Especially since you can choose a highly specialised marketing agency that promotes mobile apps exclusively. For example, Adsbalance brings apps to the top by the number of downloads and installations in the areas of games, e-commerce, finance, beauty, and health.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to promote a mobile app, you can use all or some of the most popular ones. Free marketing strategies sometimes take a long time to achieve the desired results, paid ads can bring thousands of downloads in a few days. The final choice of strategy depends on your capabilities. Most of all, remember that only consistent marketing and the involvement of professionals can guarantee the long-term success of an app. The more thoughtful and consistent your promotion is, the more rewarding it will be.
