It isn’t always easy to make an app famous. With over 1.35 million smartphone apps across iOS and Android, and a rapidly growing tablet market, there’s a veritable sea – nay, ocean – of apps competing for attention. So how do you grow from just another little fish in a big pond, to a superstar?
The key to driving loyal user acquisition, in-app engagement, and revenue is – of course – a great app. But that’s not enough by itself. Other essential ingredients are effective marketing and the ability to measure your results.
How should you go about it?
Use a variety of marketing channels
Make the most of everything available. Social media and PR will help get the word out about your app, and the feedback you receive from users will help you make improvements, and ultimately increase your revenue.
Without a doubt, the most effective way to maximize your loyal user base and revenue is mobile advertising, which directly targets users while they’re using their device and instantly prompts app download and usage. Add in-app and mobile web advertisements to your marketing mix, and be sure to use many ad networks and big publishers. This will achieve good reach and allow you to separate the wheat from the chaff later.
First impressions count
Having a beautiful, perfectly functioning app will benefit you in terms of ratings and nurturing a strong, loyal user base. But what if no one finds and downloads the app? Rely on a coveted “Featured” spot in the app stores?
It’s your marketing activity that counts. Design attractive advertising banners that will strike a chord with potential users; this is vital to your ad campaign’s success.
Don’t stop there, though, because it’s also the job of your icon, screenshots, and description text to sell your app and convert clicks to downloads. Be creative and aim for a big impact in a few seconds.
Get found via search and a high App Store rank
A big chunk of users (63 percent) say they’ve used search to discover new apps. Just as SEO is important in online marketing, so is App Store Optimization (ASO) for app marketing.
Research relevant, long tail keywords, and experiment with them each update cycle to see how they affect your search rank. Also know the techniques that are unique to your operating system. In iOS 6, you can now use singular forms in your keywords to save on characters (since you just have 100).
It can be difficult to achieve significant results just using ASO, but it is a cheap way to boost your search result rank and pick up a few new users. A smart boost campaign, however, will give you the visibility required to achieve many organic downloads. Use tracking technology for maximum cost-efficiency, and focus on achieving quality downloads from reputable, high-volume traffic sources.
Be data-driven: track and optimize your ad campaigns
Was it a banner inside a tablet app that brought you those loyal users, or an advertisement on iPhone’s Safari browser in the UK?
With sophisticated tracking technology and fingerprinting, it’s possible to analyze your advertising campaign data and achieve maximum transparency and efficiency in your marketing. With a data-driven approach and the right technology, you can instantly identify your valuable traffic sources, eradicate underperforming and fraudulent publishers, and select your best campaign settings. This will maximize your downloads from loyal users, and your return on investment.
Our full best practice guide contains all of our best practices for upping your app marketing game, while decoding all the app-related jargon you need to know in our handy glossary.
Guest author Adrienne Gauldie was born in Washington State but is now based in London. As country manager UK for app marketing platform Trademob and former sales director at MagicSolver.com, her self-confessed app nerd status qualifies her to help app marketers grow their loyal user base and revenue. Apart from being a mobile aficionado, Adrienne is a coffee-drinker, foodie, and mum of two. Follow Adrienne on Twitter: @adriennegauldie.
Guest author Hayley Pearce was born in Winchester, UK, and currently works for Trademob in Berlin. As social media and content manager, she keeps herself extremely well-informed on all things mobile app marketing. Hayley likes apps (of course), Audrey Hepburn, and Alsatian dogs. Follow Hayley on Twitter: @frauhayley.