It’s no surprise that mobile apps generate increasing revenues, whether from the app store itself or from in-app advertisements. As a result, app developers who are proactively chasing optimisation and marketing campaigns are the ones savouring the fruit of increased users’ adoption of app-based content.
It’s time to acknowledge that without aggressive promotion, most apps tend to get lost. Once in a while, there might be a big hit in a certain segment as users adopt the new app and trigger the viral effect. But how can you ensure that serendipity occurs with your app rather than the competitors’? The answer is quite simple: Improve the visibility of your app. While it sounds quite daunting, the process isn’t that difficult.
App Store Optimisation
Just like search engine optimisation (SEO) revolutionised the whole idea of “visibility” on the web, the current trend in app markets is to benefit from the app store optimisation (ASO) wave. As a result, a new breed of ASO is currently in the making, and it has the potential to help developers identify the exact needs of an app’s user. Better engagement with the app and user retention is on the agenda of ASO tools, which can help your app thrive and become more visible.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful business platform, arguably the most massive of them all. According to Tope Abayomi, founder of the App Design Vault, “Developers have seen good results from Facebook Mobile Install Ads, where you can specify target audiences. This works well for paid apps and apps where the audience is defined.”
Involve top social media platform profiles to manage a unified social campaign for popularising the app. Leveraging Twitter to promote your app by planning out a content strategy built around user reviews can work wonders. Did you know that you could integrate Facebook Connect to mobile apps and generate free advertising through the newsfeed? Or that Promoted Tweets for mobile can speed-track the social media popularity of your tweets about your app?
Review Blogs and Websites
Target relevant blogs, and create valuable content related to the business problems your app solves in order to raise awareness. Here are a couple of distinct benefits of marketing your app on blogs and niche websites:
• You get targeted traffic to your app’s web pages so that you gain better conversion ratios.
• By remaining in the thick of things in terms of authoritative content related to your app niche, you build a strong foundation of ideas to implement in your app’s new releases.
Check out mobile review blogs like Androinica, ApppGamer.net, Appolicious, Touch Arcade, and Ars Technica. Target a few of them to get a story about your app published.
Generate Better User Reviews
To get better reviews from your app users, you must constantly update your app. Accordingly, you can generate reviews by using push notifications or in-app offers. But to ensure consistently good reviews, take into account previous negative criticism and keep updating your app. Work with app developers who’ll nurture your app through the first few thousand downloads, ensuring sustainable success. Another trick is to ensure regular reviews by using scripts such as Appirater to prompt users for reviews based on their usage patterns.
Leverage Lesser-Known Tools and Resources
ASO is growing to the extent that web pundits aren’t shirking from calling it the next SEO! Accordingly, here are a couple of lesser-known resources to help you master the art of app store optimisation:
Positioning important keywords for the app store and tracking rankings. These are both made simpler with services like MobileDevHQ, which presents intuitive dashboards.
Analyse trends of user search queries, most popular and trending categories. Another tip is to monitor price ratios, paid versus free ratios, and more with Chomp. Paid keyword research services could also benefit app developers trying to enter hyperactive segments of the app market.
The right formula for your app’s success involves well-thought-out content marketing plans targeting app visibility, positive social reviews, more downloads, and constructive feedback for planning releases. Let the strategies shared above be the starting point for your dedicated app marketing efforts.
