1. App Store Optimization
App Store Optimization (ASO) requires many of the same factors that go into great SEO tactics. Things like keywords, titles, and descriptions play a role in the app store listings, so leveraging the right tool to understand these variables can set your app on a path to a top-tier ranking.
Optimizing the keyword tags in the App or Google Play store can benefit how your app is found. The keyword field allows you to associate your app with certain terms. The key here is not to repeat or use too many variations of the same word, which could be portrayed as spam. Conducting an SEO-type test to determine the best keyword tags is a good tip. You should ask yourself, “Which words describe my app?” and “Which words are my competitors using?” Once you feel what words work best for you, be creative in your choices. Being unique could help you drive traffic your competitors aren’t getting.
Titles are also an important aspect to take into consideration. Much like a title page for SEO purposes, the app name is a relevancy signal from which the app store algorithms can pull search results. Many companies include keywords in their main title to help remove their app from the top of search results within their category. A common mistake is not including the app’s actual name in the title. The overall goal is to have a strong presence as a brand. Therefore, people need to know your name and not just what your app does.
READ MORE :
- Mobile Business Apps
- The Best Apps to Help Optimize Your Smartphone
- How to Sail Through the App Store Review Process
- Make a Commitment to Create an Internet Marketing Strategy
- 3 Ways to Use Technology to Advance Your Career
When you have everything above figured out, it’s time to write your app’s description. This should not be a painful task. The key here is to keep it short and sweet. You have to remember that when someone reads this, they will not spend much time looking at the description on their phone. Leave plenty of white space so that it is pleasing to the reader’s eyes and less cumbersome. Bullet points or asterisks are commonly used to list your app’s benefits to the end user. Sentences should be broken up with a mixture of long and short (5 words or less) sentences to keep the reader engaged. We have written extensively on the importance of good keywords in the app store if you want to learn more.
2. Social Media Integration
Social media integration in an application has become popular among many app developers. Users can invite others, share gameplay, and view leaderboards, which is popular and useful for increasing virality. Essentially, it is free marketing for your app. When users share their recent high scores or fitness goals on their social media pages, they spread the word about the app to their friends. This increases the number of views and, in turn, raises awareness of your application. All of which happens without you lifting a finger. Another side effect is that it implements a competitive atmosphere amongst friends to outdo the other person’s high score or have a longer run tracked.
3. Press Kit
Having a press kit readily available is a proactive move to help expedite your marketing efforts farther down the line. Once you have an established microsite for your application, you may get a couple of reviews. Still, to market your newly developed app, you must provide quality material that others can utilize. If people want to write about you, they may not always have the time to contact you to receive useful materials for them to use.
Materials that should be included in your press kit include a high-quality icon of your app along with screenshots of the app in use. These will help expedite those bloggers or journalists who wish to write about your app to have official high-quality visuals that can be used in their articles or blogs.
Another essential part of your press kit should be your relevant press releases. This helps individuals know the “history” of your mobile app and keeps them in the loop on upcoming updates or other company news. Doing this will also establish a rapport with your audience because they will better understand you and your mobile app.
If you want to go above and beyond, add a company profile page. This can detail your company history and your staff. Links to your social accounts are also beneficial so people can learn more about you and read what others say.
4. Forum and Discussion Board Outreach
Identifying where your desired audience or key demographic congregates online is an important marketing aspect. Many technologies and mobile applications blogs are filled with individuals who read and keep up with mobile applications news. This is especially helpful if your app is designed for a specific group. For example, if your app is designed to assist joggers in tracking their daily runs, posting relevant topics about your application on fitness discussion boards or blogs can be beneficial.
When contacting these forums, the key is not to spam the blog with your business. Many blogs and discussion boards ban users who post promotional material in their comment sections. Posting beneficial information and answering any questions is a good way to start. After building a rapport as a thought leader, you can begin to backlink details to your site or post an article about your product.
5. App Profiles
Regarding marketing, a new appraising awareness is important for increasing downloads. The creation of app profiles on sites such as Appolicious and others like it is beneficial to do. With these profiles, you can add a description of your app and a link to the App or Google Play store that allows the user to download it. This is a simple and easy way to increase awareness of your desired target audience.
6. Influencer Outreach
Besides reaching out to forums and other relevant blogs, contacting industry thought leaders or influencers for reviews is another avenue to market your app. Having reviews of your app is good; having a review written by a respected thought leader in the industry and posted on a respectable site is even better. Many of the popular influencers in an industry have millions of engaged followers who read their material daily. So, having a review written on your app by an influencer in the mobile application industry will give you increased awareness and possibly downloads (as long as you receive a positive review.)
You can do this by identifying them (you already know who they are) and contacting them about a potential review. You can provide a free promo code or demo to access your app. This is where the press kit would come into play. In your request, you can attach your press release with all the relevant information we discussed above, accommodating them with all the information and resources they may need.
7. Social Media
It is no secret that social media is a popular medium and can be utilized as an effective marketing tool. Creating pages specifically designed for your app on all social media channels is strongly recommended to engage your target audience and see their discussions. With a plethora of possible outlets that include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, to name a few, you have access to a vast population and can find which ones work best for you. Keep in mind that these pages should complement your overall company social accounts. Like the app store, ensure your company name is on these social pages to increase your general brand awareness.
Managing these accounts is another aspect of social media. Making sure you devote time and effort to monitor your different pages is crucial to benefit from social media. Consider it a window into viewing your consumer’s thoughts and concerns. The better you watch all the comments and questions, the better you can learn how to improve your product, increasing brand loyalty.
Whether creating hype over a potential release date or providing an incentive with a promotional campaign, a teaser campaign is a good way to get your audience excited and engaged. This can be done simply by producing a short teaser trailer paired with a “Coming Soon” animation on your microsite. You can also run a promotional contest or giveaway if you have the resources. To manage this, you may even collect email addresses to inform people of updates. The more people you drive to your site and social media accounts, the bigger the engagement and building a community of followers.
9. Set Up Google Alerts
Setting up Google alerts can be beneficial to track what people are saying about your product. This beats visiting each site separately to see if your app has a new review. These alerts can also help you research the app industry or competitors. Instead of doing extensive research across different sites to keep tabs on your competitors, you can set up an alert to advise you when any relevant news surfaces about your search query. Based on your queries, all this information is easily emailed to you with the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc… ).
10. App Discounts
Lastly, individuals like to get things for free or for a discount. Providing discounts on specific days related to your application is a good way to engage and excite your followers. The key is to be creative. For example, if you have a zombie-based mobile game, a good time to provide a promotional offer would be in October – around Halloween time.