Nowadays in the era of the stable growth of the popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices, the promotion of the software for them is incredibly important. It is very difficult for the new product to reach the top in the stores, because there are so many competitors. Since Google Play and the App Store offer a lot of games and software, the main task for developers in this case is to promote their software on the market. An effective marketing strategy will help to solve this task.
It is recommended to do soft-launch before you even start promoting your app on the App Store and Google Play – to find a similar audience and conduct a campaign aimed at attracting users who can install the program on their gadgets and leave reviews. It should help you identify weak points of your software before the target audience receives the final product.
The experts at SoftLoft tell us that regardless of which platform you are promoting, iOS and Android, or maybe both of them, the program must be optimized as much as possible and all available improvements must be made. To promote the software in the App Store you need to:
- Create a suitable name for your product optimized with keywords. It should be unique and easy to remember. However, it is equally important to use keywords in the app title or make the name associated with your product’s mission.
- Identify keywords and phrases that accurately define the software features. It is crucial to use them in the app description for Google Play listing and to include them in a separate field for the App Store listing.
- Upload appealing and informative screenshots and videos. Make sure that the screenshots are well-designed and showcase the most important app’s features. The video previews are not obligatory for listing’s requirements, however, they can help users to see value from your application and influence positively on their decision to install it. Keep in mind that app previews can only feature its interface and app elements. If you want to create a full promo video, it can be downloaded to your website or YouTube channel.
- Add an in-app notification engaging users to leave their review and rate the product on the marketplaces. User rating and number of reviews are among the most important factors that are considered by App Store’s and Google Play’s search engines.
It should be mentioned that downloading of the app is just a small part of the success. Often, the users delete it after a few minutes after opening, or install the program and forget about it immediately. Therefore, it is important to maintain user’s loyalty. You will need to work hard on your product roadmap – make regular updates, provide interesting and useful material, respond timely to the negative reviews, motivate your current users to keep using the app and seek for new user acquisition channels.
Then the application will not be lost in the smartphone’s memory and will be used regularly. Think of the system of promotions and special discounts for your audience and propose them, using, for example, push notifications. The feedback and communication with your users is extremely important. Especially you need to work attentively with the negative reviews and respond to them as soon as possible. When the potential users see that you have high-quality technical support, it will definitely increase their loyalty. Update your software regularly adding more useful functions. If you lack the ideas, create a survey and find out what people would like to see in your product.
Advertising on social media platforms is another way of promoting your mobile application. It is recommended to create your app profiles and pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. and be active there and make your audience interested in what you do. The main thing here is to correctly determine the communities in which you need to place your ads. The groups should reach a wide audience. Depending on the subject of the application, age range and audience interests you know what information will be useful for your potential users. You can create your own community and lead it, expanding, adding interesting information, blogs or just useful content.
Best Pre-launch Marketing Tactics
According to ComboApp mobile app marketing agency, among the most workable pre-launch advertising strategies are:
- Develop a mobile-friendly website to post useful content containing relevant keywords. You may be asking why you need a website for your application if most users will search for it directly on the app marketplaces. In fact, this is only a part of the potential traffic. Many people still search for solutions to satisfy their needs in Google, Bing, and other search engines. In order to be ranked by certain keywords, you will need an optimized for search engines site with content containing relevant keywords.
- Develop a comprehensive SEO strategy. Search Engine Optimization is a complex activity aimed to increase your website rankings in search engines. You will not only need to create keyword-optimized blog posts but also strengthen your domain’s authority via expanding its backlink profile.
- Reach out to relevant journalists and influencers. Even when you are only developing your product and it’s not yet launched to the market, you can collect the list of journalists and reviewers who have previously reviewed similar products. Search for reviews of your competitors and start with these bloggers. Create a pitch telling about your application, its unique features, and advantages over a range of competitors. When you find the right journalist interested in your mobile solution, you will get a buzz around your app once it’s launched. You may need some time to find their contacts and communicate the terms for publication posting with each reviewer but as a result you will get so important exposure in the media that every product wants to achieve. This strategy may seem time-consuming as many reviewers will decline your offer, however, the result costs the effort.
These are just some of the marketing strategies that you can implement for your product promotion. If you work hard on preparing all the necessary materials during the development stage, you will start getting the first results right after the product launch.
