So you have done what it takes to develop a killer app. Now is the time to launch your app and watch your app move up the rankings. Right? Well, for most naive developers, it is about time for some reality check. In the entire mobile app development cycle, probably mobile app promotion is the most difficult task. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but most apps get stuck in this same stage and probably lost in oblivion.

According to Gartner by 2018, only 0.01 percent of consumer mobile apps will be considered financial success by developers. With millions of apps out there, the app world is a highly competitive and saturated market. You can’t sit back and relax once your app goes live.

In fact, now begins the most difficult part of promoting your app. It is all about beating odds and using some promotion techniques that will help your app get discovered and create a flow of downloads.

Don’t wait till the day of submission

Most developers wait till the very last moment to kick start promotion activities. However, the actual work starts even before the app is released. The main objective behind starting early is to make sure that users eagerly anticipate your app’s arrival. Think about it there are millions of apps in the app world and let’s not forget nearly 2,000 new apps release on a daily basis.

It is important to schedule your marketing activities much before launch. Ideally, pre-launch marketing should begin at least a month in advance before the expected launch date.

You must design landing pages for your app. Keep away from complex websites and just focus on key features. The main purpose behind landing page is to develop your app’s target audience and gather emails. This helps sending timely updates about release date to your target audience.

Get in a story-telling mode

There are thousands and thousands of app for virtually every task under the sun. So how is your app different? Tell the story behind your app. Remember, stories and the emotional quotient tend to attract eyeballs and grab interest. Every app has a story. What about your app? You need to tell your side of story and showcase the emotional accelerators that made you go for the app. Share this story everywhere and make it a part of your PR efforts.

Go free for a day or at launch

When launching your app, as part of promotion strategy offer it for free. There is no point in creating a hurdle to download at the very initial stage. If you don’t want to launch app for free. There are several services that feature apps directly to the user’s smartphone for free for a day. Such sites can help you create a lot of buzz and put your app in front of many users. Mobile users trust these services to deliver high-quality apps from across the globe. This service can help you get users click on the much important download button.

Focus on reviews and ratings

Reviews and rankings (favorable ones of course) count a lot in the app world. A higher rating means more downloads and a better ranking. But how do you ask your users to spread word about your app? Thankfully, there are a number of ways of doing it. You can leverage mobile analytics tools to identify your most engaged app users and target that group with in-app message to rate your app. There are several mobile app analytics and marketing tools that will help you identify such user segment.

Synchronize your efforts

The launch of your app should be designed to gain maximum exposure and swing the momentum in favor of your app. It’s better to synchronize your efforts such as blog posts, PR or banners to reach out to your target audience. Exposure in several outlets can have a multiplier effect and persuade users to click on download button.

Finally

In the world of app promotion there is no one-size-fits-all or rule of thumb. It is best to identify which strategy works best for you. Keep in mind mobile apps are an incredibly powerful way to connect with your customer. In order to taste success, it’s important to spend quality time upfront planning your marketing efforts. This will help create buzz around your app and get people to click on download option.
4 min read