The mobile industry has been on the rise and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down soon. Smartphones have become all but indispensable for the majority of the population.
People use their mobiles to do everything, from reading to tracking health and fitness to taking care of business and much more. No matter what you want to do today, “there’s an app for that.” (it’s a trademarked phrase, by the way…) If you’re in the business of marketing or app development, this is excellent news for you.
Over the last decade or so, marketers have been figuring out new ways to work advertising into apps, and app developers have been figuring out new ways to work their apps into advertising. However, just like anything else in the business world, there are challenges to tackle.
App ad spend has slowed a bit in recent years, but as people in the business come up with more innovative ways to approach it, those numbers are projected to rise four to five times higher than what analysists had previously predicted. This means that by 2017, spending for app advertising is projected to reach about $200 billion globally. Does this mean you have to focus everything on restructuring your budget to meet advertising demands? Not necessarily.
Here’s what you need to know about app marketing to get business rolling without wasting funds.
Build a Solid Marketing Strategy
Marketers and app developers can benefit from understanding how consumers really find and use your apps. One in four apps that are download will actually never be used at all. As a developer, a good idea for an app can go wasted if you don’t understand consumer psychology. Likewise, advertising strategies can fail if marketers fail to understand what consumers are looking for and where they’re looking.
Marketers need to understand the most popular places that consumers look for apps outside of the app stores. One in four people looking for an app discover what they’re looking for through a search engine. Therefore, it’s wise to advertise everywhere. From search engines to YouTube to other apps, there are plenty of good places to advertise outside of the app store.
Plan Your Distribution
Solid distribution strategies are just as important to plan as solid marketing strategies. In fact, the two really go hand in hand. Before you distribute an app, there are a few things you should do to make sure you not only reach a large number of consumers, but a large number of the right consumers. Be sure that you’re offering something exclusive. A new app should offer something that no other can. Understanding what’s exclusive about an app can also help you find your niche, which is very important for directing your marketing strategies.
Some other good tips for effective distribution include optimizing the app for an app store and building social calls to action into the app. This way, when a user has the option to share something that they have just learned or accomplished using the app, they’ll be doing some of the advertising for you.
You can also consider using an ad manager, such as Appnext demand side platform, which is a great way to take care of analysis, marketing and distribution strategies all from one spot.
Employ Low Cost Marketing Techniques
Though you will have to spend something on advertising eventually, there are plenty of effective ways to market your app without spending much:
- Create a microsite for your app and link a blog to it where you can constantly provide fresh content.
- Create a teaser video or a giveaway campaign. Plan your release and build hype about it on social media, tech blogs and other relevant publications.
- Most importantly, ask consumers for feedback and use it wisely. Learn and grow from negative feedback and take positive feedback as a sign that you’re doing something right.
Takeaway: A Reminder
In all that you do in your app marketing endeavors, just make sure that you’re aware of one important thing: Not even the most innovative, effective and efficient marketing strategies and tactics can safe sub-par app quality. News flash: Quality matters – and if you can offer that to the market, employing the right marketing strategies and tactics can take your app much further (read: more downloads and revenue) than you can imagine.