When it comes to marketing your app to get more users, there is no single silver bullet. Every app is different, it has a different intended audience, different use cases and different goals, so no copy paste marketing strategy will do. In this blog, I wanted to touch on a few specific things that you will NEED to put in place as an absolutely bare-ass minimum (BAM) to market your app.
Remember just like software, marketing is a journey in itself. When you find something that works, stick with it until it doesn’t. When it doesn’t work anymore, adapt and evolve. A marketing plan needs to be stuck to for at least three months as a minimum to see what works and what doesn’t. A marketing plan should be refreshed once every six months because the world is changing and new technologies are emerging all the time.
If you are building an app, chances are you will already have your own website on hand to store your Privacy Policy and your Terms and Conditions. But, your website does not just have to be a dumping ground where you chuck random things in order to meet Apple and Google’s compliance. Instead, it can be the digital signpost for your app and brand. Your website can add credibility to your product, can answer frequently asked questions that your users might have about your app, can enhance your branding, and of course, it can act as the place where you can link potential users for more information.
Additionally, consider the quality of your website as it does affect your results. Search engines do rank a website's performance based on how your users interact with it and consume its content. If people are jumping on to your website and then bouncing straight away, or your website is filled with AI generated content, search engines will notice these things and negatively rank your website.
App Store Optimisation is all about how to people discover your app in the first place.
Just like when you use a search engine to help you find a solution that relates to your problem, users can use the search functionality in the Apple and Google Play stores to find apps that relate to their keywords.
As apps have become more popular, the stores have started offering heightened services to get your products in front of their most likely user. Naming, subtitles and keywords all add to the search experience for potential users and topping this with incredible graphics and icons that really showcase your product is equally as important to getting the final download.
Things like downloads and app store reviews will also push your app higher up the charts. In the initial stages, while you are just starting to market your app, you can use the Pay Per Click (PPC) services within the Apple and Google Stores to further drive traffic.
In traditional marketing, we are taught the 4Ps of Marketing: Price, Promotion, Place and Product. In simple terms, there is no use in recommending the launch of a huge social media campaign, if that is just not where your users are spending their time or at the point of purchase. What can make your marketing very successful is communicating how your product meets their needs with your product in a place where they are going to. When the marketing budget is short, this means you can allocate your money to the areas it is going to make the biggest impact.
This is where you can get creative.
I want to highlight a marketing tactic from Uber Eats that showcases how well they really understand their users.
And, I am of course talking about the stickers in their windows. For me, this is a relatively low-cost tactic, right? Any restaurant that starts to use Uber Eats to deliver their food gets gifted a sticker to put in their store and promotes their association with the app. This does two things: shows to your most likely users that you are using a service that might appeal to them and creates a connection for the future. This is just one example of clever marketing for apps out of hundreds. Think about how you started using your favourite apps and work back from there.
As you can see, there are a few things you can do to start off on your app marketing journey. The ones mentioned in this blog are just the basics, and just the start. If you would like to discuss your app marketing strategy in more detail, reach out to us here at Moonward.
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