Mobile apps are excellent for businesses. Now that banks, delivery services, retail stores, and fitness centers offer mobile apps, consumers are coming to expect an app for their favorite brands. Developing a mobile app can be expensive and time-consuming, however. There are also millions of apps available in any app store, so the competition is tight. You need a solid mobile app marketing strategy if you want to stand out. Let’s dive into how you can market your mobile apps with these three strategies.
1. Know your target audience
This is not only the core of app marketing strategy but all marketing strategies. You can’t promote a product unless you know who you’re promoting it to and what they’re looking for – the same is true for apps.
Like any other marketing campaign, your app marketing should focus on your target audience. Define your ideal customer’s demographics, interests, lifestyles, and age groups. These details can help you develop your campaign to focus on their needs.
User personas are a great tool to understand your audience. The user persona addresses the central goal of the user and the challenges they face, so you can understand the journey and customize every aspect of your app to their preferences and needs.
Here are some questions to consider:
● What is the central pain point of your audience?
● What types of content does your audience engage with online?
● Which mobile operating system does the majority of your ideal users prefer?
● What content, voice, and tone resonates with them?
● Are there any patterns with their online activity?
● Do the users follow any reputable influencers in the industry on social media?
● What platforms are best for paid advertising?
● Do these users typically pay for apps or make in-app purchases?
Using personas can help you coordinate your marketing decisions to attract the right audience to your app.
It would help if you also considered your competitors. What are similar brands doing with their apps? What do they do well and not so well? Are users happy or complaining about glitches and missing features? You can use all of this to develop your app and separate yourself from the competition.
2. Leverage your website
A website is an excellent asset in your app marketing strategy. Your website already creates brand awareness, authority, and visibility, and now you can use that to promote your app.
If you already have a website with decent traffic. Take a look at some ways you can use your website to your advantage:
Blog posts
App users often find apps through a search engine like Google. It’s crucial for apps related to local services, technology, and travel.
Word-of-mouth referrals are powerful, but they’re not enough. Using an SEO strategy would help make your app visible on search engines.
Create blog posts to inform users of your app development and build an online presence. Post regularly and include information about your app’s features and use cases. Make sure to focus on the real-world benefits of your app, not just named features that have no context for users.
You can also share your experience creating the app and ask for the audience’s feedback. They’llThey’ll not only feel involved in the process and anticipate the launch, but you can learn about the features they expect and include them in the development.
Include relevant keywords in your posts to boost your ranking and generate more traffic. In the end, be sure to include a call-to-action (CTA) and link that takes people to the app landing page. On the page, highlight the app’s value proposition with a clear install button.
Here’sHere’s a checklist for your landing page:
● A catchy headline
● Your app name
● A CTA for installing the app
● Short copy explaining the benefits of the app
● Product videos or screenshots that show the app in use
● Social proof, such as app recognition and awards, reviews, or testimonials
Website banners and buttons
Website banners are often used for paid ads, but you can make them part of your mobile app marketing strategy. Create a banner that announces the launch of your app (maybe with a countdown) and put it at the top of the home page.
This banner will let people know about your mobile app launch and generate interest.
You should also include CTA buttons that allow users to download the app directly from the app store. Include buttons for each store where you’ll have the app to make it easy for users.
3. Use social media
Social media is valuable to all types of marketing, so it should be part of your mobile app marketing strategy. Share all your website content surrounding your app on your social media pages.
You have an opportunity to get users excited about your app and share each step of the development process. You can ask for feedback and suggestions, post teaser videos or images, and host giveaways for early access, a discount, or other incentives.
Consider using paid ads to reach more people and create some buzz around your app. You can customize your ads to target your ideal audience and maximize your ad spend.
Social media influencers
In addition to your own social media accounts, you can tap into the power of influencers to reach more people and generate more attention for your app launch.
Influencer marketing is incredible as long as you get the right influencer. It would help if you focused on influencers in your niche. For example, if you have a beauty product, try to collaborate with makeup artists or beauty influencers that have a following that aligns with your target audience.
If you have a mobile app that helps student drivers prepare for their permit test, consider an influencer with sway over teen audiences.
Finding the right influencer can be tricky, however. Followers and stats may seem appealing, but it’s more important to get in with an influencer that speaks to your audience rather than one with a lot of fame. Micro-influencers often have a more dedicated audience since they can engage more directly with fewer followers.
Social media groups
Depending on your niche, you can join a group on Facebook or Reddit to promote your app. You’llYou’ll have a built-in audience with the same interests, which can really help you reach a large group.
You can’t just go into a group and spam, however. You have to build your presence slowly and provide value to the members with industry news, Q&A sessions, blog posts, and other informative content.
Groups may also be limited to local users, which is excellent if your app is location-based.
Once you spend some time with the group members, you can promote your app and discuss it with them. You may even get some valuable feedback!
After the launch
You’ve successfully launched your app! The hard work is over now, right? Nope. Marketing your app is an ongoing process, especially early on. Downloads are only one part of the equation – you want users to continue to open and engage with the app, or if it’s monetized, pay for a subscription or in-app features.
If people consistently use your app, that’s a good sign that what you’re doing is working. Make sure they have an outlet to express their opinions, however.
Use a popup to prompt them to leave a review. The popup shouldn’t disrupt the user experience, so consider the best time to ask for a review. It may be when they’re ready to exit the app or when they first start. The more strategically you place the popup, the better the chances that you’ll get a review.
If you find that your downloads or engagement is dwindling, try a “burst campaign.” These campaigns help mobile app marketers climb the ranking in an app store. The idea behind this is to provide a burst of exposure with aggressive paid advertising over a short period – usually 24 to 72 hours.
You can use these campaigns to get as many installs as possible, boosting your ranking. When your ranking is high, you’re more likely to get a high volume of organic installs.
Another great tactic to keep your marketing going is a referral bonus. You can offer users a bonus when promoting your app online, which is an excellent incentive. Offer a discount or paid features for free if a user refers another to the app and completes a download.
Launch your mobile app
Developing, marketing, and launching a mobile app is no small feat, but you can make it go as smoothly as possible with these strategies. Remember that no marketing strategy is perfect, so continue to test, check, and refine your app and marketing strategy as you go to improve the experience and results for both you and the user.
This guest blog post was written by Tim Waldenback, the co-founder of Zutobi, a gamified e-learning platform focused on online drivers education to help teens get their licenses. Tim founded Zutobi to make world-class driver’s education fun, affordable, and easily accessible for all.