For an app developer or a development team, the biggest moment in their life is to launch the app once all the development task is completed. Do you know that there were only 500 apps in the Apple Store when it all started in 2009? Trust me, you will be surprised by the numbers today in Apple Store and Google Play Store.
So let’s keep it simple – It would have been just a walk in the park a few years back when there were only just hundreds to compete with. Things have drastically changed today and it is no more a joke to grab the top position in the app list. The main reason for this is that with millions of apps out in the market only a few succeed to attract the visitors.
So, all you have to do is to make your pre-launch successful by avoiding certain pitfalls and get all the attention before the app hits the market.
1. Failing To Invest in Market Research
You can get some of the valuable insights by researching the important aspects about the category of your app. These insights will help you know what your target audience expects from you. What are the names of other apps? Are they easy to memorize? What are the categories you plan to target? Proper analysis will help you present your target audience with the right app.
To begin with, you can make a list of the important features on the excel sheet about your app as well as from your competitors. You can mention the things like categories, price, device compatibility, and features.
With this analysis, you will get a rough idea about the features you have and what you have missed compared to your competitors.
Another important yet neglected thing is customer reviews. You can get a clear idea about the competitor’s app by getting the good and bad customer reviews. This will help you know what the users like about the app as well as what issues they face while using it.
2. Absence of A Feedback Loop
Your development team spend hours on the app to come up with amazing features. The next thing you do is send the app to everyone on your team and ask them to provide you with a feedback, right? But, are they the real users of your app? No, right? Then it is time you go for beta testing to get some unbiased reviews from your target audience.
Look out for your target customers. Once you have them get some as your beta testers. Now make use of every opportunity to engage with them and know what they think about your app. Make sure you reward your beta testers as well as put them on the top of the sign-up list so that they are the first to know about the app release.
iOS apps can be tested on TestFlight before they are released on the Apple Store. You can invite as many numbers of beta testers you want for the task.
3. Not Marketing The App Sooner
Completing the development process and then releasing it is definitely an important thing. But then, on the other hand, you need to make sure that the app gets noticed by your target audience too. Most of the app development companies neglect this crucial step when they start with the development process.
Then there are others who opt for marketing strategies at the later stage of app development. Now, this can turn out to be a blunder as your marketing team is supposed to come up with the right strategies to launch the app in the market at the right time.
4. Not Using The Pre-Launch Marketing Strategies
As said above you can start the mobile marketing strategies at the earliest. There is no need to wait for the completion of the development process for the same. You can invest a good amount of your time to build some pre-launch marketing strategies like promoting your app on social media or opting for email marketing.
5. Not Making Your App A Star Before It Becomes One
Developing an app and then submitting it to the app store is not everything. Simply thinking that you will have better downloads as other apps on the app store is doing well does not make sense.
You will fail to get noticed if you fail to market well. One of the best ways to do it is by creating a landing page for your app on the website and promoting your app there. You can even do the same on other marketing sites.
6. Failing To Invest in ASO
For your users to find and download your app they need to find the app on the app store search. So something that is equally important for a successful app launch is opting for App Store Optimization as a part of mobile marketing for your app. Most of the successful apps out there in the app store had a dedicated budget spend on ASO. Some of the key elements that you need to optimise are:
App Name: You can either use a branded name or go for common search terms to name your app. You can even use the combination of the both for the same.
Keywords: First of all look for all the words that relate with your app. Now start choosing the ones that are specific as well as unique to the app. Don’t hesitate to choose the long-tail keywords too. Once you have them start doing the keyword research regularly.
Description: For any app description, the first three lines are very important. So make sure you use them rightly and mention all your key features therein using the right keywords.
As most of the apps get traffic from organic search, keyword optimization can definitely help to achieve that on search results.
7. Failing To Set The App Release Date in Prior
We all want the app to be released on the day the last line of code is written but, something more important is to plan the app release in advance and come up with a release date. This will help you get a better press coverage.
Moreover, when you plan an app release date just make sure that it does not coincide with any major release in the tech world as it will take away all the limelight. Moreover, Sunday is the best day for app launch according to TechCrunch. Even if you plan to release your app on any other date there is no issue. Just make sure having a fixed release date will help you build anticipation among the users before the release. You can even ask the experts to preview the app before it hits the market.
8. Ignoring The App Store Creativity
When it comes to app development, you take even the smallest thing into consideration, right? You invest good time and efforts on the app icon before you make the launch. You spend hours deciding the icon colour, design, colour combinations and test them from time and again. So when you do so, take some time off your schedule and invest them for some app store creativity too. No doubt, attractive screenshots and appealing videos previews will create the anticipation among the users and help go a long way to increasing conversion rates.
9. Ignoring To Get Maximum Through Web Presence
Like any other app developing company, you have put in some efforts and money to plan advertising campaigns to let your users notice it on the app store. But let me ask you that have you tried to get the maximum out of your web presence to increase conversion in the form of downloads? Now, this is something everyone forgets and ignores. So plan out the strategies to create a microsite for your app. You can even take up the option of blogging to spread the word and increase the app visibility in the search results. This will go a long way to get a steady traffic to your app on the app store.
10. Failing To Promote Your App On Social Networks
We all are active on social media sites and have even found ways to connect with the target audience there. But have you any time thought about having a special social media marketing strategies to promote your app? If yes, then well and good.
If not, then here is your chance to do so and get the maximum conversion rates once your app is launched.
Offer incentives – We all love it, so your target audience too. In case you are having a gaming app, you can offer extra lives or levels. When it comes to in-app purchases just check out the free things you can give away to promote more downloads. This will also help you get more follows on social media pages.
Give a human touch – Gone are the days when the robotic tone was used to communicate with the audience. So try to find a tone that matches with your target audience. Once your audience will be attracted towards you, they will find it interesting to stay on the app.
Schedule your posts – If you feel that it takes the time to post on social media sites, better start scheduling them. This will save you enough time and will let you have time for other activities.
You can even make use of social media ads to attract your audience and for this, you must first know on which social media site your audience spends more time. So accordingly spread the word about your app through the ads.
11. Underrating Reviews And Ratings
Many app developers think that ratings and reviews matter only when the user download the app on their mobile devices and start using it. The fact is that this is not at all necessary. When it comes to the ranking algorithm, ratings and reviews are very important. Moreover, positive reviews about your app will confirm it is beneficial thus increasing the number of downloads.
12. Failing To Pitch Your App On Quality Blogging Sites
It is a bitter truth that your app will not get all the attention the moment it is released. One of the main reasons for it is that your app is not talked about by any credible blogger. So waste no time and get it pitched today.
Simply sending an email will not work. You have to take care of certain things to convince the blogger to write for you.
- Keep the email short with all necessary information.
- Let the editor know why he should be working for you.
- Offer them a beta version so that they can use and test the app on their own.
- Try to build a personal connection with the editor rather than simply talk about the app.
13. Thinking PR is Everything
There are a number of developers out there who think that once your app is on MobileMinute, Mashable or TechCrunch you are done. No doubt PR is very important when it comes to implementing marketing techniques, it does not mean that you will be doing fine. If your app is good then it will get better coverage which will help you drive sales. One of the advantages of PR is that it will help you get reviews and comments which you can put in your app description to boost sales.
At the end of the day, something matters is the quality of your app. If your app is good enough you will definitely get great sales.
14. Not Concentrating On The Features
Whether it is Google or Apple, they both want quality apps in their app store. But there is one more thing that they want to have in the apps. They want to showcase the best of technology through the apps. If your app focuses on some distinctive features or has some functions that make you use specific keys, they will love your app for sure. Even though it does not guarantee success but it is definitely a wise move.
The app store platform is evolving continuously and so for the same reason, you have to keep yourself updated as marketers. To be safe, just keep these pre-launch pitfalls in mind whenever you plan to launch a new app. You can even create a checklist and make sure everything is tried at different stages. Just remember that every small detail matters when it comes to app marketing.
