Comprehensive Guide to Mobile App Marketing: 31 Effective Strategies
Do you know how to promote your mobile apps?
What if there are tens of thousands of apps already in your niche, is it still possible to get lots of people to download your app?
Absolutely.
But don’t take my word for it. In this in-depth guide to mobile app marketing, I’ll show you how to build a useful app that people will be quickly download and use.
If you truly want to grab the attention of smartphone users, you need more than a mobile responsive website. You need a mobile app.
Key Takeaways
- App Necessity: With 70% of the global population using smartphones, apps are crucial for future marketing.
- App Competition: Over 1.2 million apps exist on major platforms, but many are inactive.
- App Purpose: Clearly define your app’s purpose to ensure it meets user needs and justifies its creation.
- Distribution Channels: Validating and using effective distribution channels is key to app success.
- Brand Understanding: Apps should help users understand your brand, even if the impact isn’t easily measurable.
With nearly 70% of the global population having a smartphone, you can see that the future of mobile marketing lies with the apps.
The term app is short for “application software.”
The use of apps became in promoting a brand or product became necessary when mobile technology exploded few years ago, with more people using mobile devices to access the internet than desktop.
When this application software lives inside your phone or tablet, it provides seamless access to vital information that a particular website, portal, channel or API offers.
Since May 2012 ComScore have reported that more mobile subscribers used mobile apps to browse the web. In fact, a study by Flurry found that the U.S. Mobile Apps use has grown beyond Web Consumption at 94 minutes a day.
Mobile users love apps because no web address is needed, and all the tedious navigation menu of large media sites are bypassed.
The competition within mobile app developers is high. As I write this guide, more than 1.2 million apps resides on both Google Play store and Apple App Store.
Unfortunately, roughly 700,000 of these apps are considered dead – they’ve never been updated. Specifically, 65% iOS apps, 41% Android apps, and 69% Windows apps are dead.
And since these apps are dead, only few people get to see, download, and use them. It’s wise to always keep your apps updated, and don’t relent on promoting it.
Because it doesn’t matter how powerful and useful your app is, unless you actively market it, it’s as good as nothing.
Before we look at the 31 powerful mobile app marketing strategies to promote your mobile apps, let’s consider the 3-step process:
Step #1: Define The Purpose of Your Mobile App
Do you want to know what customers want in your product?
According to Harvard Business School,
“Marketers should think less about market segments and more about the jobs customers want to do. A Harvard Business Review excerpt by HBS professor Clayton M. Christensen, Intuit’s Scott Cook, and Advertising Research Foundation’s Taddy Hall.”
While validating your idea for an app, bear in mind that unless it’s useful to your target audience – you’ll be wasting time.
To justify the cost of creating a mobile app, you really need to define its purpose. No matter how effective your distribution channel is, if your app isn’t something people need, no one will be interested.
Hence, the purpose of your mobile app must be connected with the value it’ll provide for users.
Yes, you may use your own app, but ultimately you want the target audience to download it. They need it more than you do.
Remember that your mobile app doesn’t have to be out-of-this-world to fulfill a specific purpose.
What your mobile app represents MUST be clear to users. You can make a simple and clear introduction of your app in one sentence.
An example of a kitchen app with a definite purpose is Thyme:
So it’s a kitchen timer, which means that it can help chefs and cooks get more done on time.
Another useful app is Lumosity. It’s an educational mobile app that helps improve brain and IQ. See the purpose in red highlight.
With few exceptions, every mobile app should sync with social media to enable people share useful content or offers with their friends. But that’s not all. It should equally help people understand your brand better – even though you can’t easily measure the impact of your branding.
When you’re armed with this, then you can tell it’s time to design a mobile app that’s precisely targeted to do the job. In other words, the purpose, not the customer, is the fundamental focus of your app.
If you’re going to sell your mobile app, no matter how much you love the customer – nothing happens until you communicate clearly the “reason” why your so-called loved audience should download and use it.
Step #2: Validate Your Distribution Channels
We love mobile apps. There are several reasons why we can’t stop talking about them. I’m sure these 3 reasons will resonate with me:
How did you find your favorite mobile app?
Is it through a friend, from the Google Play store, Apple store, or someone sent you a direct link?
It doesn’t matter how. It’s obvious the app developers and marketers were keen in distributing it. They used the right distribution channels to get the app directly to you.
You should do likewise.
The ultimate measure of your mobile app success is when users find success as they download and use it. Period.
If you’re obsessed with a vision for transforming markets, helping your ideal customers, making real impact in a troubled world with your application software, and you’ve the insights and courage to make your idea a reality, you can’t fail.
Having transformed markets, take a look at Starbucks Weekly Mobile App Transactions. That’s $6 million in the Q2 2014. Mind blowing!
And guess what? It begins when you validate your distribution channels.
MaRS defined distribution thus:
“Distribution refers to the process of getting your product into the hands of your target customer, whether that is an individual consumer or a business user. Entrepreneurs need to identify effective distribution channel(s) to reach their target customer.”
Notice that knowing whether or not your mobile app will be a success isn’t connected to the customer, but the purpose.
As mobile use continues to grow 58% year over year, it’s your duty to identify the distribution channels that are bringing in these results.
Copywriters can relate with this. As a copywriter, you may recall that when writing product benefits, you’re not necessarily looking to understand whether or not the customer will like it.
What you’re concerned about are the “needs” or “questions” which they’re asking. Providing answers to them is what sets your copy apart from others.
To successfully market your mobileIn validating the distribution channel, you’ve got to know what a particular site that you intend to promote your app stands for.
| Platform | Ideal For | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Business-related apps | More business people on the platform, less need for filters | |
| General audience | Requires thorough filtering to find the right audience | |
| General audience | Requires thorough filtering to find the right audience |
Doing so will help you produce and position your ad copy, blog posts, videos, podcasts, and more.
4. Hire Mobile App Marketing Agencies
You’ve just completed a successful app design and development. And now you’re faced with marketing challenges.
Though you’ve tried integrating lots of marketing strategies, but still haven’t seen any improvement on app downloads or in-app sales.
You’ve millions of people ready to download your app. Statista estimated that global app downloads will surpass 100 billion in 2016.
Is it possible for an app to get drowned and not enjoy a slice of this downloads?
Absolutely.
But don’t feel bad about it.
There’s is good news.
You can hire a mobile app agency to support you.
A mobile app marketing agency is a company that specializes in helping business owners get their apps to their target audience. They have got the right networks, expertise, and tools to promote your mobile app.
| Agency Name | Website |
|---|---|
| Pulse Mobile | Visit Site |
| AMA: App Marketing Agentur | Visit Site |
| On The Mob | Visit Site |
| GameBerry | N/A |
| M&C Saatchi Mobile | Visit Site |
With the increase in mobile usage, especially for accessing the web, rooting yourself deeply into it will definitely boost your mobile downloads.
It’s now a clear statement that companies should also be driven by mobile-first approach, and not just building mobile presence.
This is why you need a mobile app marketing agency, instead of depending on your in-house efforts.
In order to attain a great success, you need to leverage on what other agencies have built over the years. Relying on a trial and error method will waste your time, energy and money.
But by hiring a mobile app marketing agency, you can rest assured that your app marketing is in the hands of professionals.
9. Resolve Negative Reviews Promptly
There are lots of apps out there, about 1.5 billion in the Apple Store and 1.6 billion on Google Play.
You can see the consumers have to be smart when choosing an app to download.
Yes, every company wants their app to be downloaded, installed, and used. But how many of these companies are ready to resolve negative reviews promptly?
A case study commissioned by ITR to identify the reason for the high rate of uninstalled app shows the following:
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| App crashes frequently | 71% |
| App is too slow | 59% |
| App drains battery | 55% |
| App takes too much storage | 53% |
Obviously, the chances that your app will be uninstalled is high. That’s why you need to put every users’ complaints into consideration.
Remember that a loyal customer today could switch to another brand as a result of unresolved complaints. Tell me, who wants to lose a loyal customer?
Several studies have found that it takes 7x more to acquire a new customer than to retain already existing ones. User acquisition is obviously crucial, but retention is equally important.
Treat your customers like kings. Because they are.
And don’t forget that customers who complain are more likely to make a purchase, and use your service again if their reports are properly resolved.
15. Create a Facebook Group
Contact Facebook groups’ admins to mention your mobile app is great. But how about creating your own Facebook group?
| Platform | Reason to Choose |
|---|---|
| Massive audience, ideal for building a community and engaging users. | |
| Professional networking, but may not have the same level of engagement for app promotion. |
Massive audience!
I guess that’s exactly what you’re looking for, right?
What you need do is – gather like-minded people and build a community. Don’t make the mistake of promoting your mobile app at every given opportunity.
On the contrary, answer questions, create interesting and rich content, and only recommend or talk about your app when necessary.
When people are engaged, you know you’re ready to use your group to market your business.
If your mobile app is related to “Running” then create a Facebook group that unites Runners under one umbrella.
As these people socialize and feel important, they’ll convert into app users or customers.
| Aspect | Push Notifications | Email Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Response Rate | 97% | 3800% ROI |
| Usage | Mobile devices | B2B and B2C marketers |
Technology today is simplifying the way people live, do business, and travel. You don’t want to be left behind. Do you?
As a marketer, you can decide to send push notifications to your target audience or selected group of people.
Read what David Cheesewright, Wal-Mart International President and CEO said about technology:
“Wherever we operate, everything starts with the customer, and I see customer’s shopping habits changing more rapidly than I can remember.”
He added…
“Customers are shopping more online, with mobile devices, and they really like convenience. If our customers changes fast, we have to change even faster if we want to continue to exceed their expectations.”
22. Create Irresistible App Icon
After designing your App icon, can you boldly say, “I am happy with my end product?”
Designing an app icon that users can’t ignore is hard. You must be good at what you do to create an icon that represents your app well.
It’s often said that “first impression matters.” What comes to mind when you see these brand icons?
Humans are visual creatures. People are drawn towards beautiful visuals. That’s why we gaze at good houses or cars and appreciate them.
We are irresistibly drawn beauty. Therefore, designing an icon that speaks and represents your app should be the first step to promoting your app. And it has to be done well.
| Considerations | Details |
|---|---|
| Shape and Size | Ensure the icon is appropriately sized and shaped for visibility. |
| Color | Choose colors that are visually appealing and represent your brand. |
| Wordings | Avoid irrelevant wordings that clutter the icon. |
| Borders | Incorporate borders to make the icon stand out. |
Funny enough, looking over your competitor’s app icons would be a smart decision you can make to kick off. Here are 5 Steps to Designing the Perfect Icon for Your Mobile App.
27. Reach Out to Your Mobile App Influencers via Email
Email marketing has much more potentials than what the average mobile marketer can make of it.
This is true, especially where your emails are optimized and segmented, your mobile app marketing has a greater chance of yielding a significant ROI
You can also influence your local community. Assuming the solution your mobile app provides is targeted to address a localized problem, consider a local mailout.
There are a handful of strategies to reach out, in order to make the most of such local influence. This includes the following:
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| Organize a challenge. | Let your audience know how they can participate, in order to complete a certain task or tasks and tag themselves with hashtags on social media platforms. This defines your mobile marketing as trendy, which can go beyond the roofs like the messy desk contest we talked about earlier (still remember?). It’s easy to replicate the success of Shoeboxed. It all boils down to rewarding your contestant’s effort publicly. |
| Giveaways have become easy. | Your mobile app marketing can take advantage of giveaways, to gain traction. People love free stuff, which is now quite easy to generate with the assistance of the likes of Rafflecopter, PunchTab, et al. Also discounts and cheaper prices on certain days can pay off big time for your mobile app marketing – but remember to let your mobile app users know via push notifications, and your email newsletter. |
| Prior users of your mobile app should be engaged again. | Not only would you succeed in regaining the trust of your app users but retain their loyalty. Thanks to Google’s engagement campaign strategy, Facebook mobile advertising, and more. |
| Pitch for speaking engagement. | Make efforts to land public speaking engagements. Your mobile marketing can benefit so much from the audience, and immeasurable support. Though an opportunity to share your wisdom at conferences, panel discussions, and exhibitions, don’t forget it’s more about the problem that your app can solve, not about the users you want. |
28. Develop an Accompanying App Video
Add a video intro to your mobile app.
Of course, you need to do this with caution because a video becomes an option when your app has proven effective on other channels or formats.
A survey conducted by Spectrecom Films showed that, “73% of respondents find videos helpful when making purchase decisions online.”
That taken, you’re bound to spend a lot of money to produce a video for your app. This may not be very convenient especially when your mobile app has changed several times since its launch. Take a look at Sandwich Video.
Create a YouTube channel for your videos. Post interesting content regularly, from series, development updates to industry news, and more.
Given YouTube’s popularity, your mobile app marketing videos can be a part of over one billion daily views from mobile devices.
In addition to your channel, your mobile app marketing can take advantage of podcasts. Your mobile app should emphasize on the problem you solve and how you solve it. Fizzle is a good case study.
But don’t be limited by podcasts. You can leverage slide presentations as well.
Your mobile marketing Slide Presentations can help someone start a project. So start creating slideshare presentations, and increase your app downloads today.s. Capitalize on the most interesting features of your mobile app, such that your audience can’t resist it.
You can also use Guerilla marketing to promote your mobile app?
One simple way to get started is to develop small app Cards and share them in Local Business Outlets, Cafes, etc.
Build important relationships with editors, and get recognized for developing a mobile app that truly helps people.
On a regular, share content that are interesting across other social media channels such as Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Make sure to use your images with your mobile app trademark.
It’s better to first share such a content on your blog, and from there sync images and share to other blogs. Interested users are certainly going to enjoy the content on your blog.
Above all, you’ll likely get press attention if you continually update your mobile app.
Conclusion
Last but not least, if you want your mobile app to reach hundreds of thousands of users, you might need to run a Facebook ad or Google Ad.
| Marketing Strategy | Time to Produce Results | Potential Downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Free marketing strategies | Long | Varies |
| Paid advertising | Short | 10,000 by tomorrow |
Above all, marketing your app consistently is the only way to guarantee you attain long-term success. There’s no shortcut. But the rewards are worth the while. You don’t need to hire a mobile marketing agency either. Just follow the strategies listed above.