25 best ways to promote your mobile app

The journey of app development can be quite tiresome, thereby making the launch of it extremely crucial to its success.

The launch and promotion of your mobile app is something that cannot be neglected at all.

Why?

As of February this year, there were almost 8.93 million mobile apps existing in our ecosystem.

This massive number makes it even more essential to understand why launching your app and promoting mobile apps is important. Promoting your app can be a constant effort, to ensure your app’s success, and to give financial returns (if any!).

While there maybe multiple ways available to promote your app, it is of utmost importance to identify the ones that are best suited for your app.

Let’s dig in. 

Research the market for mobile app promotion

Let your target audience define your marketing strategy! You must focus on knowing and understanding your target audience.

This research on potential customers is helpful while planning the marketing strategy.

Your potential customer can help you define your marketing channels rather properly, thereby avoiding any wasted efforts.

For instance, in case of an app that is for senior citizens, you’d want to ensure more spending on advertisements rather than social media.
Similarly,

for a much younger audience, it can help you define whether to invest time and efforts on blogs, or social media platforms, or offline events.

Decide a brand message

Knowing the exact vision and mission is important! Ask yourself.

What is the purpose of your app?

What is the reason?

Broadly speaking, the vision and mission statement is important to understand (and be clear) what your app and brand truly stands for.

It is when your brand message is clear that you know where to channel promotion energies.

Spend time on the App Icon

Aesthetics are everything!

No, seriously!

No matter what the category of your business or app is, one must never take their App Icon non seriously.

You must spend enough time, resources and energy on developing an app icon that is both aesthetically pleasing, and eye catching.

This will ensure a stronger recall value and can also result in downloads directly from any app store without any targeted marketing.

Categorize your app wisely

Categorization enables browsing based downloads!

While uploading your app on any app store, make sure you choose the right category for your app.

Why is this important? A lot of time, people tend to scroll through these categories trying to find an app that matches their requirements.

This way, your app has more chances of being seen and downloaded.

Set up a website for mobile app promotion

One website, a number of uses! 

Do you need it?

Not necessarily.

Should you have it?

Yes!

To begin with, it shows legitimacy.

This website can also be used to show your contact information, along with your brand messaging and ideas. You can and must link your app on this website to drive traffic.

This website also acts as a legit source of all information before your app is launched.

Create a teaser page

Build up the buzz! Work on a crazy teaser!

A teaser page on your website (or your website as a teaser page) could work wonders before a launch.

How does it help?

It builds a pre-buzz and driving momentum even before your app is launched. This teaser could be short videos, screenshots of your app’s UI, and what the audience should expect. A good teaser could even lead up to people signing up for a demo version..

Blog about your app

You have got to keep the conversation going!

Think of this as killing two birds with one stone-

You get to build up on SEO (so important right?)

and

You also get to disseminate information on your app.

A simple, self-written blog could result in great SEO results, and could keep the conversation going by talking about updates that may be coming up soon.

Setup all Social media for mobile app promotion

And no, that doesn’t mean only Facebook!

You’ll be surprised to find out how much traffic your app can get if you set up a valid social media presence on all possible (yet relevant) platforms.

This simply means, in order for your marketing to be truly successful, you must have social media platform for your brand and app.

Choose your platforms wisely!!

And invest in good content that is relevant and has the potential to go viral.

Create an intro video

Videos are the new photos!

Create a video that clearly speaks out its purpose.

Videos also help you showcase everything you’ve worked in a beautiful and aesthetic manner.

Mix it up:

Have below the scenes

screenshots from your app,

tutorials etc.

You can choose to make it humorous, entertaining or informative so that your audience can easily relate to it. Publish it in your official YouTube channel and also embed it within content you’ll be producing in future.

Dedicate time for app store optimization

It’s the holy grail!

We all understand the importance of SEO and we invest our energies in it

but

for any app to be successful App Store Optimization aka ASO has to be the holy grail.

It is extremely difficult to get a top rank on any app store since it comes in relation to the downloads and reviews. However, it can be controlled by making sure your app is described well and categorized properly.

Make sure-

Your app description is very clear.

Has a good title and a description that states the purpose clearly.

Include relevant keywords.

And voila! You automatically increase the visibility of your app, thereby making it important to focus on the description of your app.

Create informative infographics

We told you, aesthetics is everything!

No,

we don’t mean those long infographics that fill the page and overshare information.

But,

you must work to create genuinely attractive, engaging and relevant information that your readers and target audience love to consume.

Define the objective of your app

What exactly does it do?

Typically?

A 1-2 liner, that clearly defines what your app does.

This becomes your unofficial messaging as well and helps not just your TG but your team to stay on the right track.

Offer a Promotional Price for mobile app promotion

Everyone loves a discount!

In case you are planning to keep your app paid, or in case of in-app purchases, promotions and discounted price can work wonders.

A promotional price enables people to try out the app without having to spend the full amount (with the added happiness of getting a discount).

Respond to All App Review & Questions

A thank you or sorry can go a long way!

If your consumer has the taken the time out to write a review, or feedback or question,

you must respond to them!

This creates a positive image in front of the consumer and helps you in engaging with your customers. This holds true for all positive and negative feedback. You must remember to take negative feedback as constructive criticisms and try to understand and solve the problem.

Like we said, a thank you or a sorry can go a long way in helping you build a loyal customer base, and positive PR.

Be a Part of New App Discovery Sites

The more the merrier!

With new and upcoming mobile app discovery websites coming up every day, you must try and feature on as many as possible (relevant of course).

Each of these websites have a different reader base, thereby ensuring your exposure to a large number of readers.

Get on Editor’s Choice

The big stuff!

Every app store has editors that usually feature their own list of top apps available on that particular app store.

If those app store editors like your app, you make it to the list that has a large number of viewership.

Usually these apps are picked basis design, creativity and performance.

Get on that list!

Include a Friend Invite for mobile app promotion

There is no publicity like the word of mouth!

Or in this case,

Invite a friend.

You can offer discounts (if relevant) or some sort of promotions if a user invites a friend.

Get Users to Open your Apps

Just downloading isn’t enough!

It is quite frustrating when you have the app downloads but not the engagement, views or the number of users required.

This usually happens when people download the app and do not use it.

This can be solved using push notifications or advertisements.

Update Your App Regularly

Nobody likes bugs!

No really,

it’s not just about bugs.

While constant updates help eliminate any bugs, these updates also make a customer feel that you are constantly working to make the app better.

This could be just improving the current performance, or working on bringing newer things to the app.

Bring on those updates.

Try Guerrilla Advertising

Go offline!

Think about it,

no matter how much digital push you drive or digital marketing you work on, an offline marketing strategy still ends up reaching out to a much larger and newer segment of consumers.

Guerrilla advertising works on 4 major pillars- Appear, Confuse, Clarify and Disappear.

Focus on Screenshots

One last time, aesthetics is everything!

Focus on finding good screenshots that solve a problem or cater to FAQs or even act as a tutorial.

Remembering an image is easier than reading.

Get on Alternative App Stores

The more the better!

While focus on the major ones (because that’s where the audiences are), also try and feature on alternate app stores.

This opens up the world to entirely new audiences.

However,

before deciding on this, it is best to understand the demographic of your target audience.

Encourage Feedbacks and Reviews

Yes, even the negative ones!

Feedback and reviews not only make your app look authentic on an app store listing, but also keep you in touch with your audience and consumers.

All negative feedback can give you a scope of improvement and may actually end up helping you grow.

Link the App to your Email Signature

Increase the visibility and brand recall!

Email signatures are a great way to easily inform all your contacts and customers about your app.

You can link this to your landing page or website, or directly to an app store.

Why?

This will not only increase visibility but also increase brand recall as people constantly see it.

Focus on PR: Media and Press could be Key!

No matter what the business, PR matters!

A good PR team can handle all your press and media requirements. This includes a press release for launch, good media relations, and constant chatter in the press.

The same team will also work on-

featuring your app in all relevant industry stories and articles, thereby increasing the credibility of the app.
While there are a massive number of ways in which the promotion of an app can be tackled, it is important to understand that all the ways might not be relevant for a certain app. It is not just important to understand why promotion is required but it is also necessary to know the right channels and ways to invest your money and ener

Our digital engineering company is fully equipped with the right tools and technologies to promote your application and take it to the next level.