6 App Marketing Avenues That Most Developers Miss

Posted on Sep 24 2014 - 8:59am by Chirag Leuva

App

Making your app stand out in the crowd is no longer an easy business as millions of apps across diverse niches are gunning for better visibility and app store search ranks and implementing array of marketing maneuvers. Obviously having a huge marketing budget a lot many options can be at your disposal. You can spend a hefty amount on buying precious downloads and still may not get the enough leverage in respect of visibility and prominence. This happened to so many app marketers.

So, just spending on downloads won’t help in garnering better search ranks and ratings. You have to count on all possible marketing avenues reach as many people as possible. Sometimes instead of spending huge money on ads and so called paid downloads you can make things happen on their own. Just make some smart moves taking all the traditional internet marketing avenues and see how things get going. Here below we are introducing 6 app marketing avenues that most developers miss.

Drive Your Self-Generated PR Campaign

You might have thought PR is best done by professional agencies as far gaining marketing advantage is concerned. Though professional PR agencies have a bigger list of contacts and they have proven expertise in letting products, services and apps get good reviews you yourself can also drive a good PR campaign if you know how to do it. Getting your app reviewed by reputed bloggers and media personalities is not a very hard task if you know how to develop contacts among them and then make them buy your story. Here we provide a few simple tips.

  • Do not make so called ‘cold calls’ and ‘cold contacts’ selling your app story and asking bloggers and journalists to review your app. If they never heard about your app, your chances are very low to influence them.
  • Focus on building relationships with influential bloggers, journalists and media-persons way before your app is actually launched. Even while your app is live and running continue building these contacts and relationships.
  • Build your reputation as an active and positive member in reputed niche online forums and social media platforms. After striking a responsive relationship approach a few persons to review your app. Choose those with a reputed link or background.

Take the lead through content marketing

After all, content is in the driver’s seat on the web. Creating original, unique and relevant content you can build a solid reputation and attract too many people to know about your app and eventually try it. Entertaining media posts, informative articles, uniquely explaining infographics and stunning screenshots all are good contents to make people take positive interest in your content. Publishing value adding content you make people known about the benefits of your app and in the due course build relationship. Thus content marketing not only leads to reaching bigger audience but it actually helps to create a positive vibe and expectation concerning your app. Let us provide here a few effective tips for content marketing.

  • Publish regular blogs and articles on your app.
  • Start publishing contents on your app well in advance before the app launch.
  • While publishing contents on your site or other websites do not forget to provide app page links.
  • Make interesting content presentation introducing variety of elements like infographics, images, video and rich media contents, etc.
  • Publish authoritative and informative contents on your niche. People always believe in expertise and if you can make them believe in you, your app will gain audience from them.

Market Your App through Social Media

Many app developers simply fail to optimize their presence on the social media for the benefit of their app. It is not just about how many followers you have generated or how many ‘Likes’ you have garnered. It is more about taking feedback and making more users know about your app. Social media offers the open wide platform to gain access to millions of potential audience whom you can address your app. Through social media you can create your own loyal users who will promote the app through their posts. Here below we provide some tips for social media marketing.

  • Try targeting audience with specific interests or demographics. For instance, demographic targeting in Facebook can be a help to do this.
  • Post interesting contents using rich media, infographics, visuals, screenshots and good arguments in favor of your content.
  • Offer giveaways, free coupons, free limited access to app, promotional products to promote your app among users.
  • Post app review links and guest blog links.
  • Create an interactive and positive reputation by publishing regular expertise driven contents on your niche.

Do not Ignore App Promotion Networks

Many developers simply do not consider app promotion networks to be viable option for making their app reach bigger audience. The fact is, these app promotion networks can be truly effective to get downloads or promote it with only a little effort or cost. In the last few years these networks have been improved to a great extent and contrary to so called fear they just do not interfere with your app functionality but offer the easiest and cheapest promotional avenue.

Use your network on LinkedIn

When you launch a new game app your business contacts and friends in LinkedIn network can come to your aid in a great way. Whether it is a shopping app or travel or a kids game app, you can count on your own network. Nurturing the relationship and addressing people on the spur of the moment of launch is what is important. Do some research to find out people you might have known and try to find your old colleagues, business contacts and acquaintances on the network.

Focus on non-app tier-2 review site PR

Most developers just focus on prime app review sites accessed and targeted by millions. In these sites most apps are reviewed and audience here is more or less habituated with such reviews. Targeting these may be the part of your regular process of marketing. But focusing on several tier-2 niche sites can make your app get introduced to their audience. For instance if you have a travel app, reach out to travel blogs, sites and magazines. They may not be tech bloggers, but their review can attract niche users to whom your app is addressed to.

The above outline indicates that as a developer you should not leave any possible avenue of marketing to promote your app. More expansive and extensive your marketing effort can be better the chances of your app to gain leads.

About the Author

Chirag Leuva is a CEO of an iPhone app development company named Yudiz Solutions; where he works to bring client ideas to reality. He enjoys pushing the limits of user interaction and finding ways to create awesome reusable components within a mobile environment.