New products and mobile apps are released every day, but how many of them become successful? If you don’t plan your promotional strategy beforehand, your new product risks to be lost in the crowd of similar and more reputable solutions. So, it is crucial to start marketing your new product or app even before it is launched to the market.
If you want people to download your application, you need a professional app listing on the App Store or/and Google Play. Most people install certain apps after they see them on the top positions of their categories. On the stage of creating the app you have to prepare all promotional materials and plan your marketing strategy. Mobile applications, just like websites, need advertising as a part of marketing as well. It's almost impossible to achieve the required number of downloads for your application “naturally”. At least at the initial stage.
It’s important to start marketing strategy in advance, because it will increase the commercial efficiency of the software in the future. Your pre launch marketing activities should include:
- App Store Optimization. This is the process aimed to increase app’s visibility on the marketplaces and get higher rankings. Put yourself in your potential user’s place and think about what would force you to download a certain app. The design, useful features, etc. You need to create a catchy icon which is unique, trendy, and simple at the same time, write informative and optimized with relevant keywords description. Add appealing professional screenshots, because the visual side is incredibly important as well.
- Create a Mobile-Friendly Websit Having a website dedicated to your product or mobile application is crucial for getting organic traffic from search engines. This is the part of your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy. On a landing page or website you can publish news about your product even during the development stage to get people prepared for the launch. You can also run a blog posting articles on topics relevant to your product’s niche and optimized with the keywords you want to rank for. For example, if you are developing a language learning app, it is recommended to create a blog dedicated to learning foreign languages, providing tips and describing the challenges people may face while learning. Here is a good example of a language learning website.
- Work With the Journalists. The more authoritative media writes about your product, the more downloads you will receive in the first days after its launch to the marketplaces. Don’t forget about bloggers and influencers in your niche. Find those who have big audiences and make reviews about similar products. People often make their choice after listening to someone’s opinion.
- Launch Advertising Campaigns. In addition to the main advertising channels, it is recommended to launch a remarketing campaign. The user sees advertising directly on their mobile device – on search pages, websites, social networks, and in other applications. These ads will be shown to users who are interested in similar products or have visited your app landing page and haven’t downloaded the product yet.
- Remember About Measuring KPIs. After test advertising campaigns and getting first results, you need to adjust your campaign targeting, creatives, etc.
The work on your product isn’t finished when it is developed and launched to the market. Without new updates, improvements, a comprehensive marketing campaign and content strategy, as well as professional technical support for your users, your application will achieve the highest rankings and visibility on the crowded and highly competitive market.
