Today it is a well-known fact that the launch of a mobile app can become a huge milestone for businesses as this software solution is able to open absolutely new opportunities for companies in their interaction with clients. As a result, it is possible to build much closer relations with the audience which will have a positive impact on companies’ profits and customer satisfaction.
But given the tough competition that we can observe in the markets today and the growing number of mobile applications launched by businesses, it is becoming more and more difficult to stand out from the row of rivals just because you have a good mobile app. Just imagine, according to Statista, as of Q3 2022, the number of apps available on Google play was over 3.5 million, while on Apple App Store, another 1.6 million are waiting to be downloaded.
It doesn’t mean that the quality and functionality of your solution do not matter. Of course, they do. But it is also important to think about how you are going to promote your app and position it on the market.
In this article, we want to share some practical tips that can help you market custom mobile applications in the right way. It is important to bear in mind that mobile app marketing covers multiple steps and stages from the moment when potential users just learn about the existence of your solution to the moment they turn into a loyal audience.
Pre-Launch stage: Build awareness
At this stage, it is important to tell the potential audience about your application and your brand. But to do it correctly, you need to know the interests and preferences of your users. It is recommended to conduct market research and create user personas. All this will help you to better understand what channels you can use to promote your app, how you should explain its functionality, what pains of your audience it will solve, etc.
As for the product itself, you also need to define the ways of telling people about it. You can launch a website or a landing page, you can use social media accounts of your company, cooperate with bloggers, and rely on content marketing. The main idea here is to choose the marketing tactics based on the peculiarities of potential users. For example, let’s admit that when you are launching an app for seniors, TikTok won’t be the best platform for advertising it.
Acquisition stage: Attract users
When your mobile app is launched, it is still too early to relax. Mainly, you should continue doing what you’ve started at the first step. You should use as many opportunities as possible to expand the number of people who know about your app and who are interested in downloading your application. You can opt for a paid strategy for placing ads on social media platforms that are popular among your potential users.
But what makes this stage different from the previous one is that you can also use app marketplaces as a promotional tool.
Your task is to rank higher in search results on app stores. Here, it will be useful to apply the principles of ASO (App Store Optimization). It includes adding a detailed description of your app, good screenshots, and videos, choosing the right keyword, etc. In other words, you need to do everything to make sure that your app is visible.
Retention stage: Offer something new
When some businesses see that the number of downloads is growing, they believe that they have already achieved their final goal. But it is not so. Now it is important to convert new users into lifelong customers. Below you can find some ideas on how to do it.
We recommend you establish two-way communication with your users. For example, it can be done via in-app messages and notifications. But please bear in mind that you shouldn’t be very annoying. Of course, it will be a good idea to inform users about a 50% discount on your products but it will be very irritating if you start doing it 5 times per day.
How to ensure continuous success
Of course, all companies, all brands, and apps are absolutely unique and it is impossible to use the same marketing strategies for all of them and expect that the chosen approaches will work the same way.
That’s why it is highly recommended to track how your community reacts to different tactics and approaches. For example, many projects note the high efficiency of referral programs and bonuses. In some other cases, “burst campaigns” that presuppose purchasing paid media exposure over a short period of time can bring amazing results. Moreover, it is always a good idea to ask users for feedback. Thanks to various surveys you can get valuable insights that will help you to make your product better.
