As of July 2015, there were about 1.6 million apps in the app-market with Apple’s App Store leading the way with 1.5 million of them. Every day, thousands of apps enter the market aimed at generating brand interest, establishing customer base and sustaining the built reputation (through multiple ways, the prime one being retention of consumers). How to make your app the best choice in a category? How do you ensure that your app stands out in the overcrowded app-market? Here are three major categories with corresponding strategies to glue the users to your app:
- Experience of the app
THE FACE LIFT: Designing for Success
The design of an app is lifeline to your customer’s loyalty. Regardless of how one markets and promotes it, the groundwork has to be fertile for attracting customers and for driving visitor to customer conversion rates.
Studies show that over 85% of downloaded apps are used once and uninstalled by the users. This implies that you have approximately 30 seconds to create an impression and convince the customer to continue using it. When someone opens your app, it should be able to explain its purpose clearly. For instance, consider Splitwise’s homepage- “Split expenses with friends.” This clearly shows the intention of app with no frills.
The signup procedure should be simple, such that the potential user has multiple options to avoid putting in the required data (Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn). If the user has to navigate heavily to reach a particular space, then she would rather use another app that simplifies the task. Deemed one of the top 20 best new apps in 2015, Eve is famous for the interactive and easy-to-use interface. Apart from adding in games, it is a repository on female health accompanied with menstruation-n-ovulation tracking system. Most importantly, remember to include within your app one feature that will amaze your customers- the “WOW” factor. Consider The Room which comes with outstanding mystery games, has 3D design and what has been described as the “urge to complete”. Originality will set your app apart from the ocean of homogeneity in the app market.
THE BRAIN: Impeccable Performance
There are three main criteria for checking the performance of an app among others: the amount of battery consumed, speed and privacy and safety. When you endorse your app, it is highly important that you let the users know that none of their personal information will be accessed or updated without their permission.
- Paid Advertising
THE APP-(ALL)OWANCE
Today, paid advertising is the only method to gain a vast customer base in short time period. There are many pricing schemes like Cost-Per-Click (CPC), Cost-Per-Install (CPI) and Cost-Per-Action (CPA). CPI has gained considerable following over the last few years while CPA is still on the way.
Here are three avenues to put up your app ads:
Social Media: Joining the Virtual Social Life
The best way to market your app is through social media platforms. Not only can you easily reach the targeted audience but actively participate in their social lives through interactive updates and notes. The most efficient ad-partners are AppLife, Twitter, Facebook, AppFlood and Google.
Hardcore Promotional Steps: Celebrity Tweets and Co-Promotions
The most expensive and effective way to market your app is through celebrity endorsements. When a celebrity tweets about your app, you reach millions of potential users. If your budget is tied, then you can also turn your users into promoters. This is called co-promotional partnership where two app-builders come together and reach an agreement that one can browse your app while viewing the partner app or vice-versa.
TV ads: Imprinting Your App Visually
Though this is an expensive method, it is one of the most effective ways to subliminally imprint your app on the watchers’ minds. According to studies, nearly half of the people watching TV meddle with their mobile devices. Thus, you instantly turn your visitors into users if your ad can convince the watchers of its necessity.
- Organically Channel of Your App
The most economical way to bring your app to the forefront is by carefully using organic channel. The primary method of organic channel is through content marketing. It involves the generation of targeted and relevant content to attract customers. The content could be marketed as a blog post, video or e-book. If you have managed to captivate your visitors with the content, then the probability that they would download your app increases. Here are four ways in which you can market your content effectively:
Start with your immediate social circle- family, colleagues and friends. Ask them to try out your app and send out news about it to their circles.
Use the App Store Optimization strategies to help your app to rank higher in the app search. Request a well-known reviewer to check out your app and review it. Remember that the number of downloads increase, as the reviews of your app increases.
Lastly and most importantly, keep an active social profile so that you gradually become a participant in their social lives. This will increase the loyalty towards your app to a great extent.
Are you already implementing these strategies? Leave your comment here.
To know more about Suyati’s mobile app development capabilities, please send an email to services@suyati.com.