With the ever-increasing number of mobile apps in the market, standing out and driving downloads can be a daunting task. In this article, we will explore twenty highly effective app marketing strategies that will skyrocket your downloads and propel your app to success. With these app marketing strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to drive more downloads and achieve success in today’s competitive app market
The app market in 2023
In today’s world, smartphones are the most widely used device. However, app developers still need to use well-thought-out app marketing strategies to capture the attention of smartphone users.
People worldwide use these gadgets to do more than chat. They can also shop online, pay bills, shop, and even operate other equipment remotely. With nearly half of the global population owning a smartphone, it is clear that apps are the future of mobile marketing.
When mobile technology took off in the last decade, using apps to promote a brand’s goods became commonplace. A large part of why this happened was the ease of using the apps provided. With modern apps, customers didn’t have to enter a web URL or go through a long navigation menu.
The motivation to improve ease of use, on the other hand, is driving up competition among app developers. So much so that the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store each have roughly 6 million apps. 80% of these apps are used once and then uninstalled. As more apps enter the market, it can be difficult to convince smartphone owners to stick with an app once it’s been installed.
Regardless of how good your app is, scaling its growth can be difficult if you don’t actively market it.
This article will look at some app marketing strategies that can help drive growth toward your app.
1) Turn on push notifications
Since push notifications have the highest open rate of any medium, it’s a good idea to use them as a marketing tactic. According to an E-goi survey, people open 90% of push alerts compared to only 68.9% of the emails they get.
Your app can use these push notifications to notify users of new product updates, events, posts, and more, even if the user is not actively using the app. So, when you release updates for your app, make sure to use this strategy to re-engage dormant users.
2) Create browser and cross-platform app versions
It is no longer sufficient to have an app that is dependent on a native platform (usually Android or iOS). If you want to reach a wider audience, then your app should be available on multiple platforms.
This endeavor is more cost-effective and helps you accelerate your app development, primarily if you use top-rated IDE software. Most IDE software even allows app developers to create browser versions of their apps, providing users with multiple ways to use it across devices.
3) Focus on ASO
App store optimization (ASO), like SEO, is critical for your app if you want your app’s listing to appear near the top of app store search results.
With search queries being the most popular method of mobile research, it’s critical that you pay attention for your app to rank highly in app store search results for its primary keywords. Given that 40% of apps are discovered through app store searches, this can increase your chances of being found.
As a result, ASO is critical to your brand’s app marketing efforts and can even help it stand out from the crowd. While ASO tools that can fully remodel your app are widely and readily available, Apptamin’s ASO Resource List is a terrific collection of all the tools you could ever need to satisfy your ASO requirements. Remember that the higher your ASO ranking, the more exposure you stand to gain.
4) Use viral loops
A viral loop is an excellent strategy for increasing the number of users who download your mobile app. It raises awareness about your app by inverting the traditional marketing funnel.
You can start your viral loop by simply creating something worth sharing, such as incentives, shared experiences, invitation-only features, referrals, and so on. This encourages users to spread the word about your app. In order to create content that is likely to go viral, you need to pay attention to the kind of content that generates more engagement from your audience. Once you’ve identified the kind of content they love, then you can create more of it and share it even more widely.
5) Create app store ads
Running app store ads is yet another way to increase your visibility and presence on app stores. Paid app store ads are the app equivalent of Google Ads, which function in a similar way to a pay-per-click campaign.
Paid ads draw attention to your app in places where a large number of potential users may be looking for a product similar to yours. Consider Marvel Unlimited, which displays an app store ad when a user searches for “comics” in the App Store. Select a keyword and pay for each click that it generates.
6) Set up a dedicated site or page
You can also launch a web page or create an entirely new website for your mobile app. The majority of brands prefer to do the former.
This app promotion strategy not only increases credibility but also supplements your social media efforts. PandaDoc is a beautiful example of this, as it established a website for its app before it went live. You can send potential customers to this page, guide them through your services, show them your demo video, and ask them to sign up for an email alert when the app is released.
7) Run app installation ads
Since advertisements are everywhere, it would be irresponsible not to take advantage of them. You can promote your app in a novel way by running app install ads on social media and search engines. This can help you to direct traffic to your app and increase downloads.
You can reach out to the right people by bidding on target keywords and segmented user bases. Postmates is an excellent example of a company that uses app install ads across multiple platforms to attract new customers.
8) Drive app graphics on Pinterest
Pinterest, a social media platform designed to share visual content, is an excellent platform for promoting your app through eye-catching graphics that capture the user’s attention.
The most difficult challenge that marketers face is making their app stand out among the legions of apps available. While your app’s graphics may struggle to gain traction on other social media platforms, they have a high chance of going viral on Pinterest.
In fact, according to a Sprout Social report, 63% of Pinners discovered new brands and products on this platform. You can reach out to these potential users and even network with industry peers by sharing app graphics on Pinterest.
9) Apply for awards
Applying for app awards is a serious marketing strategy. It will increase your exposure and provide you with numerous benefits such as exposure, feedback, and credibility.
According to a Data Charts study, people download 33% of recommended apps. Entering a contest can help you capitalize on this trend and increase your chances of getting more exposure.
10) Release on Product Hunt
Product Hunt functions as a gathering place for app enthusiasts to test out soon-to-be-released apps. Releasing your app on such a platform before its actual launch will allow you to gain massive exposure and leads, especially if your app is one of the top three products of the day. In addition to Product Hunt, AlternativeTo and Slant are some popular platforms that you can use to create a buzz about your app before you even launch it. However, if none of these options meet your needs, there are a plethora of other options available.
11) Use referral systems
Referral systems are one of the most common methods for marketing a mobile app. You can encourage existing users to refer your app to their friends by creating a referral system and rewarding them for each user that you gain from their referral.
12) Offer promotions
Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated the certainty of customers making purchases when given promotional offers. You can use this strategy to attract new users and build a loyal user base before upselling or cross-selling.
There is no denying the power of promotional offers. When users receive discounted services, they feel obligated to spread the word about your brand by informing their friends about the offers they’ve gotten.
13) Find a partner
Partnering with another app developer is a great way to do cross-promotion. This shouldn’t be surprising considering that you can attract new users by leveraging your partner’s audience. With an ad exchange strategy, your partner brand’s app advertises its services from within your app, and you do the same for them.
For example, Starbucks and Spotify collaborated on a campaign to promote their respective brands. As part of this initiative, Starbucks employees received a premium Spotify subscription, allowing them to curate playlists that coffee shop customers could access via the Starbucks app. The campaign enabled each brand to reach out to the audience of the other, resulting in increased app recognition.
14) Use Augmented Reality
Last year, augmented reality came to the fore as marketers sought to use relatively new technology in their marketing efforts. Despite the numerous applications, the true power of augmented reality lies in engagement.
AR has the potential to increase the engagement rate of your app significantly. Data shows that AR-focused customer experiences are nearly 200% more engaging than customer experiences that don’t factor AR in. Prospective buyers can also make more informed product decisions with the help of AR. Gucci, the luxury brand, has added an augmented reality feature to its app that allows users to see how Gucci sneakers look on their feet. By pointing the camera downwards, they could see a digital overlay of the company’s sneakers on their feet, demonstrating how the product will appear in real life.
15) Focus on helping
Today’s customers naturally expect the businesses they buy products and services from to do good. As a result, apps that demonstrate a benefit to the public enjoy increased brand awareness.
In today’s environment, it’s important to ensure that your brand’s values align with your target audience’s expectations. More importantly, you need to make sure that you convey these values correctly.
We can learn a thing or two from Nextdoor, a community app for staying connected and sharing information. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Nextdoor used its platform to launch the KIND Challenge – an initiative that was developed to unite neighbors and help people to fight loneliness and isolation in the middle of multiple lockdowns and endless social distancing.
As part of the KIND Challenge, Nextdoor encouraged neighbors to connect with each other online and build meaningful friendships with people who lived close to them. Thanks to this initiative, daily engagement with the app increased by 80%.
16) Employ influencer marketing
Social media influencers wield enormous power over their followers in today’s world. In fact, as many as 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations when it comes to app recommendations.
The dating app Bumble is an excellent example of the power of influencer marketing. Bumble kickstarted the user acquisition growth that saw them gain over 40 million new users by tapping into their employee base to connect with micro-influencers for their new “Anne Smith” campaign.
17) Integrate video into your marketing campaigns
Video marketing is here to stay, and it appears to have no end in sight. Not only are an increasing number of marketing channels leveraging video marketing, but they’re also developing new ways of using videos, such as AR filters and live stories.
The upcoming 5G network deployment will also make it possible to provide engaging experiences that were previously impossible due to bandwidth constraints. Marketers would be wise to use video as a marketing tactic to promote their apps.
18) Manage an active blog
By blogging on a regular basis, you can demonstrate your expertise in your field. According to research, businesses that maintain a consistent blog presence receive 126% more leads than those that do not.
Blogging regularly will help you generate interest in your app and direct more traffic to it by increasing your overall visibility on SERPs (s). The delivery app DoorDash keeps a regularly updated blog and shows users how using the app can make their lives easier.
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19) Create affiliate programs
Affiliate marketing is similar to the viral loop strategy. You provide your affiliate partners with content and links to share with their subscribers. Keep in mind that in order to be appealing to people, your affiliate programs should offer financial incentives to your affiliates.
The Shopify affiliate program is a prime example of this marketing strategy. This affiliate program provides a high commission cut, creates high-quality content for affiliates to share, and offers these people support. This encourages affiliates to share the app with their followers.
20) Develop content
Create a robust press kit and issue updates regularly to inform potential users what they can expect from your brand’s app when new features are being developed.
You should also create a press release that describes the features of your app, whom it is intended for, and the problems it solves. A well-crafted press release gives potential customers a behind-the-scenes look at what your company does and what to expect.
Conclusion
Creating an exceptional mobile phone app does not guarantee success; you must still invest time and energy into promoting it. Fortunately, you won’t have to stretch your marketing budget to accomplish this. In order to get positive feedback for your mobile app, optimize this mobile app for app stores and demonstrate your expertise on niche forums. With the right approach, you can use the above advice to develop a well-thought-out marketing strategy that entices users to download and begin using your app.