How to market mobile applications

If you have a website, you have certainly come across the term SEO. It is about optimizing a website in order to achieve better placement in unpaid (so-called organic) results of full-text search engines for keywords that are relevant to the website.

For mobile applications, you should focus on another term and that is ASO.

ASO (App Store Optimization) - A term that refers to the processes of improving the performance (sales) of an application within an app store.

Marketing is one of the most important activities to keep in mind after developing a mobile application. However, before we list the marketing options, let's say something about burst marketing that is appropriate to apply. Burst marketing is a method in which all marketing activities are run at the same time. Although it is more difficult to coordinate, the result is relatively clear - more downloads in less time leads to improved application position in the app store and increases the chances of getting into the rankings.

Social networks

Start with social networks. Why? It's free, you reach out to the masses, but also the target group. Good status with a QR code, a link to the AppStore and a visual will encourage people to download the app and try it out. There are clients who use only social networks and come to the top of the rankings.

Reviews

Reviews or articles on app portals, technology websites and blogs are a good place to reach the technical public and have a positive impact not only on search but also on raising awareness of applications. With a review, you may not get thousands of users, but you will get so-called "discoverers" who, with their experience, give you suitable feedback and present the application to their surroundings. I have come across the application more than once thanks to the review and then I talked about it to my friends or colleagues.

However, you have to reckon with the fact that it is often not cheap 💸

Price

Price and marketing have a lot in common. The price of the application, of course, plays a crucial role in deciding whether you going to download an app. There are several techniques for setting the price of a product. However, you have to think about what your goal is. The following pricing methods will help you choose it, but also think about your goals with the application. Try and combine.

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Price Skimming is about setting a high price, which gives users a sense of uniqueness and exclusivity. Although this method is not very applicable to mobile applications, there are some.

Penetration Pricing is the opposite of price skimming, so it is about setting a low starting price in a competitive market and later increasing the price

Freemium is the most commonly used technique. Some of the features are free and premium features are charged.

Cost-plus pricing works on the principle of adding a fixed percentage surcharge to the costs incurred per application.

Competitive pricing is a price setting based on competition. This option should be combined with penetration pricing.

Value-based pricing is feeling pricing. This is an estimated value of the application and requires research.

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Organic downloads

Every application lives and works mainly on the basis of organic downloads. The following 4 elements will help you increase it.

1. Icon

The icon is one of the main visual elements and makes the first contact with the user, but it is still underestimated by many developers. The icon is your first impression - its design, color or difference between others must capture or express the essence of the application As Steve Jobs said, the icon must look like the user wants to "lick" it, so invest in the design. I definitely recommend taking the test on a wider range of people.

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2. UI of the app

Although UI is a large item in a project, you will be able to invest in it to achieve the desired goal. After the icon, the UI is the second contact with the user, which potential users pay the most attention to and decide whether or not to download the application. Also, make sure that your thumbnails present the best that the app has to offer. The decision is yours. Success with a good UI or failure with a saved UI budget.

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3. Description and keywords

The description gives users information about the application, it should concisely explain what the application will bring to it if you use it, how the application will make life easier, how important it is and why your application is worth downloading. It's important to think about choosing and using the right keywords, which play a key role in your search. Therefore, do not be afraid to use the help of SEO experts. You can also find help and more detailed info on Google Play support, the App Store or on portals like TheTool.

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4. User ratings

For potential users, it is often crucial whether someone is using the application and whether the users are satisfied. Ratings are your stars that you get if you have a great app without errors with a tuned UX / UI. Ask a few friends to rate it and don't forget to request a rating in the app itself. However, responding and incorporating ratings and feedback is also key. If you incorporate user feedback, you are closer to success. If you answer politely, you will get people.

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Google Ads

With the right targeting, Google Ads campaigns can effectively reach your target audience and achieve good results. This form of advertising needs to be carefully considered, due to its high financial demands. If you opt for this form of advertising. Google allows you to create campaigns with the following goals when promoting your application:

• app installs,
• application interactions
• for Android applications also pre-registration.

Google recommends that you create a variety of materials for your campaign, such as text and at least one landscape image and video, one portrait video, and HTML 5 elements, which will then be displayed in different locations.

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Facebook App Ads

Like Google Ads, Facebook helps you find new users and interact with existing users with a wealth of user information and effective targeting. You can use communication channels such as Facebook, Instagram or Messenger. In addition, the big advantage is that users see the ad directly on their mobile devices and allows you to use playable ads for a short test of the application. It is also possible to implement the SDK in application and evaluate user activities. You can find more implementation instructions for developers on Facebook support.

Mobile display advertising

A relatively expensive method of advertising an application on ad slots in other applications. The advantage is that users see the ad in the context of the situation, ie directly on the mobile device.

Wrap up

Achieving user satisfaction is what you need to keep your application up and running. First of all, you need to think about the quality of the mobile application, the basic tips on how to achieve it are to invest in UX / UI design, use the potential and power of social networks and listen to the requirements and feedback of users. With these basic pillars, you can reach people enough to get to the top of the rankings. Other options are to pay for advertising :)

Top Charts

If you've done everything right and your app is being downloaded by a large number of people, your app is gaining a better position in the Play Store or App Store. This is a good sign for you and at the same time it will help you to make further downloads, so try to do everything to get as high as possible in the rankings. We hold our fingers and good luck in reaching the top location.

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Contact us and we will make sure that your application makes it sucesfully to the market.