This article explores five effective mobile app promotion strategies to increase visibility and position your app for success in 2023.
We will also address common marketing challenges, highlight five versatile marketing platforms, and offer tips to fine-tune your app marketing for optimal results.
Keep reading to discover how you can effectively promote your mobile app and overcome common marketing challenges.
What is Mobile App Marketing?
Mobile app marketing is the process of promoting and advertising a mobile application to potential users in order to increase downloads, user engagement, and ultimately, the success of the app.
It involves various strategies and techniques such as optimizing the app's visibility in app stores, leveraging social media, email marketing, paid advertising, and more to reach and attract the target audience.
The goal of mobile app marketing is to increase brand awareness, drive app installs, and retain users to generate revenue and achieve business goals.
10 Ways To Promote Your Mobile App
Mobile app marketing involves using various tactics to promote a mobile app to potential users. It begins with market research to identify the target audience and develop a plan to achieve business goals.
Tactics such as optimizing the app store listing, using social media, and running paid ads are included in a mobile app marketing strategy.
Additionally, personalized communication channels, like push notifications, can engage users and increase retention rates. Let's take a closer look:
- Optimize App Store Listings
- Leveraging Social Media
- Using Your Website as a Focal Point for App Marketing
- Drive App Downloads with PRs and Guest Blogging
- Honing in On Influencer Marketing
- Increase App Visibility with Traditional Advertising
- Increase App Exposure with Content Marketing
- Enhance App Promotion with Paid Search Ads
- Limited-Time Promotional Campaigns Create Urgency and Drive App Downloads
- Use Word-of-Mouth Marketing
1. Optimize App Store Listings
App Store Optimization (ASO) is similar to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for websites and is the most effective way of reaching prospective users on the App Store and Google Play.
Here are some of the benefits and factors that affect ASO:
Benefits
- Improved visibility
- Increased organic downloads
- The reach of relevant users
- Decreased user acquisition costs
- Increased revenue and conversion rate
Factors that affect ASO
- App name: Should be unique and not changed once decided.
- Keywords: Include all relevant keywords and key phrases in the app description without "keyword stuffing."
- App description: Clearly describe the app's functionalities and value over similar products.
- Screenshots and videos: Showcase the app's layout, visuals, and UI to increase conversions. A qualified video marketing agency can help with this.
- App ratings and user reviews: Higher ratings lead to higher conversion rates and search result positions. Encourage users to leave feedback and implement a bug reporting system or contact form to minimize negative feedback.
2. Leveraging Social Media
Social media is an essential mobile app marketing strategy for targeting potential users by interests and demographics. Here are two ways to use social media for app marketing:
- Organic: Gain organic reach by being present on social media and posting relevant content about your app to connect with your industry and target audience.
- Paid: Combine organic efforts with paid ad campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which offer great audience segmentation abilities to boost brand visibility and app discoverability.
If managing social media is too time-consuming, consider outsourcing to a social media marketing agency to handle the tasks for you.
3. Using Your Website as a Focal Point for App Marketing
It's easy to think that official websites are no longer necessary, especially with the popularity of social media. However, having a website for your business and your mobile app can still provide significant benefits.
A website serves as a focal point for your app marketing efforts, providing legitimacy and credibility to your brand while giving your app a constant online presence. Moreover, a website can also help with organic visibility and SEO, and reduce advertising costs.
Here are some of the key benefits of having a website for your mobile app business:
- Legitimacy and credibility: Having a website for your app sends a message of trust and investment in the app to your prospective users.
- Constant online presence: A website acts like a store that's always open, allowing your customers to access key information about your app anytime, anywhere.
- Organic visibility and SEO benefits: With a well-optimized website, your app can rank higher in search results and reach a wider audience searching for similar app solutions.
- Reduced advertising costs: By having a website for your app business, you can significantly reduce the cost of paid advertising since you have a reliable online space where your app can be advertised for free.
- Pre-launch website for building domain authority: A website can serve as a pre-launch landing page for your app, helping you build domain authority and improve SEO.
- Call-to-action (CTA) for email capture: A website with a CTA that encourages visitors to leave their email addresses can be useful for keeping them informed about your app launch, updates, new features, and positive reviews.
4. Drive App Downloads with PRs and Guest Blogging
Press releases and guest blogging can effectively market your app, create buzz, and establish credibility.
Guest blog posts should focus on relevant topics and subtly mention your app, with links to app pages on your website, Google Play, App Store, or iTunes.
Here are some examples:
- Issuing a press release announcing your app's launch and sharing it with relevant tech media outlets and bloggers to generate buzz and media coverage.
- Writing a guest blog post for a blog that caters to your target audience, providing valuable information related to your app's niche and subtly mentioning your app with a link to its app store page.
- Contributing to an industry publication as an expert in your field, mentioning your app in your author bio or a relevant context to increase visibility and credibility.
- Participating in a podcast or webinar related to your app's niche, discussing industry trends, and subtly promoting your app as a solution to common pain points.
5. Honing in On Influencer Marketing
Consider connections and industry-specific influencers for promoting your app.
Use their blogs and social media channels to reach potential users, but ensure their audience aligns with your app's target audience. Pitch professionally with a link to your press kit and landing pages for their reference.
Here are a few ways to go about working with influencers:
- Reaching out to a tech blogger in your app's niche and asking them to review your app. If they like it, they may share it with their followers or write a post about it on their blog.
- Collaborating with an industry-specific influencer on social media, offering them an incentive to share your app with their followers or mentioning your app in their posts.
- Engaging in online communities related to your app's niche and connecting with influencers in the community. You can ask them to review your app and share it with their followers.
- Partnering with an industry-specific influencer on a project related to your app's niche, such as creating a tutorial or webinar together. This can help build authority and reach new users who may be interested in your app.
6. Increase App Visibility with Traditional Advertising
Promote your app using traditional advertising channels, such as TV commercials or billboards.
Use these traditional app promotion tips:
- Print media: Place ads in printed media related to your target audience, with a visually appealing design that communicates your app's benefits and a CTA to download the app.
- TV ads: Create a targeted commercial showcasing your app's features and benefits and display it during peak viewing hours or partner with mobile technology or app-focused cable networks.
- Radio ads: Highlight your app's features and benefits in a radio commercial aired on stations your target audience listens to.
- Outdoor ads: Use billboards, posters, banners, or other outdoor advertising materials with an eye-catching design in high-traffic areas.
- Events and conferences: Showcase your app at an event to generate media coverage and interact with potential users and demonstrate your app's features.
- Sponsorship: Partner with relevant organizations or sponsor an event to reach your target audience and build brand awareness.
Track the effectiveness of your advertising efforts by monitoring the number of downloads and user engagement with your app.
7. Increase App Exposure with Content Marketing
Partnering with content marketing agencies can help increase app exposure to your target audience.
Create informative and engaging content that provides value to your readers and optimize it with relevant keywords to rank higher in search results.
Promote your content on:
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Other blogs in your niche to offer guest posts
Consistency and dedication are key to achieving long-term success.
8. Enhance App Promotion with Paid Search Ads
Paid search ads boost app visibility to the target audience through specific keyword targeting, improving the chances of downloads and engagement.
Paid search ads:
- Target specific keywords: Using paid search ads to target specific keywords related to your app's target audience's interests. For example, if your app is a recipe app, you can target keywords such as "cooking app," "meal planning app," or "healthy recipes."
- Reach the right people: By targeting keywords and demographics, you can reach the right people at the right time, increasing your chances of driving downloads and engagement. For example, you can target users who have previously installed similar apps or those who are located in a specific geographic region.
- Increase visibility: Your app's ad will appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), significantly increasing its visibility and exposure. This can lead to more downloads and user engagement.
- Measure results: Paid search ads provide measurable results, allowing you to track how many people click on your ads, download your app, and engage with your content. This data can help you adjust your advertising strategy based on real-time insights.
- Are Cost-effective: Paid search ads are a cost-effective way to promote your app, as you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. You can control your advertising budget and optimize your campaigns for maximum return on investment (ROI).
9. Limited-Time Promotional Campaigns Create Urgency and Drive App Downloads
Limited-time promotional campaigns are a powerful tool for driving app downloads and engagement.
By offering a compelling incentive for a limited period, you can create a sense of urgency and excitement around your app.
In this way, you can encourage users to take action and download your app. However, creating an effective limited-time promotional campaign requires careful planning and execution.
Here are some app promotion tips for creating a successful limited-time promotional campaign:
- Set a clear start and end date for the promotion
- Offer a compelling incentive, such as a discount or free trial, to encourage users to download and engage with your app
- Use targeted messaging that emphasizes the limited-time nature of the promotion
- Promote your campaign on social media to generate buzz
- Follow up with users who download your app during the promotion to encourage engagement and retention
Creating urgency with limited-time promotions can increase excitement around your app and drive downloads and engagement.
10. Use Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Encourage users to share their positive experiences with your app through word-of-mouth marketing. Make leaving reviews easy and incentivize users to do so.
Respond to user feedback promptly and in a friendly manner to build trust and loyalty. Motivate users to refer their friends with discounts, free premium features, or exclusive content.
Creating a buzz around your app through word-of-mouth marketing can attract new users, but remember to focus on creating a great app and engaging with your users.
Overcoming Common Mobile App Marketing Challenges
Before discussing the best platforms for app marketing, let's have a quick look at some common challenges with app marketing and their solutions:
- Lack of a mobile app marketing strategy: Consider outsourcing an app development agency or developing an in-house marketing team. Set realistic and measurable goals early on in the app development process.
- Lack of focus on user engagement and retention: Integrate the app with social channels, focus on providing value to users, and retarget potential users who have shown interest.
- Difficulty with app discovery due to competition: Optimize for better discoverability in app stores, employ paid ad tactics, ask for app reviews, and reach out to influencers.
Five Mobile App Marketing Platforms for More Downloads
The following online platforms are equipped with various features that can aid in-app marketing and performance tracking. These platforms are suitable for apps of any niche and size.
Here's a brief overview of each platform:
1. Betalist
Betalist is a platform for app marketing suitable for startups and small businesses looking to stand out in a crowded market. It offers various features that can help marketers, such as:
- Including trending and daily app displays
- Easy startup submission
- Regional mobile app insights
- Daily newsletters
Users can also browse popular and newly added products by categories, such as Entertainment, Accounting, and Email.
2. Product Hunt
Product Hunt is a platform for discovering and sharing new apps and tech products.
It offers features, such as:
- Daily emails showcasing top tech products
- A featured collection of apps
- A podcast with expert advice on marketing and selling apps
- A regularly updated listing of makers and deals
It serves as a marketplace for app developers and marketers to showcase their products to a growing community.
3. MixPanel
Mixpanel is a visitor analytics tool that is great for marketing consumer tech such as mobile apps. They provide actionable insights through a very user-friendly interface and analytics services of great capacity.
MixPanel’s marketing features include:
- Sending push notifications, emails, and in-app messages to specific user segments
- Creating said customizable segments by following in-app behavior patterns
- A/B testing app’s visuals with a simple drag-and-drop builder tool
- Create detailed reports by writing javascript code to sort through data
This app marketing platform also lets users get data on any metric or user behavior, get reports on strange spikes in any metric, and create simple funnels from any app event.
4. Firebase
Firebase is a Google service with marketing and analytics features that can help grow your app.
It contains useful functionalities, such as:
- Sending push notifications
- Customizing in-app content
- Exporting data to Google’s cloud
- Creating retargeted user segments
- Displaying ads
Additionally, Firebase can create custom app events for tracking user actions, provide demographic reports and attribution reports to determine which ad campaigns bring the most valuable users, and offer behavioral reports to understand user app utilization.
5. Heap
Heap records all user actions and interactions in web and iOS apps, making it a valuable platform for app marketers and developers. Its distinctive marketing features include
- An event visualizer
- Users' behavioral data
- Funnel reports for analyzing conversion rates
Heap also allows you to capture data by tracking clicks, taps, and page views, and create graphs and charts for any metric or event to monitor the app's performance over time.
Bonus Strategies to Boost Your App's Reach
Consider these additional steps to maximize your mobile app's discoverability and gain a competitive edge in marketing:
- Plan App Release Date Considering Obstacles
- Identify Your Competition
- Create User Personas for Your Audience
1. Plan App Release Date Considering Obstacles
Google and Apple have strict app review processes that can delay your app's release or pose a bigger obstacle if it is rejected. Plan a detailed release schedule well in advance to allow for contingencies.
Avoid releasing your app during major events in your niche that may overshadow your launch and impact customer reach. Choose a release date when there are no highly competitive events on the horizon.
2. Identify Your Competition
Create a list of your competitors and their traits, including price, monetization, UX, reviews, and marketing tactics.
Identify their weak points and focus on your app's advantages in your marketing strategy.
3. Create User Personas for Your Audience
A user persona is a fictional representation of your target audience's main characteristics, including education, preferences, mobile device usage, age, location, gender, and other identifiers.
It's crucial for brand awareness and helps identify the average user, their value, and the pain points that your app can address.
User personas form the basis of every user journey and enable you to refine your marketing strategy, conversion funnel, app content, functionality, features, and platform selection.
Defining your user persona enables better coordination between app development and marketing decisions, and guides your marketing strategy.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when thinking of your ideal customer:
- What type of content does my audience engage with and expect from my app?
- What is their main pain point?
- What tone of voice in messaging works the best for my audience?
- What platforms are they engaged at the most?
- What devices and operating systems do they use the most?
Mobile App Marketing Takeaways
In conclusion, effective mobile app marketing requires a combination of strategies and techniques tailored to your target audience and specific app.
By leveraging the power of app store optimization, social media, influencer marketing, and analytics tools, you can increase your app's visibility, drive downloads, and ultimately achieve success in the highly competitive app market.
It is crucial to plan ahead and consider all potential obstacles, including app store review processes and competitor analysis.
By consistently evaluating and adapting your marketing strategy based on user feedback and data insights, you can continue to engage and retain your audience while growing your app's reach and impact.
How To Market Your App FAQs
How much does it cost to market a mobile app?
To promote a mobile app successfully, both pre-launch and post-launch marketing are essential.
Pre-launch marketing involves:
- Market research: typically ranges from $5,000 to $15,000
- Beta testing: usually costs from $3,000 to $5,000
- App store optimization: can cost from $25 to $1,000 per month
- Press release: PR agencies charge from $100 to $300 per hour
- Influencer services: the average cost is around $10,000 per campaign
- Website development and social media accounts: cost ranges from $2,000 to $2,500
Can I market my app for free?
Yes, there are several effective ways to market your app for free:
- Include a link for app download in your email signature
- Include a QR code for your app on your business cards
- Optimize the app for SERPs
- Write valuable content via guest posts on relevant websites
- Add CTA on your website
- Invite people on forums to download your app
How do I attract more users to my app?
You can attract more users to download and use your app by using these practices:
- Optimize your app for app stores (APO)
- Optimize your website to acquire more organic traffic
- Create paid advertising campaigns
- Create personalized email marketing campaigns
- Use press promotions
- Promote your app via traditional marketing channels
- Collaborate with influencers in your niche
- Offer referral programs
- Offer free trials