Tips for Promoting Your Android App. Due to the fact that Android phones have such a huge share of
the phone market, many developers settle on developing apps for this platform.
The main reason of this is, they can tap
into Android’s enormous user base. It’s true
that Android users prefer free apps, as opposed to iOS fans
who tend to have deeper pockets when it comes to spending money on apps.
Don’t be discouraged, if you have a superior
Android app in relation to the competition, it will bring you
revenue for sure!
The main reason why good apps under-perform in Play Store is because
developers focus on the technical stuff and neglect the marketing side.
It’s a very understandable issue, as finding the right people to talk
good stuff about your app is no easy task. Keep in mind that the best type of
marketing is by word of mouth, and you should make sure you have a solid app
before deciding to promote it on various channels. Read more: 10 Effective App Store Marketing Strategies for iOS Apps
With that being said, here are some of the best ways to make your app heard:
1. Create a microsite for your app
Some developers are content with just having their app listed in stores. That
may have been enough a few years back, but now, with competition getting
tougher and tougher you have to look for ways to stand out. Creating a two
pager for your products will not only help you with your apps, but it can
potentially land you future projects. Be creative and create a brand around
your products.
Display samples and videos of your apps on the landing page. This will be
beneficial to bloggers who are considering including your apps in their
articles. Don’t worry, nowadays you don’t have to learn
complicated web programming languages to develop a website. WordPress comes
with a lot of app promotion themes, that will yield great results.
Read also: Top 10 Apps For Small Scale Business Entrepreneurs
2. Never Submit an Unfinished App for Review
Don’t repeat my mistakes and rush into publishing a partial app or one
with an unpolished interface. It will make your app rating plummet to the
ground and make all that revenue potential go to waste. On top of that, users
will look suspiciously on you as a developer on your future app releases. Keep
in mind that Google Play’s algorithm will rank your app higher if you
receive good reviews in the incipient stage.
3. Publish on Multiple Stores
It’s logical to make sure your app gets to as many people as possible.
Sure, Google Play Store is the most popular one by far, but stores like Amazon
Underground are catching up ground, so they should not be
neglected.Here’s a list of 8 alternatives:
4. Make Yourself a Gorgeous-Looking Icon
Let’s be honest, nobody downloads apps with a sloppy icon. Branding is
an increasingly important part of the mobile apps ecosystem, so make sure
yours looks even better than the actual app. Ugly icons are interpreted by
users as a sure indicator of a crappy app.
5. Create engaging contests
A sure way to get users to share your content on social media is by organising
a contest with some kind of prize.Doesn’t have to be anything expensive,
you can randomly select a person every week that will get your app for free,
that’s if it’s a paid one.
6. Social Media is Your Friend
Don’t underestimate the power of the internet gossiping. Facebook,
Twitter and Google+ should be working channels for your audience to get your
latest developments. Submitting your app on sites like Stumble Upon,
Digg or Android Reddit will let users decide if your app
deserves free attention.
7. Try to get an Award
Signing up for app awards might bring you the best free publicity you can
get.Press coverage equals downloads and that means more revenue for you.The
chances of winning are proportional to your pitch and the app idea.If you get
it right, enjoy your moment of fame.
8. Pay Facebook to Get Installs
This is an effective way to get lots of downloads for your app. Facebook
offers great advertising for both Android & iOS. The
advantage is you can target from a huge variety of factors like location, OS,
age, language etc. It’s not that expensive, and if you have some
advertising budget left, this is definitely the way to spend it.
9. Experiment with ASO Optimisation
ASO is essentially
search engine optimisation(SEO) for App store and Google Play.Similar to SEO, ASO focuses on the relevancy of keywords and the density of
keywords in your description.With more than half of total smartphone users
finding apps with search queries, it’s one of the most important things
you can do to promote your app.
10. SEO is Also Important
Your app URL should show in Google’s search results when users type in
related keywords.Let’s say your App is about hiking, if you’ve
done a good job in SEO, your app should pop up among the first entries before
a user hits Enter.
11. Go for a Freemium Model
This is a great way to get people to spend money on your paid app. Users have
the chance to try out the basic version of your app and ideally, they will be
tempted to opt for the premium version. A similar approach is to launch your
app for free until you build a solid user base, prior to switching to a paid
model.
12. Good Reviews are the Key
A sure way to get your apps in the top charts is by having favourable reviews
featured on popular android review sites. You can get them
for free if your app is good enough, but you can also pay your way in. If
you’re focus is on a specific market, try going for one of the following
review sites:
- MobileStartupz
- AndroidCentral
- AndroidPolice
- AndroidTapp
13. Promote on Youtube
YouTube can be the required catalyst that will make your app go viral. Make
the video as informative and flashy as possible. This will help users and
bloggers alike understand how your app works and why they should spread the
word about it. If you’ve done a good job with the video, it will help a
great deal in creating awareness for your product.
14. Submit Your App to Product Hunt
Product Hunt is a social environment where any developer can submit his new
app and users will vote and rank it accordingly.If your app is good enough and
manages to hit the homepage, it will boost your downloads enormously.You will
end up getting reviews from all over the place due to the platform popularity.
Read more: