Mobile App Promotion
According to statistics, 59% of mobile applications do not pay back the costs of its development.
An original idea and a good implementation is only half the way to success.
A good application, but without marketing, it is likely to fail, and a bad one with competent promotion can pay for itself dozens of times.
Next, we analyze the methods of promoting the application without investing.
It takes place in two steps and each has its own goal:
1. Directly search engine optimization (SEO),
2. Visual optimization.
The goal of the first is to increase searching ranks. That is, to make as many people as possible using your search engine to find your application.
There are three main free tricks.
1) The name of the application. It is very important to choose the right name. It depends on him how many people will find you using the search. Try to make your title include key search keywords.
Example: An application on the theme of "Party Games" is better called "Party Fun." 2 keywords at once: entertainment and parties. Do not call, for example, "Amusement" or "Mimosa".
2) Description. Most users read only the first paragraph. Try to make it as informative and attractive as possible. Also use the maximum keywords in the text.
Example: an application on the subject of "Cooking". Use the following words in the description: cuisine, recipes, delicious, cooking, etc.
3) Translation. User growth up to 15%. Use the main languages (English, German, Chinese, etc.). Try to ensure high-quality translation and not translate the text in Google translator, other programs.
The goal of the second step is to increase the attractiveness of the application.
1) Icon. First of all, users look at the icon, then at Screenshots, and only at the end of the description. Therefore, pay special attention to the application icon. The icon should reflect the essence of the program and stand out from the competition.
2) Screenshots. Also a very important point. Make Screenshots that show your application for the best.
3) Promo video. You can make a demonstration of the capabilities of the program, where try to hide the roughness of the graphics of the application, show only the most successful solutions.
4) Translation Screenshots. Up to 30% user growth.
Despite the fact that the audience at alternative stores is much smaller, there are cases when downloads on Amazon or Samsung apps are 10 times higher than on Goggle Play. Since there is much less competition. Thanks to what your applications more easily get to the tops and occupy higher lines in the search engine.
A very important part of the promotion.
One of the most effective techniques. It increases downloads well and creates user feedback. It is mainly suitable only for free applications, since in most cases you need to upload the apk file.
1) Opening topics on the forums. We prepare a good description of the program, Screenshots and create a theme.
2) Posting announcements and reviews on sites. In the search engine we write “Android applications”, open the first 20-30 found sites and contact the administration by feedback with a request to post a review of your application. Pros: free, fast, after publishing on 5-10 sites, other sites will copy the information about the application from them and post reviews of your application.
1. Creation of official pages of the application, brand on Facebook, Twitter.
2. Create Facebook Fan Pages.
3. Social integration. as the main trend (FB, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare).
1.2) Social networks greatly help in marketing applications.
Facebook is the entire Internet in the USA. On the company \ application page, place announcements of programs, updates, information on the development progress, etc. Subscribers will never miss the release of a new application, and since they subscribed to the page, we can assume that they liked the previous developer projects and they are likely to download new programs.
3) A particularly effective point for the promotion of games.
Give the user the opportunity to post their achievements on their page on a social network, etc.
Example: tell your friends about earning achievements, unlocking a rare item, completing a level, etc.
As we see on weekends and holidays, there are more downloads than on weekdays.
Try to publish the application before the weekend or holidays, it will help you quickly get into the top "new free / paid". It will be even more effective if you get into other tops, on the highest line possible during the weekend or holidays.
To increase traffic, you can try to get into the top.
Free - long and hard
Paid - fast and very expensive. Not always paying off.
Several ways to get to the top.
1. Bot Push - $ 20,000- $ 30,000 // not very honest
2. CPI in the TOP 25
iOS Free Apps:
a) depending on the category - $ 276 (weather) - $ 23,500 (games) per day // do not write applications about the weather
b) TOP Free - $ 35,500 per day // it doesn’t always pay off
3. Special services
a) FreeAppADay - $ 7,000 per day // profitable if the application has selling content
b) ComboApp - $ 4,900 for getting into the TOP 100 paid by application category // useless if this is not a game
Read more about FreeAppADay. If your application is paid and it has sold content, you can make the program free for one day and post news on the main page of a special site for $ 7,000.
Why should I be selling content? Because the application is paid, and even if 50,000-100,000 people download it for this 1 day, but free of charge, the sense will be 0. And with the sold content, these 50,000-100,000 potential buyers downloaded additional material.
Distimo
Flurry
Bango
MixPanel
Apsalar
Mopapp
KSuite
Localytics Mobile App Analytics
AD-X
Prosper202
MediaLets
Crittercism
Appclix
Amethon
AdMob Analytics
etc.
From the list I use Flurry and AdMob Analytics.
Of the advantages of Flurry I want to highlight the ability to watch the number of application errors and their logs, a very useful thing.
Using some of these tricks, in 25 days my application took 18th place in the top of new free ones and 8th place in the top of its category.
A decline in downloads after 1 month is expected, as the application will be removed from the top of new free ones.
Therefore, it costs as much effort as possible to promote your application during this 1 month, if your application is in the top new ones. And due to jumps from this top to get to the highest possible line in the top by category.
An original idea and a good implementation is only half the way to success.
A good application, but without marketing, it is likely to fail, and a bad one with competent promotion can pay for itself dozens of times.
Next, we analyze the methods of promoting the application without investing.
ASO optimization
It takes place in two steps and each has its own goal:
1. Directly search engine optimization (SEO),
2. Visual optimization.
The goal of the first is to increase searching ranks. That is, to make as many people as possible using your search engine to find your application.
There are three main free tricks.
1) The name of the application. It is very important to choose the right name. It depends on him how many people will find you using the search. Try to make your title include key search keywords.
Example: An application on the theme of "Party Games" is better called "Party Fun." 2 keywords at once: entertainment and parties. Do not call, for example, "Amusement" or "Mimosa".
2) Description. Most users read only the first paragraph. Try to make it as informative and attractive as possible. Also use the maximum keywords in the text.
Example: an application on the subject of "Cooking". Use the following words in the description: cuisine, recipes, delicious, cooking, etc.
3) Translation. User growth up to 15%. Use the main languages (English, German, Chinese, etc.). Try to ensure high-quality translation and not translate the text in Google translator, other programs.
The goal of the second step is to increase the attractiveness of the application.
1) Icon. First of all, users look at the icon, then at Screenshots, and only at the end of the description. Therefore, pay special attention to the application icon. The icon should reflect the essence of the program and stand out from the competition.
2) Screenshots. Also a very important point. Make Screenshots that show your application for the best.
3) Promo video. You can make a demonstration of the capabilities of the program, where try to hide the roughness of the graphics of the application, show only the most successful solutions.
4) Translation Screenshots. Up to 30% user growth.
Alternative app stores
Despite the fact that the audience at alternative stores is much smaller, there are cases when downloads on Amazon or Samsung apps are 10 times higher than on Goggle Play. Since there is much less competition. Thanks to what your applications more easily get to the tops and occupy higher lines in the search engine.
Posting reviews on sites and forums
A very important part of the promotion.
One of the most effective techniques. It increases downloads well and creates user feedback. It is mainly suitable only for free applications, since in most cases you need to upload the apk file.
1) Opening topics on the forums. We prepare a good description of the program, Screenshots and create a theme.
2) Posting announcements and reviews on sites. In the search engine we write “Android applications”, open the first 20-30 found sites and contact the administration by feedback with a request to post a review of your application. Pros: free, fast, after publishing on 5-10 sites, other sites will copy the information about the application from them and post reviews of your application.
Social networks
1. Creation of official pages of the application, brand on Facebook, Twitter.
2. Create Facebook Fan Pages.
3. Social integration. as the main trend (FB, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare).
1.2) Social networks greatly help in marketing applications.
Facebook is the entire Internet in the USA. On the company \ application page, place announcements of programs, updates, information on the development progress, etc. Subscribers will never miss the release of a new application, and since they subscribed to the page, we can assume that they liked the previous developer projects and they are likely to download new programs.
3) A particularly effective point for the promotion of games.
Give the user the opportunity to post their achievements on their page on a social network, etc.
Example: tell your friends about earning achievements, unlocking a rare item, completing a level, etc.
Downloads on different days of the week and holidays
As we see on weekends and holidays, there are more downloads than on weekdays.
Try to publish the application before the weekend or holidays, it will help you quickly get into the top "new free / paid". It will be even more effective if you get into other tops, on the highest line possible during the weekend or holidays.
Hit the top
To increase traffic, you can try to get into the top.
Free - long and hard
Paid - fast and very expensive. Not always paying off.
Several ways to get to the top.
1. Bot Push - $ 20,000- $ 30,000 // not very honest
2. CPI in the TOP 25
iOS Free Apps:
a) depending on the category - $ 276 (weather) - $ 23,500 (games) per day // do not write applications about the weather
b) TOP Free - $ 35,500 per day // it doesn’t always pay off
3. Special services
a) FreeAppADay - $ 7,000 per day // profitable if the application has selling content
b) ComboApp - $ 4,900 for getting into the TOP 100 paid by application category // useless if this is not a game
Read more about FreeAppADay. If your application is paid and it has sold content, you can make the program free for one day and post news on the main page of a special site for $ 7,000.
Why should I be selling content? Because the application is paid, and even if 50,000-100,000 people download it for this 1 day, but free of charge, the sense will be 0. And with the sold content, these 50,000-100,000 potential buyers downloaded additional material.
Mobile Analytics Tools
Distimo
Flurry
Bango
MixPanel
Apsalar
Mopapp
KSuite
Localytics Mobile App Analytics
AD-X
Prosper202
MediaLets
Crittercism
Appclix
Amethon
AdMob Analytics
etc.
From the list I use Flurry and AdMob Analytics.
Of the advantages of Flurry I want to highlight the ability to watch the number of application errors and their logs, a very useful thing.
Practice and Results
Using some of these tricks, in 25 days my application took 18th place in the top of new free ones and 8th place in the top of its category.
A decline in downloads after 1 month is expected, as the application will be removed from the top of new free ones.
Therefore, it costs as much effort as possible to promote your application during this 1 month, if your application is in the top new ones. And due to jumps from this top to get to the highest possible line in the top by category.