How to Market an App: Effective Strategies for Success
At the moment, there are over 8.93 million mobile apps in the world. This mindblowing number demonstrates that the app market is incredibly saturated.
Sure, these are global statistics, but Australia isn’t far behind these numbers. The app stores in Australia collectively offer over 4 million apps that Australian mobile phone users can choose from. So, how do you, a new app creator, stand out in all of this?
Or, the better question is: how do you market an app so effectively that it can beat the immense amount of competition?
Why App Marketing Matters in Today’s Digital Age
You followed your app development plan and finally created your new, shiny app. Now what?
If you find yourself Googling the phrase “how do you market an app,” you’re not alone. In a world where a new app pops up almost every day, app creators want to make sure that out of all the similar apps, theirs is the one people download.
In this scenario, app marketing is an inherent part of creating and launching an app to the world. Some things you might want to try to market your app are social media campaigns, influencer marketing, app store optimisation (ASO), and search engine optimisation (SEO). But more on that later.
Go-To-Market Strategy for an App: Where to Begin
To begin with, you need a good go-to-market strategy for an app. Simply put, a go-to-market strategy is everything you’ll need to do to take your app from being completely unknown to being an app people are actively downloading on their phones.
Your first step in your go-to-market strategy for an app will be to do some market research. This means studying your competition and your target audience so you can figure out who they are and what they’re looking for in an app.
Next, think about where you want to launch your app. Should you focus on iOS, Android, or both? Different platforms have different users, so knowing where your audience hangs out can really make a difference.
After you’ve done your audience research and chosen your app platform, you’ll want to move onto the marketing stage.
Best Ways to Market an App and Reach Your Target Audience
So, how do you market an app? The answer to this question isn’t a one-size-fits-all. There are many strategies you can use to market your app, from social media campaigns to influencer partnerships. It’s up to you how you’re going to do it. However, here are the best ways to market an app in our opinion:
Social Media Campaigns
Nowadays, social media is the hub of everything. And it’s where you can market pretty much anything, including an app. You can choose to market your app organically on platforms like Instagram or TikTok (you’ll need scroll-stopping content that has the potential to go viral,) or you can pay for ads (you’ll need a solid budget and really good ads).
Influencer Partnerships
Influencer marketing might be the best way to market an app at the moment. Influencers can reach massive amounts of social media users, so having one promote your app can give you great exposure. If you decide to partner with an influencer, make sure to choose the person whose content aligns with your app’s purpose and personality.
App Store Optimisation
According to statistics, nearly half of Apple Store and Google Play users discover new apps by searching the app store. Since this will likely happen for your app, optimising how it appears in the app store is a must. You’ll want to make sure that the visuals and description click with your target audience and that you’re using the right keywords to identify your app and let people find it via search.
How to Market an App Launch for Maximum Impact
Let’s say you already have your app all set and ready to show the world. Now, you might be wondering how to market an app launch. Again, there are many ways to do that, but it all comes down to creating some pre-launch buzz. You can do that by using the marketing strategies we’ve mentioned above.
Another thing you may want to do to market an app launch is to onboard your beta users and make sure that the onboarding process is smooth and without any bumps.
How Much Does It Cost to Market an App?
Once you’re ready to launch your app to the public, you might be asking yourself how much does it cost to market an app on top of the app development costs. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Since there are many different marketing strategies you can use to market your app, the costs will vary.
However, to give a number, a rough estimate for a small to medium-sized business to market an app could vary between $1,000 to $10,000 AUD per month. As you can see, that’s a pretty wide range.
Tips for Marketing an App Successfully in Competitive Markets
As an app creator, you want to know how to market an app successfully so that people actually find it, download it, and use it. To put it simply, the key to doing so lies in your analytics, user reviews, and retargeting campaigns. To market your app successfully, you’ll need to do three things:
- Leverage your analytics:
The numbers will tell you the truth. Your analytics will reveal what you need to improve and what’s already working well.
- Ask for user reviews:
The more good reviews your app receives, the more people will download it. Social proof is a powerful psychological trigger that inspires people to take action. Plus, having many 5-star reviews is also good for your app store optimisation (ASO).
- Run retargeting campaigns:
Run ads to those who have downloaded your app but haven’t been using it. Or to those who have checked your website but haven’t downloaded it. This will help you increase your conversion rates.
Market an App with Applickable
So, how do you market an app? However you decide to market your app and launch it to the world is entirely up to you, but we hope that we have provided you with some good ideas.
If you’re looking to develop a new app, at Applickable, we can help. Our mobile app developers in Melbourne will help you create a functional, modern app for iPhone or Android your users will love. Get in touch with us today.