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How to Get Customers to Download Your App?

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Creating an app is a long and laborious process. You may think that the hard part is over once the app has been designed, fine-tuned to meet the requirements of your target audience, and tested for any bugs. However, the journey is far from over. There is no point in creating an app unless it is widely downloaded. For that, you need to learn how to promote your app.

Businesses primarily create apps to sell their products and services. And, the number of app downloads help businesses expand their reach and drive more sales which is why app promotion is crucial.

In this article, we will learn a few mobile app marketing strategies and look at some case studies of wildly successful apps. Also, what other app makers did to convince people to download their apps.

App marketing strategy

Here are a few app promotions tips that you can use to encourage people to download your app.

App Store Optimization

App store optimization is an important app marketing strategy and it is all about making your app visible. Just as SEO is meant to increase the Google ranking of websites, ASO ensures that your app is easily visible in app stores. There are millions of apps like yours available on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Naturally, the apps that get greater visibility enjoy a higher number of downloads.

Watch this video to have a better understanding of what app store optimization is.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

People search for applications on app stores as per their requirements and app stores then recommend relevant apps. Around 47% of Apple App Store users say that they found their app only after searching with keywords. The percentage stands at 53% for Android or Google Play Store users. Optimize your app listing for the app stores to increase your app ranking and make it visible to the people who come in looking for an app like yours.

Check out how you can increase your chances of getting featured by app stores.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Here are a few ways to optimize your app and boost mobile app downloads:

• Use a proper title
• Describe the purpose of your app in a few words
• Use bullets to list the features
• Include keywords in your description
• Add a vibrant app preview
• Choose the appropriate category
• Make sure that you reply to the reviews (even the negative ones, specially the negative ones)

Increase your user ratings

Before downloading, users look at the rating and reviews your app has received. These ratings and reviews influence users’ decisions to either download your app or choose your competitor over you. App stores allow a rating of 1-5 stars. Aim for as many 5 star reviews as you can muster.

Before you launch your app, get in touch with everyone you know, your family, friends, colleagues, app developers, even professional testers and ask them to give you good ratings and reviews to give you a good start.

Here is a video to help you learn how you can increase the number of good reviews to rank higher in ASO.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

There will be negative reviews too. To deal with them, you can improve your app based on feedback and always apologize to the app users for the inconvenience your app may have caused them.

Watch this video to know the strategies that can help you avoid bad reviews.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Ask your mobile app users to rate your app. However, make sure the review notification doesn’t pop up every time they use the app, it can be annoying. Ask politely and frame your request in a genuine manner. The rating request should show up only after the user has had the time to explore the app and its benefits.

App promotion through social media

If you have a large social media following, you can request your followers to rate and review your app. Use social media optimization to get your advertisement to reach as many users as possible. Word-of-mouth strategy is particularly effective for app promotion on social media.

Make sure your app users share, repost, and if possible, review the app you have launched through either e-mail marketing or social media channels.

Check out this video to understand how you can use hashtags to promote your app on various social media channels.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

The app icon must be attractive

The first thing that users notice in an app is the app icon. For app promotion, you need to think of how you can make the app icon stand out among your competitors. Hire the best designers to create a unique icon for your app. If, however, you do not have the budget, you can try out the easy-to-use online logo maker from Appy Pie Design and create one on your own.

The icon should clearly define what your app is all about. Also, consider your target audiences’ preferences and mindset while designing your app icon.

Here is a video to help you learn how your app icon can beat your competition in surprising ways.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Marketing an app wisely within your budget

You need to set aside some money for marketing an app, building its brand value, and promoting it. You must first decide the time frame in which your app will be promoted. We suggest you use your budget amount to robustly advertise your app in a short period like a mobile app burst campaign.

Here are a few cost-effective ways that you can use to market your app.

• Reddit
• SMS marketing
• E-mail marketing
• Blog posts
• Content marketing

You can also take a look at this video that discusses how you can get someone to invest in your app.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Case studies to explain mobile app marketing

Let’s check out what some successful app owners have done to increase their app downloads.

Appy Pie

Appy Pie AppMakr helps you develop apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, or Fire OS without getting into the hassle of coding. Appy Pie App Builder app has more than 1 million app downloads. Want to know how it worked out for them? And what is their app marketing strategy?

The team behind the launch did a bunch of things that proved to be just right for them. Here’s what they did to take their app to one million installs.

• Generating loads of positive reviews
• Promoting their apps smartly through social media
• Using content to increase the app’s reach
• Offering attractive deals and discounts to entice users
• Giving their apps the appealing look and feel
• Optimizing their apps for app stores
• Investing in vigorous burst campaigns

Subway Surfers

Chances are that you have played this game on your smartphone. Subway Surfers is, after all, one of the most downloaded mobile game of the last decade. The CEO of Kiloo and Sybo Games has explained that social media promotion and influencer marketing were their chief app promotion strategies.

Two technical details they focused on were the responsiveness of the game and making it light enough so that it doesn’t slow down the user’s phone.

Airbnb

Today, Airbnb is widely preferred by people across the world who want to book a place to stay. The people at Airbnb linked their website to their app and leveraged the users’ preference for apps to make booking easily. Their mobile app marketing strategy was decisive. They utilized social media promotion (chiefly Facebook and Instagram) extensively.

Airbnb also optimized their app and content for YouTube as it is the second-most popular search engine. They also collaborated with the right influencers like bloggers, vloggers, and social media celebrities.

A little research into their app marketing strategy can give you enough insight into how to promote your new app. You are partially sorted if you have already created an app using Appy Pie’s AppMakr.

All you need to do is be creative, get in touch with people who are familiar with mobile app marketing, implement their ways, and let your app take off!