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Mobile app marketing is no more an obscure science.
A couple of years ago, not many had a clue about how to market their mobile apps. It was all hit or miss. Over the years, digital marketers and mobile developers have found what works.
For example, most developers know that they need to use social media to create a buzz, they need a pre-launch, launch and post-launch marketing strategy, and they need to create a good landing page for the app. You don’t need me to tell you that getting your app reviewed or mentioned in a tech blog or print media will help you boost downloads.
Most people know how to market their apps. You can simply hire iPhone application developers and they can do the marketing on their own! Many mobile application development companies in India offer marketing along with development. But, the market for mobile apps is highly competitive, and thousands of app developers are marketing their apps daily.
So, you need to think out of the box and do something different to make your app stand out. Let’s take a look at some unconventional but effective methods of marketing your mobile apps.
YouTube Blogging
YouTube is under-utilized as a medium for promoting mobile apps. Sure, big brands are advertising on YouTube, but digital marketers are not making the most of it. As a developer, you can create videos about the making of your app, you can create videos showing how you solved a specific programming problem, and you can show videos about the progress of your app development. If you can do it with style, you will get lots of views and your app will be popular before it is released!
Read Blogs and Comment
Commenting on articles or taking part on flame wars of debates is the oldest form of building relationship with people online. As a mobile developer, you can check out different tech blogs. Wherever possible, you can mention your app (just don’t spam). Also, if your app is related to a specific niche, you can mention your app on blogs related to that topic.
Write Guest Blogs on Popular Platforms
Guest blogging is not an unusual marketing technique – it is perhaps the most overused. But not many are using it to promote their apps. As a mobile developer, you can write blog posts related to the process of developing your app. As long as it is useful, it will become popular. You can also offer promotional discounts right them in the blog, and drive visitors to your app’s website.
Leverage all Stakeholders to Create a Buzz
SwiftKey has been the bestselling paid app on Android – a platform that is notorious for not being easy to monetize through app downloads. SwiftKey had gotten thousands of people to test the beta version of their app – these people popularized the app by talking about it.
And, when the app was launched, the people involved with testing were sent a message telling them that their subscription with SwiftKey had expired and they needed to buy the app. Thousands of them did. This catapulted SwiftKey to the top of the Android paid app charts! You can similarly leverage your developers, testers and other stakeholders to create a buzz around your app.
Placing Ads and Teasers in Popular Apps
Are there apps out there that offer services similar to the ones offered by your app? The best way to reach target audience is by placing advertisements in such apps. For example, if you are building a car race game, it would be a good idea to place a teaser ad in a popular car race game. This will create awareness about your app among people who are most likely to be interested in it.
Wrapping up
A handful of app developers have used the above methods to popularize their apps. While not all of them may suit your strategy, you can use some of them to add something to your mobile app marketing efforts.
Have you used these, or some other, unconventional marketing techniques? Please share your insights and experiences in the comments!
