Having a Mobile App – PROMOTE IT!

You have built the app you think that everyone needs – now what? It is no longer that you will build it and they will come! With over 25 billion downloads from the iTunes appstore alone – you need to promote yourself to be seen and heard! Here’s a list to help you get started.

Three prime places to market iPhone apps:

I.   App Review Sites

II.  Mobile App Bloggers

III. YouTube App Reviewers

I. App Review sites

Submit your app to app review websites, most folks check App reviews in order to find a good application which meets their requirements and is the best one amongst all the apps in the market. The best review sites are the ones that are used the most and get a far wider range of opinions to help them make an informed decision.
Some important App Review Sites ordered by their monthly traffic:

II. Mobile App Bloggers

Get associated with mobile app related Blogs by submitting your app, submitting your blogs on mobile apps, commenting on their blogs, connecting to the forums, discussion thread, uploading app demo videos and more. These blog sites have get huge traffic and high involvement of visitors as they update them with News, Tips, Tricks, Tutorials and more.
Some Mobile App Bloggers ordered by their monthly traffic:

III. YouTube App Reviewers

Upload demo videos or tutorials of your App on YouTube. Usually developers do this on YouTube, and that’s the end of things. This is a hit or miss strategy, most likely a miss since most videos get very few views.
There is massive number of people on YouTube doing app reviews.  Why not send these App reviewers your apps? Most of these reviewers have already established a subscriber base of 10,000 or more on YouTube. Also, many of these videos can be shared on other sites so the effect can multiply.
Some YouTubers that review apps ordered by the number of followers:

Other Methods (for both iPhone and Android Apps):

1. Posting to forums: Identify forums that meet your target audience criteria. Participate in discussions and promote your new app as appropriate. E.g. iPhone Application List, Phone Appforum (http://www.phoneappforum.com), etc.

2. Get noticed in the App Store by using SEO techniques:
– Choosing a unique, catchy name for your  app will help you to be found in the appstore easily and also within Google searches.
– Include your brand name, where appropriate.
– Your app name in the app store should include keywords and be longer than the app name on the phone itself.

3. Share using AddThis:
– Promote your app online using an AddThis button.
– Install on your blog or website pages

4. Q&A participation: Participate in targeted app topic-specific Q&A discussions at Yahoo Answers, LinkedIn Answers, Wiki Answers, etc

5. Create presentation walk-through of mobile app:
– Create slide show walk-through with screenshots of your app and a description of features and benefits and upload a SlideShare.net, etc.
– Embed your PowerPoint within your LinkedIn profile (use the Applications feature).

6. Twitter in-app feature: create a Twitter update feature within your app

7. App Directory Submission:
– Submit your App on mobile app directories. E.g. Androlib (www.androlib.com), Makeuseof (http://www.makeuseof.com/dir)

8. Blog: Create, publish and Promote your blog

9. Facebook fan page: Setup a Facebook Fan page to showcase your new app

10. Email signature: Add a description about your app below your signature line in all of your emails. Provide a URL link directly to your app within the iPhone store (in iTunes, right click on your app name and you should see the option to “Copy iTunes Store URL”)

11. Showcase app in new website: Create a new website to pre-market and showcase your app.

12. Newsletter/email campaign: Mention your new app in your monthly newsletter and/or email blast to your database of customers and prospects.

13. LinkedIn promotion: Within your LinkedIn profile “Websites” section, link to your website showcasing your app.

14. Promotional items: Create branded promotional items (T-shirts, pens, mugs, cards, etc.)

15. Social Bookmarking ( Digg, Stumbleupon, etc)

16. Free classifieds: Place free classified ads.

E.g. Craigslist( http://www.craigslist.org),

Free Classifieds( http://www.freeclassifieds.com ) ,

Back Page( http://www.backpage.com )

17. Update company profile in professional directories: E.g. Grotal, yellow pages, etc.

An integrated marketing approach with all the above mentioned components shall be effective. A commitment to continuous improvements to the app itself will increase the success of your application. Always remember nearly perfect mobile marketing plan can fall short if the underlying app is not clean in its functionality or bug-ridden or unremarkable. At the same time, a well-designed, compelling app without marketing would likely pass unnoticed.

References:

1. http://timcascio.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/50-ways-to-promote-your-new-iphone-app/