Developing a mobile app and launching it in app stores are awesome for every app owner. Everybody wants to reach the peak download numbers beginning from launch. However, the reality is; it is nearly impossible because of harsh competition and deficiency of knowledge in the app market. This causes a lot of mistakes and the main mistake is usually about ignoring mobile marketing. While the mobile marketing spending is increasing billions dollar year by year, expecting the top downloads and being visible in app stores is a bit unrealistic. As you can see in the chart below, especially ad spending is growing aggressively and there is no escape from aggressive mobile marketing no longer.
Advertisement depending mobile marketing strategy is of course all about post launch.. What you should be aware of is that there are a lot of things you could do to make your audience get ready for your app. Here you can find out which steps you should take into consideration for pre launch app marketing.
Defining Target Market & Success Metrics
As it is valid for all marketing strategies, pre launch app marketing starts with a smart target market analysis and defining success metrics. You need to really know who your audience – the ones will consider to download your app and use it – is. It’ll help you to learn their needs, their priorities, and most importantly their language. After doing this, you can successfully plan your pre and post launch marketing strategy.
Here are some useful tips to define your audience
- Watch your competitors’ reviews, social media comments, and the language used by your most successful competitor.
- Do not stuck on the feedbacks of your app developers only. Thinking that developers are your audience – if your app is not developed for developers – will be a huge mistake during defining your target market.
- At the beginning, you decided to develop the app for a specific need. It means you have an idea about who your audience is. However, this doesn’t mean you will be right exactly. To avoid this problematic point of view, ask for your friends and people around you – who you think that in your audience – to use your app and give feedback about it
Success metrics give you a chance to gain control over your app’s improvement. When it comes to pre launch, it might be hard to know what to measure. Here are the metrics you want to follow:
- Number of contacts subscribed to your mailing list,
- Your organic social media followers,
- Testers who give feedback about your beta version and feedbacks itself
Conducting Competitive Analysis
This step is one of your most powerful weapons to get prepared for the app market. Your competitors may define your road map if you analyze their strength and weaknesses well. Below you can find how to conduct competitive analysis:Create an excel document
- Create an excel document as follows and try to find meaningful benchmark titles to compare. Compare your key features with your competitors.
- Conduct this competitive analysis monthly even after launching your app.
- Try to find what your competitors did before launch.
- Write down their marketing mistakes to find a blue ocean.
Launch Page & Creating Content
Without content, you cannot create a mobile marketing strategy. What you need to work on is where and what to create.
- Launch/Landing Page
A landing page might be your best place to explain what are you serving to your audience. It also gives you the opportunity to convert your visitors into leads. This is a common pre launch app marketing strategy to collect data and give info about the app.
- Locate a submission form to inform people when the app is launched and use CTA everywhere possible in your launch page to increase submission rate.
- Create content by using your keywords carefully.
- Use your app’s screenshots.
- Do not full your website with text content. Especially if it is a one-page website, use the power of quality images.
- Optimize it according to SEO and digital marketing success metrics.
Source: http://betalist.com/startups/raincheck
- Blogging
Creating a blog and creating content for it gives you the chance both to be found easily and explain yourself to your audience. You can show your authority over your competitors by creating qualified content. Don’t forget to use your keywords accordingly in your blog.
Source: http://www.limeet-app.com/blog/
- Press Releases
Press Releases are another good ways to promote your app before launch. You can arouse curiosity on your audience by giving brief information about your app. You can also use press releases to build link for your app’s website.
Setting Social Media Accounts (But Which Ones?)
There is an inevitable truth that social media is the place where you can find and interact with your audience easily. Today, especially the generation Y see it as an essential part of their daily lives. This is why as a part of your pre launch app marketing strategy, you need to be active in social media as well. However, there is a common misconception about choosing social media platforms: The platforms that are used by a majority is the one app owners should use. Hold on to your hat: It is completely wrong! You should be where your “audience” is, not every platform that everybody likes. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Vine, YouTube, Periscope, and so on… You should not to use all of them. Just pick the ones your target market uses mostly. Don’t forget to optimize your profile pages for subscription links.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/SportsGuruApp
App Store Optimization
You need to be aware of the importance of App Store Optimization. You need to start with a smart keyword analysis. Then, optimize your app title and app description accordingly. Visuals are very important for ASO too. Because of this, you should optimize your screenshots, app icons, and preview video if needed according to the best practices of ASO. You can check out our App Store Optimization Checklist to learn more about it.
Beta Invite
Marketing seems to be just about promoting a product to the audience without knowing and caring the product itself. It is completely wrong. Reaching to the audience is a tool to listen to them and if you don’t do this, it has no meaning to pretend like you are listening. At this stage, what you should do as an app owner is getting feedbacks via beta invite. It is an approved strategy conducted by big ones like Spotify and Google Plus. You can locate a form in your website to let people request a Beta invite. You can also send an email to your subscribers to ask if they wanted to test your beta or not.
Source: https://ionapp.com/
Smart Email Marketing for Subscription
Email marketing keeps its importance within the years. What you should avoid about mail marketing is purchasing email lists since those lists do not provide you leads you desire. Start to create and enlarge your mailing list via website forms and outsource contents. Then email them related contents that will draw their attentions accordingly. This can take time to have a huge list but you can start small and if you create really interesting, engaging, and informational content, your audience will grow. This list will provide you a potential customer list when your app launches.
As it is true for post launch app marketing, pre launch app marketing can create a huge potential for your app downloads. Time is important and you should start your pre launch app marketing as soon as possible.
