Have you created a cool new app? Have you also tried and tested your app with some potential customers? If so, you should be excited about the next phase in your app’s life; is that the launch phase? But how do you access the world of the cyber marketplace and get your app noticed among the (around) 2 million customers who buy apps from official stores?
There are two main types of ‘official stores’ or online application platforms from which users can download different types of applications. One is the app store, which is the official online store for Apple or iOS devices. The other is known as ‘Google Play’ and is the official online store for Android applications. But before we learn how to get more downloads for our apps (or apps), it’s essential that we learn the ways users discover these apps. Knowing these ways will help us make a marketing strategy that will not only get our app to market, but also help us ‘sell’ it, so that at the end of the day we can get more installs and downloads.
For starters, official stores sometimes advertise certain apps, so when users log into their respective platforms, they can see the newest apps or top-rated apps out there. So word of mouth is another popular way through which people find out about new apps. I don’t know about you, but for me, apps like Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga, Temple Run, etc. they never existed until a friend of mine introduced me to all these amazing apps. Once word gets out about his app, it goes viral and everyone starts hearing about it, which means: more downloads. Another way is through internet browsing, where users often use search engines to search for new apps, or find out about them through advertisements on different social networking sites.
Now that the potential user has found out about your app, do you think they will start downloading it instantly? If that were the case, wouldn’t all of us developers be living in ‘developer paradise’? Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than potential users who stumble upon your app to get them to download your app. Your app needs to stand out and entice them to download it.
So what gives your app the wow factor? It’s actually more about how you market it than the content itself. The content is important, but that is something the user will discover only after they have downloaded the app. So here are 5 ways to get more downloads for your app:
1. Great translated descriptions:
Descriptions are a great way to let users know what your app is about, but what if there’s a language barrier? To overcome this, try to localize the descriptions for as many countries as you can. This way, you will expand your number of potential users who actually understand what the app is all about. Not only that, but make sure that the description has several keywords that will make it appear in Internet searches. Lastly, your description should tell you about all the permissions the app will need from you, once you’ve downloaded the app. Sometimes an app has in-app purchases, so please mention those as well. Make it all clear beforehand. People hate being disappointed. The last thing you want is for a user to download your app and then delete it because they didn’t know they’d be charged extra for in-app items.
2. Videos:
What can be better than visual aids for your application? Make a video and show your users your app. This way, they will get the perfect description about what the app is all about. If you have some extra cash, then perhaps you could hire mobile-specific video editors to edit your video and make it compatible with smartphone screens. Also, if possible, localize these videos based on regions as well, since at the end of the day all you want is to capture users.
3. Limited Time Offers:
Who doesn’t love sales? I’m sure almost everyone does. So from time to time, try to offer your users limited time offers. They can be any shape; You can make the app free for some time (to encourage people to download and try it so they can then recommend it to their friends), give an app discount for a period of time, do special in-app offers, and the rest. There are so many things you can do and then you can advertise your app on daily deal sites, where you can let users know what special offers you have on your app for the current time period.
4. Real Life Professional Screenshots:
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and how true is that. So why not use images as a medium to showcase your app? But instead of just taking screenshots of the app in use, the best option would be to create a situation and take pictures of ordinary people using the app and then add them to the app profile. This will give you a more real touch and will encourage users to download your app.
5.Google Image for Google Play:
If your app is also available on Google Play, make sure you don’t skip this part. Many developers tend to ignore this part, but it’s important as it’s the biggest area you have to highlight your app. Make sure you use it to the best of your ability and use text, also in the form of slogans.
All of the steps mentioned above are important, but never forget the importance of getting the word out. If you can hire a PR firm or acquire the services of a medium sized blog then let them talk about your blog as it will help to spark reader interest and you never know that particular reader might download your app after reading about it on a tech blog Other than that, check your app analytics from time to time, so you can measure user behavior from the time they download the app to the present time. In this way, you will be able to better evaluate and judge the success of your application.
Lastly, try to run CPI blast campaigns as often as possible so that you can help your app get into the top 50 listings, after all, usually platforms list the top 50 apps by default, so so if your app is there, it will definitely attract attention. .
Try to perform all the above steps and if luck is on your side, definitely your app will start getting attention and app downloads will increase too. Good luck!
