Insider Tips for Marketing Your App

So you have hired an experts in app design and made an outstanding app and you want everybody to hear about it and maybe even buy it! How do you do so? How do you avoid drowning in a sea of other apps, some of them very similar to yours? What do you do to stand above the others?

app developersDo you just sit on your chair eagerly waiting for a flood of downloads to propel you to superstardom? Do you pray hard for people to notice your app? When it comes to promoting your app, you do not just leave everything to chance. You may be able to announce your app launch on Facebook and get positive reviews but this does not ensure getting at least 50 downloads a day.

The best way to get massive downloads is to be featured and have your app selected over hundreds of others. You can beat the odds with a little help so here are some tips.

Tell a story

People love stories and they love products with stories behind them. Some people develop an emotional attachment to apps so they want to know what is the story behind it. Why was it created? What gave the creator the brilliant idea?  What is the reason and what is the inspiration? You should put the story on the description page for PR purposes.

Be unique

Stand out from the rest by being unique. It is very easy for app developers Ireland to fall into a trap of “group think” and creating something which the market is already saturated with. Remember that these kinds of apps are not what get featured. Break away from the status quo and come up with a fresh and distinctive app. Get to know your app’s distinctive quality and make it part of the user’s experience.

Build a home for your app

One of the many things which developers overlook is creating a home for their app. You should have a place where you can freely describe why they should try your app and what makes it very unique. A website will give you various opportunities for marketing and making people more aware about your app.

PR

For PR, it is best to hire the professionals but if you do not have the budget, it is also something which you can do yourself. Share your story, have some screenshots and send personalized emails to blog owners. Use all the tools available to you to make everyone aware of your app.

Banners

There are plenty of blogs and niches out there where your potential audience is most likely to be. Buy banners from blog owners or from networks. This is something which costs money but it is something that is inexpensive and the returns are quite high.

Timing

When you launch an app, you should make sure that the event is most favourable to you. You should make sure that it is something when you will get maximum exposure. Synchronise everything together, from the blog posts, PR banners and other things.

Common Pitfalls of App Development

app developers

In the past few years, mobile app development has went through some changes and has come a long way. As technology continues to evolve, more and more innovating products are introduced. There is room for development but there is always the risk of making mistakes that could jeopardize your product or your reputation.

Android or iOS

Androir and iOS are two of the most popular platforms today and one of the most common issues app developers Ireland face is deciding which system to use for their app. Developers should think about their audience before making a decision. According to experts, Android has an advantage because of its openness. However, others think that because Android has numerous versions, it makes it complicated to decide which version to build for.

Testing the waters

Before starting an app, one of the things that you can do is to not build first. Instead you should test the waters first by building a mobile application. Starting with a mobile app first will teach you more about the design, functionality, as well as user experience that is necessary before building a full version of the app. Remember that you must be able to test your apps several times before you launch them. Once the app has been tested, the next thing to do is to stay focused.

Promoting your app

Before people start downloading your apps, you must be able to let people know all about it first. How do you this? By marketing and proper promotion? When consumers discover your app and all the good features it has to offer to make their lives better, they will start downloading your app. Keywords must be chosen carefully to describe your app and you should know which category to put it on. Lastly, never send out a press release unless your app has been fully tested.

Great user experience

Once the customers have had a taste of your app, they will certainly be sending you emails and messages of the features they want added or the things which you should improve. You cannot ignore these messages. On the contrary, you must take them seriously if you want your users to have a great experience with your app. However, you must keep in mind that you should never add an extra feature that might add value of 30% to your app but take away value for 50%.  If your app has too many features, people won’t know what to do when they open it. Read the reviews but listen to what customers are truly saying.

Design and development

Design and development must work together. If these two things do not work hand in hand, you are headed for a disaster. The designs you make at the initial stage before the actual development starts can determine the failure or success of an app. Both the developer and the designer should work hand in hand from start to finish.  When both parties are solving problems together, you will improve your chances of success.

Making an App Without Breaking the Bank

An exciting app can get you pumped up. After conception, the next thing you want to do is to go to the drawing board and start with the app development process. If you are like most people who lack a huge budget, you and your partner will pool your money together and even get a loan. But how do you pay back the money you owe people if your app does not do very well?

Developing an app can cost a huge amount of money so how can starters do it without breaking the bank? Here are a few tips for you.

Your apps are investments

Your apps are investments. You spend money on it hoping to make money from it.  Instead of putting all of your money on a single app, what you can do is to diversify and build 5 to 10 solid apps at lower prices. You may believe that your app is going to make it big in the market; there are always risks involved. If you are just starting out with apps, it is best to be on the safe side.

Learn

Most people who enter the app development world are in it for the money and all they want is to get rich quick. They have an idea but they do not want to throw money at it because they are uncertain that everything will come together after the app is published.

For your app to be a success, you have to do more than dream about the money you are going to make. You have to put in time and effort to learn as much as you can about app development. When you are starting watch as many tutorials as you can, read as many article as you can and even enroll in some classes.

Quality and quantity

You might have more than a single app at one time but you have to remember that quality is better than quantity. There is no point creating multiple apps when all of them are below par. This will not leave a good impression on your customers. As a matter of fact, it will turn customers off. However, you have to release your app in a timely manner. Timing is critical because if you spend too much time in the development stage, the landscape will have already changed once you release the app.

Track your apps

Excel is a very good friend when it comes to tracking your apps.  When you have more than a single apps available for download, you might even consider a few software which will the job a lot easier. How much money did your apps make? How many downloads does it have? How much money did you spend developing the app?

Outsource

Outsourcing is an expensive endeavor and this is something which should only be done when you have a method that is already proven to predict exactly how much money your app is going to make. If your app should make $5,000 in its lifetime, you are in a very good position to hire people from offshore.

Mobile App Development Mistakes You Should Avoid

Mobile app development

Working on a mobile app is not as easy as it as t sounds. Yes, it is an exciting process but it can also be daunting. Lots of problems can surface and it is important that you know what these common problems so you know how you can avoid them. Here are some of the most common mistakes and how you can prevent them.

Not establishing a process

Establishing a process, which will guide you the mobile app’s development from ideation to post launch. The process makes it easier for people involved and the process must include market research, details on the resources available and needed, and timeline and milestones.

One must have a thorough understanding of the market, the users, their personas and other detailed demographic facts. The market research can be used to align the company’s goals with the resources available to develop the app. Remember that resources are flexible and can reference to both something intangible and tangible.

Once you understand the resources available, it is time to establish a timeline with milestones. There should be milestones around each stage, ideation, product development, alpha testing, alpha testing analytics, alpha product iteration, beta testing, beta testing analytics, beta product iteration and launch to the target audience. Metrics must be established to measure success.

Not taking the time to find the right person or team

The initial stage of the mobile app development can be very exciting but you have to be very careful. If you do not find the right person or team, all your hard work would have been for naught. Consider all the details of what needs to be built, including the importance of proper, high quality app design and the resources that are available to you. Ask the right questions and when talking to software consultancy firms about other projects which they have done similar to yours, you must ensure that the firm has no problem assigning all the IP of the project to you.

Not thinking about the user

Apps are built in order to sell them to users so it is senseless to not think about the user during the development process. How will the user discover, engage and activate the app? Put yourself in the shoes of the user.

Not getting the target audience among your test users

Whatever you do, you must never, ever include your family and friends as part of your test group. Naturally they will love and support you regardless of how useless is your app so their feedback does not count. You must get back from the correct people, those from your target audience.

Not thinking about app marketing distribution

Building an app does not guarantee success. There are thousands of apps in the market competing for users’ attention and yours could easily get lost if it doesn’t stand out and distinguish itself from the rest. You must know how to market your app. How can you get the audience’s attention? How will you retain them? How much will marketing acquisition cost?

When developing an app, you should research, assess the resources available to you, hire the right people, think about your users, get feedback from the right people, and plan how you can grow your app.