If you’ve decided to launch a mobile app in 2021, you’ll likely be aware of the intense competition you’re up against. In 2020, there were 218 billion app downloads across the year.
Due to lockdown and people being stuck at home with nothing to do, people reached for their phones, visited the Apple app store or Google Play store, and found an app to pass the time.
Putting it into perspective, TechCrunch states that “consumers spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices alone.”
This proves 2 things:
- The app industry is booming.
- The competition is fierce.
So, let’s dive into our marketing strategies and help you near launch day with confidence.
Work With ASO for Keywords That Bring in High-Value Clients
ASO stands for App Store Optimization. It’s not as widely known as Search Engine Optimization. Still, as apps continue to take over the world, ASO is becoming a number one priority to any serious brand about their app being #1 in the App store.
Check out our app store listing on the Apple app store and Google Play.
We made it our priority to focus on ASO when writing the copy for our listing.
Can you pick out our keywords?
If you perfect your ASO, you’ll appear higher in the search results for the keywords you’re ranking for.
So, typing ‘driving theory test’ in the Apple app store and our app appearing is our primary goal. It takes time to build up your ASO, but the best place to start is by considering your keywords.
Think carefully, not about what you’d type as a business owner and app developer, but what your target audience would type to find your app.
With 70% of mobile users using the ‘search’ tool to find apps, this strategy should be your number one priority.
You’ll also need to consider which App Store you’re using to post your listing. It’s best to market your app in both stores, but remember that the ASO criteria differ between them.
The Apple Store, for example, considers the app name, URL, reviews, updates, keyword field, subtitle, and the downloads and engagement.
On the other hand, Google Play considers the short and long description, the app title, but not the keyword field.
Many factors remain interchangeable for both of them, but it’s essential to understand where to place your keywords to tick the app store’s boxes.
A/B Test Your Way To Success
Many startups ignore this tactic. However, clever marketers, business owners, and app developers understand the importance of A/B testing (also known as ‘split testing’).
This avoids going in too broad. Whether that’s with your app’s features or your marketing tactics, split testing will help you narrow down what your audience responds to best.
It’s crucial to monitor the data, though. Without the statistics on either side (strategy A and strategy B), you’re unable to piece together a story with the numbers. Perhaps strategy A works best on certain days of the week, but strategy B works best at other times. Without capturing and analyzing the data in-depth, you’ll be unable to put the pieces of the puzzle together and form the narrative you need to determine your final strategy.
Learn About Your Customers First
Before you market anything, you must know your users.
A common mistake that many inexperienced app developers and business owners make is thinking they understand their customers based on their age and gender.
These two factors are important, and they will impact the way you market. But, you’ll need to know so much more. These are only two pieces of the puzzle.
You need to understand and empathize with your demographic in as much detail as possible.
Without this, your marketing tactics will be watered down. The more specific and personalized you can make your efforts in both your app and your messaging, the more your audience will resonate with you. If you’re creating relatable content, you’ll see the downloads pour in.
Do your market research and learn about your users before you launch anything.
And, once you have launched, the learning is not over. Continue gathering insights about your demographic. These will inform your updates and future marketing campaigns.
Look For Incentives That Can Get Your Current Users To Share And Return To The App
Successful app developers use the strategy of incentives to motivate users to engage and return to their app. This is also a common sales strategy.
Think about loyalty programs that offer points. Costa, for example, launched the Costa Coffee Club. Returning to the coffee shop and collecting points means that consumers can apply them as discounts to reduce their coffee bill once they’re saved up.
Even though this business rewards points in their building, many app developers use the same logic to spend money within the app.
But your incentives don’t need to take the form of a financial discount.
In fact, you can provide free incentives that work just as well.
Our app, Zutobi Driving Education, for example, incentivizes our users to return through value. We give free permit practice tests, tips on reading traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, and so much more.
In short, our incentives work because we know our audience. So, remember to revisit point 3 often.
Learn About Marketing
Marketing – whether for a product, service, or a mobile app – uses the same strategies. Before you can build a marketing strategy, you need to know your audience as well as possible. Understand their needs, wants, desires, fears, and dislikes. They will all play a pivotal role in your marketing method.
Once you understand your audience on more than a surface level, you’ll be able to study your competitor’s marketing strategy, zooming in on what’s working and what isn’t for them. This will help you form your unique selling point and will guarantee that it’s something your audience looks for when finding the perfect app to solve their problem.
Make sure you plan your marketing campaigns to align with the different sales funnel stages your users will travel through on the journey to downloading your app. Remember, those at the start of the trip will need a different tactic than those at the end who need reminding and incentivizing to return to the app.
Don’t Develop What You Want. Develop What The Users Want.
If you’ve decided to launch an app, it’s highly likely that you’re a frequent app user, too. You understand the benefits an app can bring to your business, understand the importance of user experience, and use this information to make your decision to take the plunge and build your app.
This is both a curse and a blessing.
It’s a blessing because you understand how apps work. You can point out the positives and negatives of individual apps. Whether these apps are direct or indirect competitors doesn’t matter because you can learn something from every app out there.
It’s a curse because of the exact same reasons. Your opinion and personal preference will naturally impact the development of your app. But, it’s essential to remember, this app is being built for you. It’s being developed for your audience.
Remind yourself of your target user’s avatar at all times, considering their wants and needs above all.
We’ve put our audience at the front of our minds, knowing that they are at the beginning stage of their driving journey.
Remember, the app is not about you. It’s about your users.
Beat The Competition
But don’t let the competition put you off. If you know how to market your app correctly in 2021, you can beat the competitors and use apps to put your business firmly on the map.
Author: Tim Waldenback is the co-founder of Zutobi Drivers Ed, a gamified e-learning platform focused on online drivers education to help teens get their license.Tim founded Zutobi to make world-class driver’s education fun, affordable, and easily accessible for all.
