Effective Marketing Plan for your Mobile App: 4 Things to do at the time of app release (appiterate.com)

The moment of app release is actually the most crucial time in your app’s life cycle. This is because the response your app is going to get at the very beginning will guide its revenues in the future. A good marketing plan at this stage can ensure high visibility, greater downloads and thus better revenues.

App Store Optimization

Both Apple’s App Store and the Google Play have a myriad number of apps and it’s very easy to get lost in the crowd. Good visibility on the App Store is thus essential and can be ensured by following certain key pointers while launching your app:

1. Keep the title short, self explanatory and keyword centric. The important thing is to limit it in one line. For this you have to be extra cautious on Google Play as the users’ Android phone screens may vary in sizes.

2. While writing the description for your app, just keep two things in mind. First, that users don’t like to read paragraphs if they don’t find the initial lines interesting. And second, use as many keywords as possible so that your app may spring up on searches more often.

3. Google play allows you to add demo videos of your app. Do make one, as many of your prospective users may not find the screenshots too descriptive. Keep the video short and emphasize on the user friendliness of your app.

4. Icon images should be striking to make you app stand out in the list and screenshots should signify the simplicity of your app.

Pricing

Settling on a particular price-point is quite confusing and indeterminable for a newbie. Although you can always make mistakes, it doesn’t hurt to err on the lower side. Under pricing the app may cause low initial revenues, but it will also lead to more downloads, which would lead to higher visibility for your app, which in turn would lead to further higher downloads and your final revenues would look much better.

Another important thing for you to remember is that revenues from an app aren’t just generated from one time downloads. Freemium apps, in app purchases and in app advertisements are the keys to deriving high per user revenue while keeping the pricing low.

Though this approach may still be argued by some, the fact remains that the average selling price for apps are continuously declining on all platforms.

Banner Ads

Using banner ads for your marketing is something that should start slightly before the app’s release. Target app review sites and while making the banner ad, keep a few points in mind.

When creating your title, remember that its aim is to establish a brand, something your users can recognize easily. The key features of your app must be highlighted in as few words as possible. Also, always remember to add a call to action button.

Putting these banner ads up just before the app release till shortly after app release is a part of a burst marketing campaign for your app.

Promo Video

Having a promo video is essential for creating that viral marketing campaign any app launch requires. Create a promo video that is short and crisp. Highlight all your app’s key features and point out why your app is better than its competitors. It is advisable to keep the tone light and informal. And finally, include screen captures of your app as well.

Once your video is ready, you have to be active in distributing it all over the web. Post it on forums, spread it through social media and share the video link on all relevant communities. Mostly, other people would share it for you, if you done your job well! This will lead to a much needed hype about your app at the time of its release.

If you remain faithful to the above mentioned points, your app will very likely see a surge of downloads right from the start. Unfortunately, this sudden boost may just as well fade away unless it is followed by a robust marketing plan after the app’s release.