The Seven Critical Steps to Marketing Your Education App

gamesandlearning.org

If you build it, there is no guarantee they will come. In fact, in the App Store or Google Play there is no guarantee they will ever even see it.

With the current educational app market as competitive as it is it is crucial to have an outstanding product and a clear marketing strategy. The following are a few critical steps you can take to give your app the best chance of finding success:

1. Make a plan

If you are creating a marketing strategy for an educational app, you probably have a clear goal in mind. If you don’t, create one. Make sure it is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (marketing folks call this SMART for short). Creating a detailed timeline will help you stay on top of your objectives and track down your progress. It is worth to put together an editorial calendar to mark important dates and note down creative marketing ideas.

2. Inform the influencers

Before sending out press releases, app authors should create a list of influential tech writers and authoritative industry bloggers, and get in touch with them as soon as the press kit and other launch marketing materials are ready.

With the use of pre-launch marketing campaign, app authors can effectively reach out to a number of potential customers. Twitter will be the perfect platform to spread the word about the app, as it is a top social media site for tech enthusiasts.

3. Make creative use of social media

Social media marketing is currently the most powerful tool for fostering relationships with the customers and raising international brand awareness. Social networking sites are perfect places to get vocal about innovative scholastic products, because a vast majority of potential users have an active social media presence already. For marketing reasons, the authors should try to establish a comprehensive online image way before the app launch and subtly advertise their product on social media profiles by, for example, offering a free trial period or an exclusive sneak peek into the making of the app.

4. Explore different options

App authors should bear in mind that each social networking site attracts different audiences and promotes various levels of interaction with the followers. Picture-oriented sites like Pinterest and Instagram are great for sharing screenshots and appealing marketing visuals. Facebook, on the other hand, facilitates more active engagement with the fans. And finally, Twitter proves irreplaceable for sending out concise updates and offering promo codes. Check out the infographic created by SumAll to choose the most suitable hours for posting on different channels and optimizing chances at reaching a wider audience.

5. Don’t skimp on freebies

Everyone likes to receive something for free once in a while. In order to get more followers and, consequently, more potential customers, you can promise and prepare special discounts, which will be available only on the day of the release. App authors should not forget to advertise them in different media, both online and offline. If done properly, this strategy will successfully drive app downloads and assure a number of reviews early on.

6. Improve ratings

With App Store Optimization the authors can create a product page that will stand out from the competitive app store environment. In order to optimize download ratings, it is crucial to give the product a catchy name and an appealing logo. After that, a skilled copywriter should compose a detailed description, full of potential search words. At the bottom of the app page, the creators can enclose contact details to increase credibility. Google Play and iTunes stores allow links to commercial websites and tech support.

7. After the launch

Marketing an educational app doesn’t end with its launch. After that, there is still plenty of work to do. Once the initial hype is over, it is important to rethink and adjust the marketing strategy to reach new clients. It is a good idea to invest in paid advertising to enlarge the scope of effective promotion.

Even following all these steps may not equal overnight, spectacular success, but they are a way to think about the launch of an app as more than just posting to an app store and hoping.

Good luck!