So you want your mobile app to be successful?!
You’ve heard that to make money you have to spend money but you’ve already spent so much money on your mobile app that you don’t want to spend money promoting it as well. Fortunately, there are ways to promote mobile app without spending extra money.
A group of creative people with market experience can come up with any number of ideas on how to market their mobile app for free, but these are our top twenty-five. Some of them need to be started before your app is even ready to launch but others can be kicked off when your app is already available for download. They’re presented in the order that it’s easiest to work in, but it’s never too early or too late to enact any of these ideas.
1. Create a Moblie Friendly Website
Creating a website is important for distributing app information and contact details. People want to know your app is a real one, so your app needs to be prominently featured across your website and wherever it makes sense. Make sure your website has proper optimization through AMP.
2. Build Social Media Presence
You’ve got to be on social media. Start out by following other industry leaders and companies. Comment on, share and re-blog their content to get a follow back. Remember to keep that following by posting plenty of your own content. Link to your app, your website, and your blog, as well as anything else that you think your followers will be interested in.
3. Use Existing Media
There are a number of ways to get information about your app out to other influencers who can spread the word for you. Reach out to the editors of tech websites and publications and offer to give them information and interviews on your app. These editors are busy but they also establish themselves by working with cutting edge companies, so the stories can be big deals for them. You can also draft press releases to post on sites like PRNewswire.
Check: Mobile App Development Process
4. Pitch tech blogs
If you’ve got the most awesome app, Make a list of your contacts and send them an email with a perfect pitch of your app and if they are interested they’ll contact you.
5. Put Your App on a Marketplace
Here’s another thing that you may have forgotten about: being on an app marketplace is its own free promotion.
A lot of the time, when people search for apps, they don’t search for the exact name of the app that they’re looking for – they search for the service that they want their new app to perform. Even when people do search for a specific app, the result will also include related products. That means that just by having your app on the market place, it’s being seen by people who weren’t necessarily looking for it.
6. Use Existing Trust in Your Brand
The best way to promote mobile app is to have a good product and a good brand. Of course, this is easier if your app is being launched to augment an existing service. If the app is your main business, it can be hard to establish the business first.
7. Build Trust by Checking App Feedback
One way to build trust in your first product is to religiously check the comments section. When your app is on an app marketplace, users have the ability to leave reviews and comments. There are likely to be some bugs early on, and users are likely to point them out. This sounds like a negative but you can turn it into a positive by responding to as many of these comments as possible as soon as possible. Leave comments like “Thank you for pointing out that issue, we’ll solve it as soon as possible,” or “We’ve heard about that problem from other users and we’re working on finding a solution.”
Check: Why small businesses need a mobile app?
8. Build Trust with Other Services
Another way to build trust in your first product is to make your business more visible through other free services, like blogs. The blogs should be about your business and about your field rather than just your app. If your blog is all about your app, your blog will likely be visible to fewer people than your actual app is. Instead, your blog should provide useful information without treating readers like potential customers. This can help establish your authority and make your app seem more legitimate.
9. Build Buzz
If you have a business already, word of mouth among your clients and customers can be one of the most valuable ways to raise awareness about your mobile app. That doesn’t mean that it’s the only way.
If you don’t already have a business, you can still use social media to raise awareness about your mobile app. From the first day of development, start making posts to make potential users aware that your product is on its way. Close to the actual launch, you can even have a countdown on your social media page.
10. Re-engage users who have already installed your app
Google has an App campaign that allows you to promote mobile app through Google search, Google Play, Gmail, etc within other mobile websites.
11. Share interesting content on Pinterest
Share images of the blogs that you have posted on your website. Add a watermark to the images and share them on Pinterest. Pinterest has the ability to drive more referral traffic to your website and Visitors from Pinterest are more likely to convert into leads.
12. Run an ad campaign on Facebook
Facebook advertising has the ability to reach your exact audience. You can show ads to people of a particular age, location, behavior, and interests. The results are measurable and you can see the impressions, clicks, and conversions you are receiving.
13. Join LinkedIn groups
Linkedin groups are perfect place to showcase your product. Participate in discussions and be part of different communities, comment and share your views. It’s a great way to let others know about your app development.
14. Create and share interesting infographics
Create attractive and informative infographics that make your readers engaged. Try to use tools to make infographics and share it with writers, bloggers, and social media.
15. Offer free trials
Try to offer a free trial if your app is paid. Collect potential user information, reach out, build a relationship and bring them in.
16. Build Trust through Community Involvement
You can also create interest in your app by making yourself and your site more active in your app’s community. Doing interviews and speaking at conferences can be a great way to get your name and your brand recognized, which will then build interest in and credibility for your app.
17. Partner with other Companies
Another good option is to partner with other companies that offer apps that solve similar problems or appeal to similar markets. The two of you can cross-promote each other’s services and work together to build twice the following and provide a more comprehensive service together.
There are a number of ways that you can promote mobile app for free. They can even vary based on what the app does and who its intended users are. So, start off with some of these ideas and see what else you and your team can think of to meet your specific needs.
18. Consider Coupons
Select a coupon service relevant to your market and run a marketing campaign. The outcomes of coupon codes can be easily tracked.
19. Hold a Beta
Another great way to drum up free interest in your mobile app – while killing two birds with one stone – is to have a beta. Betas are a late-stage form of user testing that puts an early version of your app into the hands of potential users before you make your app available to the public. There are two main forms of betas, namely closed betas, and open betas.
In the case of open beta, your app is available for download, usually from your website to anyone who knows to look for it. Open betas are great because they give a lot of early access but this can also result in an overwhelming amount of feedback, particularly for a small company.
In closed beta, people need to reach out to your organization in order to gain access to the beta. This method allows you to limit how much feedback you get. It also allows you to make sure that the app is only ending up in the hands of representations of your intended audience. Finally, having a closed beta means that some people who are interested in your app might not have access – and that helps to build anticipation for the eventual release.
20. Hold Giveaways to Early Buyers
You can also promote mobile app with giveaways to early buyers. What these giveaways are can depend on what your mobile app is all about. If your mobile app is a game, consider giving away things like concept art – files that you already have on hand and those weren’t going to be making you any more money anyway.
If your app is less artistic in nature, giveaways can be things like giving them the option to subscribe to exclusive mailing lists or to be first in line with future betas.
21. Hold Giveaways for Recommendations
Giveaways don’t only have to be too early adopters. You can encourage word of mouth by offering incentives for your users to recommend the app to their friends and family members.
Check: How to develop a successful mobile application?
22. Host a Launch Party
When you are ready to release your app, a launch party can be a great way to get people excited.
If you have a brick-and-mortar location, a launch party may not be “free” because you may want to hold extended hours, have refreshments, maybe even hire entertainment, etc. However, all of this is probably small potatoes compared to how much it costs to actually get your app to market. It’s also significantly cheaper than paying to have your app advertised.
If you don’t have a physical presence, you can still hold a launch party. Consider posting on social media, doing a live-stream of your own celebratory events, or posting some of your goods and services at a reduced price for a limited time.
23. Apps Store Optimization
ASO is the SEO of the mobile app world. Ranking on top of an app store is related to the number of downloads and reviews. To accomplish a solid ASO you have to include a unique name with proper keywords and descriptions. Try to include screenshots and video for a clear picture of your product.
24. Attend Events
Attending events and meetups is the best way to grow your network. Have an initial conversation and tell them about your app. Ask people to check your app and share the feedback.
25. Apply for Awards
Once your app is on the market, consider applying for awards. Some of these awards might be a little too big for you right now, but a lot of publications that have app awards have specific categories for new apps or the first app launched by a company and your app may have a serious shot at them. Then, people looking at the publication to see who won those bigger awards will also see your app on the list. Most awards list applicants and runners-up so even if you don’t win you’re building brand recognition.
Conclusion
There are many marketing tools with which you can promote your mobile app for free. They can even vary based on what the app does and who its intended users are. So, start off with some of these ideas and see what else you and your team can think of to meet your specific needs.
