Are you wondering about the best way to promote your app and get the word out to your audience? Here are some strategies that can help.

When Is The Right Time To Promote Your App?

In today’s world, it’s not enough to simply design an app and put it on the App Store or Google Play. There are so many apps out there that, without a careful strategy, yours might just get lost in the shuffle, instead of growing.

For success, you need to promote your app early on. In fact, beginning your planning or promotion itself on launch day is actually way too late. They say that the early bird gets the worm, and this is very true when it comes to app promotion.

Apps Are Only Getting More Popular

While it is true that there are many apps, it is also very true that more people are using more apps than ever before.

Data from App Annie shows that the average smartphone user spends over 2 hours a day using apps. That’s over a month a year spent using them!

People are always looking for new ways to better and enjoy themselves, and the massive smartphone user market is only getting bigger every year.

SEE ALSO: 9 Apps to Improve Productivity for Small Business Owners

In 2016, the number of smartphone users worldwide crossed the 2 billion mark. In 2020, it is projected that this number will increase to 2.87 billion smartphone users worldwide.

How To Create The Perfect Pre-Launch Kit For Your App

So, you’ve got a stellar app in the works and want to make it a smash hit. But, how do you make sure that people know about it? How do you promote your app?

What steps do you need to take to make sure that people understand and relate to your app, and are excited about it before ever even downloading it?

The answer lies within your pre-launch kit. Here are some tactics and ideas which can help get the word out and make your app a powerhouse digital brand.

A Website

This does not have to be a massive or super in-depth site, but it does need to look modern and professional. Most people stick around on sites for 15 seconds or less, meaning that you have almost no time to capture their attention.

It must be designed to load on both mobile and desktop and look good when it loads. Poor design can lead to long loading times, which is a major reason that people decide to abandon websites.

You want your site provides short and sweet, but informative content that draws people to your app. How can it promote your app if people can’t even load it?

SEE ALSO: 7 Avoidable Website Mistakes Business Owners Are Always Making

Blog Posts

Blog posts are one way to promote your app. They can be especially important in instances like:

• Creating an app for a business that already exists
• If your website has a blog
• Entering a highly competitive market

You can use blog posts to describe your app and help people get to know it better. You can also provide behind the scenes looks into development and future features, which people always love to get on their favorite things.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways to Make Your Blog Visually Appealing

Reviews and Testimonials

While people are often suspicious of ads, they trust each other’s reviews. While reviews can have a large impact on businesses, their importance is also growing when it comes to mobile apps. More people than ever before are looking at mobile app reviews according to BrightLocal.

In fact, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Good reviews will help to promote your app.

Also, giving early adopters a say can provide you with key information that can help you fix bugs or other issues before the launch.

SEE ALSO: 5 Online Review Myths You Should Know

Mailing Lists

If you have a database of people waiting for your launch, reach out to them to promote your app. Email is one great way to keep in touch with them and let them know about your launch.

Make sure to respect their time and keep any information you share intriguing, honest, and up-to-date.

Get Ready For Questions

Know what makes your app competitive and be ready to tell people about all of its best features. You should be ready to tell anyone who asks a few quick facts about it, regardless of what your app does.

People Need To See It To Believe It

Screenshots and beautiful mockups are a great way to sell your app. Graphic design is ultimately what can make or break your app and draw people in.

You can tell people that your app is beautiful, efficient, and user-friendly a million times. However, people only read about a quarter of the words on a web page.

People also remember images far better than they do text. According to Dr. Lynell Burmark, Ph.D. Associate at the Thornburg Center for Professional Development, this is because of how our brains work.

“Words are processed by our short-term memory…Images, on the other hand, go directly into long-term memory where they are indelibly etched.”

So, show off your app’s best features in an eye-catching visual way to convince people to download it.

Promote Your App With A Press Kit

A press kit can include:

• A bio
• Blurb about the app
• Graphic materials
• Photos
• Logos
• Video tutorials

If you have a website, consider allowing people to download your app directly from it.

Other Ways To Spread The Word About Your App

On top of your press kit, there are a number of ways to help raise awareness about your app. These include

• Social Media Branding: Have a strong digital brand around your app that helps people become informed and familiar with it.
• ASO: Use App Store Optimization strategies such as keywords, descriptions, logo design, and responding to reviews.
• Promote Your App In-Store: You can use QR codes, small leaflets, and printed information on receipts to do this.
• Influencer Marketing: Teaming up with influencers to access their audience is a powerful marketing tool.
• Content Marketing: This ties into your website’s blog posts.
• Video and YouTube Advertising: US adults alone spend 6 hours watching videos across all platforms a day. Therefore, you don’t want to miss out on that market.
• PR Coverage: Focus on submitting your app to places to get reviewed to increase visibility. Places like App Advice or The Next Web are great places to start.

SEE ALSO: How to Build a Brand for Your Mobile App: Strategies, Tips and Examples

Apps Are Now

More and more people get smartphones and become app users every year, meaning that there is plenty of room and a hungry audience for innovation. Use these steps to help promote your app online and make it a smashing success!

What’s your favorite recent app discovery? Comment below…