The Punchbowl Trends Blog

You made the informed decision for your mobile strategy and created an app for your brand. Once that app is live in the store, how can you maximize the number of downloads it gets? There are currently more than 750,000 apps in the App Store with over 40 billion downloads. Amid all of the competition it can be difficult to make your app stand out. We’ve compiled five marketing strategies to get moms to download your app including:

1)     Be Social

Reach out to fans within your app or via social networks to generate reviews for your app. Nike used Twitter to introduce their new app and doubled the amount of positive ratings/reviews on their app. Word of mouth recommendations and online reviews are the most trusted form of advertising among consumers but less than 0.1% leave a rating or review. Your brand should also consider an integrated Facebook login within your app, especially for those in the movies, TV, games, and news categories.  DragonPlay, which creates gaming apps, found that Facebook login users are 274% more likely to convert to paying users.

2)     Use Relevant Keywords

Ensure moms and other users can easily find your app within the App Store.  Moms are busy and don’t have the time or patience to scroll through pages of options to find your app. Carefully choose the best name for your app, which should ideally incorporate the main keyword of your app. A compelling, memorable icon helps your app to stand out, with visual appeal. The App Store should become another channel for your brand to tell your story and the description should be search engine optimized. Experiment with different categories and keywords, watch what your competitors are doing, and utilize Google Alerts for your app and selected keywords.

3)     Maximize Exposure

Targeted marketing outreach creates positive publicity for your app and leads to more downloads. Tech blogs like TechCrunch, TheVerge, TheNextWeb, and Forbes can drive large amounts of traffic and downloads. However, it can be very difficult to get your app featured and reviewed by one of these sites. A more targeted approach will likely be more successful, such as reaching out to mommy bloggers or parenting websites. You should also list your app on directories like lifehacker.com, 148apps.com, and appolicious.com.

4)     Promote Via Email Marketing

Your mailing lists subscribers have clearly expressed an interest in your brand so it’s important to reach out to them when promoting a new app. Include links in your email directly to download your app – make it easy for them! Specific strategies to consider include offering advanced privilege testing, promo codes, news of updates, or other branded content like e-books and whitepapers.

5)     Find The Best Pricing Model

There are several options in relation to pricing your app and how to generate revenue.  A key decision is whether you will get paid by users or by advertisers. Generally, advertisers are more willing to pay than users and they also have deeper pockets.  However, you will need sufficient usage to prove that your app is worth their dollars. You also need to consider how competitors in your space monetize their apps and which strategies are most successful.

These strategies will create positive awareness around your app and drive traffic and downloads. Keep in mind the app itself must be well made, provide clear value, and be user friendly in order to satisfy customers and ensure that they keep using the app after download. Learn more in the new white paper about the behaviors of moms on tablets, advertising opportunities for your brand, and what moms expect from brands when it comes to tablets.

Posted by Lauren Murphy