The on-going progress of mobile technology, access to high-speed Internet and integration of cutting-edge technologies has resulted into an all-new and enticing atmosphere in the mobile world. Not only individuals are employing mobile apps day-to-night for their leisure, brands are also investing in mobile app development to entice their target users and do a profitable business. As a result, the market is flooding with apps and competition is rising exponentially.
1.Market Research:
The market is usually comprised of key players, such as target audience and competitors.
Target Audience
Researching the target customers can give you some great insights into what they actually value in an app. Also, the pattern of buying varies with each individual. some keep on trying newer mobile apps on a regular basis (1-2 every week), others install new applications at a high rate at the beginning of the month and stay away from the app store for the rest of the month.
Competitors
It is important to know where our app stands in the competition. For this, it is crucial to understand and analyse the features, price, categories and keywords of the competitors. This gives an idea of building our value proposition better than others and to include the missed features.
Along with this, participating in the online communities and discussion is a great way to conduct market research.
2.Social media:
Social media helps to expand the web presence. The first step is to identify the social networks most popular with your target audience. Once you know where your market is, start posting or sharing content related to your soon-to-be-launched app.
App promo video captures the essence of your app in a one-minute pitch and takes the marketing to the next level by bringing your messaging to life. So they can be embedded into your social posts, landing page, and even your app store product page to boost conversion by up to 80%.
The ideal promo video is usually of 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length, clearly states your key benefit, and shows either your app in action or a mock-up of your future app.
3.Feedback loop:
Beta testing is the first opportunity to get some unbiased first-hand feedback from the target audience. The goal of a beta test is to work out last-minute issues in the weeks leading up to its anticipated launch. An open channel of communication between developers and beta testers is established. This channel will allow them to relay any bugs they experience and communicate whatever questions, suggestions, and comments they have for your app.
For best results, the feedback loop should be built into the app itself, not requiring testers to leave the app to open their email or give you a call.
TestFlight can be a great platform for organizing beta testing. The number of beta testers you need depends on a number of factors, such as your goals and length of the test, how much you are willing to spend on it, and your target market.
4.Marketing plan
Planning the marketing activities for an app is one of the important areas of app development, which is most neglected.
Here is the list of activities that your marketing plan should include:
Find out the USP – Know what makes your app unique among the crowd.
App Store Optimization– Following things should be optimized in the App store.
App Name – You can choose to name your app based on common search terms or use a branded name that you can copyright. A lot of app developers optimize their app names by using a combination of branded and common search terms to enhance discoverability.
Keywords – The keywords will help your app get discovered by users. Every app gets 100 characters in the keywords section so it’s important to experiment with your keywords to find out what is working for your app.
Description – The App Store displays only 2-3 lines of text. Users need to tap on “more” in order to continue reading the description. Hence, it’s important that your app clearly convey the key message in the first 2-3 lines.
Blog on your website – Blogs and newsletters highlighting the features of the application can be published on the website.
Create a promotional channel list – Find the best channels for promoting your app.
Promotional deadlines – Create a timeline for all the activities to be carried out. This will ensure that you are prepared when your app releases.
5.Release Date
Timing matters a lot to ensure higher app success. Launching your app at the right time will fill your pockets with money. While on the flip side, your app might struggle if it enters the market at the wrong time – even when your app idea was superb, the development team was adept and marketing team was passionate.
According to Fetch – one of the reputed app marketing agencies globally, the best month to launch your application is December and February. This is the time when marketing buys cost goes high, which increases the chances of app success. While on the other side, August is the cheapest month of the year to enter the mobile market. However, the outcome is not satisfying since the app installs are slower in this period.
Similarly, a San Francisco-based app optimization company revealed that weekends are the best time to launch new apps and features. This is the time when users are looking for a break from their daily life and would like to try something new.
Conclusion
Mobile app development is a profitable yet expensive task. A single mistake could cost you a loss of millions. So keep the above factors into your consideration while launching your application. To be beneficial, promote your app well, and also remain updated with the app store policies.