Crafting an incredible, user-friendly mobile application or software platform is only the first step of the larger development process. If you don’t market your product successfully, then you risk a scenario where you fail to recoup your investment. In short, it doesn’t matter how fabulous your new digital creation happens to be if nobody knows it exists. That’s where a strong marketing strategy comes into play.
It’s important to note that even some enterprise apps intended for in-company use may need a bit of marketing. If you have full control over company processes, then you can simply mandate the usage of your new enterprise mobile app. But the new app’s usage may not be mandatory or you might have franchises or remote offices that operate in a highly independent manner. In these cases, you’ll need to create a small marketing campaign to reiterate the importance of this new mobile platform.
Whether you’re a large business, a new up-and-coming company, or a fairly small non-profit organization, you’re going to face an uphill battle when it comes to getting people to use your mobile app. At their very core, humans are very habitual creatures who tend to be fairly averse to change, even when their current processes are inefficient. So your mobile app marketing campaign will be essential for convincing users to click “install” and try the app. But where do you begin? Let’s explore a few of the best methods for marketing a new mobile app successfully.
App Marketing Tip #1: Identify Your Target Audience
Your mobile app cannot be all things to all people. The same should also be true for your marketing campaign. A good marketing campaign should be extremely compelling to a very specific target audience, prompting them to take action by installing (and using) your new mobile app.
Some mobile app marketing campaigns won’t require much research into the target audience because many companies launch apps designed specifically for their existing target group. One example is 7T’s FitFreedom app, designed for Rebel Athletics. Rebel Athletics sought a garment measuring app that could be used by coaches and team captains as they measure their dancers, cheerleaders and ice skaters for athletic wear and competitive uniforms. Going into the app development process, Rebel Athletics knew exactly who would be using the app and what problem that app was solving for this particular demographic.
But even those who have an extremely good grasp of their target users can benefit from an exercise whereby they discuss their average user and their unique needs or pain points.
Mobile App Marketing Tip #2: Design a Message to Connect With Your Target Audience
The right marketing message will make the target user feel like you’re speaking to them directly. It will resonate with that person in a way that prompts them to take action, which is precisely what your mobile app marketing campaign should achieve.
In some cases, the best approach is a logic-based sell where it just “makes sense” for the user to install your app. In other situations, you’ll succeed by presenting the app as “trendy,” novel, fun or “cool.” The best approach will vary according to your app’s features and your target group’s demographics. An enterprise app’s marketing message is usually more logic-based, showcasing greater efficiency and improved revenue. Meanwhile, an app that helps users browse and find the best local bar might leverage a more fun, novel approach.
All of your marketing materials—from your app’s logo and color scheme to the language and marketing visuals—should be consistent in the way they embody your message. When all is said and done, these elements should comprise a distinct brand for your new mobile app.
Mobile Application Marketing Tip #3: Decide the Best Medium for Connecting With Your Target Audience
Once you identify your “average user” and develop a strong marketing message, it’s time to decide how you can package that message in a way that will reach your target audience. There are tons of options for marketing a mobile app; it just depends on what you’re selling and who you’re selling to. Some choices include:
- Web-based marketing via a website, content, online ads, email, or social media.
- Print marketing using magazines, direct mail, press releases, and even posters or billboards.
- Broadcast marketing on television, radio, podcasts, or online television providers like Hulu.
The most successful marketing campaigns are targeted and refined over time, so continual monitoring is very important. The most challenging marketing campaigns involve highly competitive niches (where you’ve got lots of similar mobile apps) or new, never-before-seen mobile apps that leverage technology in a completely unique way. The latter type of app has no precedent for its use and it’s common to see a scenario where you need to begin by marketing to a slightly larger segment of the population. Often, companies find that their new mobile app is unexpectedly popular with one or two user groups. In these cases, it’s usually best to narrow the marketing campaign’s focus and even refine the app’s UI slightly to effectively target the segments where the app is most popular.
Crafting a successful mobile app marketing campaign is no small feat. In many cases, you can benefit from consulting with a marketing firm for your campaign. If you have absolutely no marketing experience, it could be useful to hire a marketing expert to oversee the entire development of the campaign strategy, manage the campaign, and then refine the strategy as needed.
Of course, even the most compelling marketing campaign can’t truly succeed in the long term if your app lacks user-friendliness. So before you consider how to market a mobile app successfully, you’ll need to pick the perfect developers for the project.
7T takes pride in our ability to create innovative, user-friendly mobile apps that exceed your expectations in terms of UI/UX and overall design. We also specialize in app testing and mobile security, which means we can create an app that meets your exact needs in a secure, user-friendly way.
7T’s headquarters are located in Dallas, and we also have regional offices in Houston, and Austin. If you’re ready to build an app with AR, artificial intelligence, or other innovative technologies, contact the team here at 7T.