Mobile Application: 5 Key Ingredients for an Effective Digital Strategy

To sell your application, you have several App Stores. The five most popular are Google Play, Apple App Store, Windows Store, Amazon Appstore and BlackBerry World. According to Statista, in March 2017, Android users had a catalog of 2.8 million applications, those of the Apple App Store had 2.2 million applications available.

It has therefore become essential to use the right marketing techniques to encourage people to download, use and talk about your application. Here are five different marketing tactics to use to successfully promote your app.

Define your audience

First, you need to identify the target of your application. A popular application with students will not necessarily appeal to retirees. You need to be clear about your audience and focus your marketing efforts on it. Collecting demographic data about users (age, lifestyle, spending habits, leisure habits, and anything else that helps you understand who you’re talking to) will help you visualize precisely who you’re trying to reach. From adolescents to digital nomads, each public has different needs and modes of use and expenditure. You will need to factor these factors into your marketing messages to gain users.

Study your competitors

An effective application marketing plan also requires understanding who your competitors are. Studying the competition will show you how users interact with applications close to yours and their expected behaviors. Consulting other applications will allow you to position yourself in relation to the selling points of your competitors, their weaknesses and their relevant keywords.

Set goals and track KPIs

The only way to know if your marketing strategy is working is to set goals and track your App Store ratings over a period of time. There will also be many analytical elements which you will need to keep track of throughout the stages of acquisition, engagement, conversion and retention of the user journey. That is why measurement must be an ongoing process.

The most important KPIs to track include: unsubscribe rate, daily active users, session duration, application time, session interval and cost per acquisition. From these measurements, you will be able to determine what worked and what didn’t. Focus your efforts and resources on high value-added tactics and you will be sure to see your app downloads soar.

Create a website for your application

The creation of a website must be at the heart of your marketing strategy and it must be put online before the launch of your application. You need to develop your web presence by hosting content and posting information about your application to arouse the curiosity of potential users. It is therefore advisable to:

• • Publish expert blogs to create value for visitors, generate web traffic and boost search engine optimization (SEO).
  • Run marketing campaigns of interactive applications such as gifts, contests or quizzes.
  • Encourage email registrations to activate drip marketing (which automatically delivers marketing messages to users’ inboxes).
  • Create landing pages dedicated to each marketing initiative (for example, a free demo) to increase downloads.

Create buzz with social media

Social media is the perfect place to create and develop a strong community around your application. Choose the main social media platforms that your audience prefers, then establish a routine for interacting and sharing content:

• Post frequently.
• Use relevant hashtags.
• Ask for feedback on the features of the app.
• Invite to participate in contests and promotions.
• Share a mix of screenshots, handy videos, GIFs, high quality images.
• Interact with pages offering similar content / product to start a discussion with their audience.

Since mobile searches have surpassed computer searches, it is now imperative for marketers to put in place an effective digital strategy to establish themselves on this network. Developing a user-friendly and interactive application is no longer enough. You have to build a whole strategy and devote time, energy and money to ensure its success.