Once the development and production of a mobile application are done, what’s next? This is the quintessential question many people ask about how to sell the product. Do not worry. There are various ways to boost mobile applications for downloads. But before that, one must also know the workings of application stores.
Starting with the basics, ASO or App Store Optimization, much like SEO helps in increasing the visibility of a particular application in the marketplace. And naturally, the higher the ranking, the higher the popularity. ASO also determines if an application is actually downloaded. Some of the factors affecting the ASO include”
- Positive reviews
- Keyword relevance
- App downloads
- Revenue
- Backlinks
- Country
- Social proof
- Retention
- App Starts
These factors can dramatically transform an app’s impression of the audience.
Let us now look into the 10 best ways in which one can boost their application’s download.
A Captivating App Icon
This is the first thing that people will notice so it has to be of importance and hence, critical to the app’s success. The icon must stand out from the rest and be eye-catching for someone scrolling through the store. The icon must have a thematic link with the app. The app must also present an idea of what to expect. Also, do not make it too flashy and keep it simple and straightforward.
Social Media Reach
An app must also have a public persona but developers must also know which the right place is. So, if someone is trying to market the app through social media, there must always be a sense of balance between the app and the marketing standards on social media. The business must speak for itself. But at the same time, it is crucial for some social media outreach which is a tried and tested way of garnering new audiences. One may look for opportunities across:
- YouTube
- FourSquare
The aim is to engage audiences and not just bombard them with too much information and promotional ideas. Never violate the individual terms of service for each of these platforms.
App Name and Description
A good app name is a must if you want people to remember you. Look for something that is unique and appropriate to your app. App stores usually provide a limit of 225 characters but make sure to use as little as possible. Some of the tactics to follow are:
- Do not repeat the names that are already there in use
- Keep it short, straightforward, and easy to remember
- The name should have significance to the actual product or services of the app
Be very strategic when it comes to the description. Make sure that your ASO is high so that it comes up in search results by users.
Marketing
Concentrate all your marketing goals in a small time frame. It may a difficult task but a marketing campaign can drastically bring in successful results for a new app. Mobile application marketing should allow timeframes of a few days to a week at the most. Be diligent about the distribution channels for the ad directed towards the target audiences. Some of the most popular ways of app marketing are:
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- SMS marketing
- App directory sites
- Content Marketing
- Blogs and magazines
App downloads are a mix of organic searches and web-version landing pages. So, for every mobile app, there must be a webpage with call-to-action redirecting users to download the application.
Captivating Photos and Videos
Always have a nice collection of photos and videos related to the app. These multimedia files must highlight the crucial features and offers of the app instigating users to download it right away. Screenshots are also very popular in this regard as users can use them as a reference or understand clearly what to expect or what the user experience is going to be like. The recommended is a good combination of the two. Videos also do great benefits to an app. Other features may include translation options ensuring a bigger audience base and hence, more download rates.
Reviews
Reviews are the main factor contributing to the ASO. Positive reviews directly increase downloads. These reviews, feedbacks, or testimonials actually encourage new users to download the app. Organic reviews are of extreme value to the popularity and success of any mobile application. It is also crucial for the development team as valuable feedbacks can suggest fixes and changes make the app more efficient.
Promotions
Many apps follow the pay-to-download model of monetization. They can run offers stating temporary price drop to increase the number of downloads. It is also statistically proven for paid apps that during a price drop or a discount week, downloads increase exponentially. However, this promotional tactic must be used diligently as it may not work successfully for all apps out there.
Press Release
It is known that PR is the most powerful marketing tool. It is also crucial to make sure of the demographics and location of the target audiences. A PR campaign that does not find success in one country can make headlines in another. This way, there is a global stir in the app industry by running a simple press release campaign. Reaching out to the right media outlets also engages more audiences who then download the app.
Keywords
If you are working in the digital arena, keywords are something that will keep coming back to you. Choosing the right keyword based on the industry of the app is very crucial. If you are not aware, users put related keywords in app stores to find apps. So, it is very crucial in ensuring more downloads. For example, your app is a fitness app. So, the right keyword is fitness. Irrelevant keywords will only make the app lose credibility.
Focusing on User
Know your customer or user. Analytics show what users expect from a particular app. You must deliver your users what they want in order to keep those downloads going. Studying the users’ behavior is one of the main secrets of success in the digital world. Since everything is targeted, the app must also deliver what the potential user wants it to do. Some applications also offer Alpha and Beta testing that determines the best workable options based on various trigger points within the app.
Generating downloads may not be the easiest task. But the above 10 points and practices can help applications to rise up in their rankings and boost downloads. Keeping the audience preference in mind is the trick here. All your ideas and vision are based on what the users want.
