Today, mobile apps have become an integral part of our day-to-day activities. As per a Nielsen survey, people devote an average of 30 hours on apps on a monthly basis. In fact, they are seen as an ideal medium for brands to develop solid relationships with their clients.

Mobile app marketing acts as a platform for advertising which supports the offline promotional activities of a particular brand including special offers, in-store discounts, and the like. It also helps to establish deep connections with the loyal clientele of the brand. In fact, working along with mobile websites, apps have become an essential component for both consumers as well as marketers.

The Most Common Pre-launch and Post-launch Mobile App Marketing Drawbacks

Today there are an infinite number of apps available in the market which has led to tough competition among the app marketers. Though some achieve instant success by sheer luck, it is important to have an app marketing plan handy for the success of the app. Also, you need to avoid some pre-and-post-launch pitfalls pertaining to app marketing.

Pre-launch Pitfalls

• Ignoring Market Research

Marketers often commit the serious mistake of not doing enough research in the app marketing field. In fact, it is quite essential to conduct thorough research about the prominent players in your app market in order to get some insights about the expectations of the target audience, the naming structure of other apps, the categories which they are focusing upon, the keywords which rank high in this category and so on. For this, you can create an excel sheet which highlights the key features of your app as well as that of your competitors. This helps you to understand where you stand in the competition.

Another important thing overlooked by most of the marketers is the customer reviews. Again, you can make a comparison of good and bad remarks of your competitors’ apps to obtain an insight from the customer viewpoint.

• Lacking a Feedback Loop

One of the greatest mistakes done by the app marketers is making their team to provide feedback after developing the features of the app. However, it is important to note that you need to get some unbiased feedback from the target audience as well. Beta testing is an ideal method which could be used for this purpose, where you need to hire beta testers after researching about the channels which help you to connect with your target audience. In fact, you are required to engage actively with the beta testers in order to get a better understanding of the app marketing scenario.

• Failing to Start Marketing Initiatives Sooner

Though developing the app and inducting it into the market seem like the most important tasks, it is also essential to ensure that the app is sufficiently visible. However, the planning phase of the app marketing activities is often ignored by the marketers, and many companies do not care to involve the marketing team early enough during the product development stage. This can create a negative impact on the promotional campaign of the app as the marketing team is unaware of the in-built features of the same. In fact, there are a few things which should be included in the marketing plan which are listed below.

1. Find out the element which makes the app unique
2. Carry out the app store optimization by focusing upon different components like app name, description, keywords, etc.
3. Develop a preview trailer for generating buzz beforehand
4. Post blogs about the website development process
5. Plan beta testing much earlier
6. Create a list of promotional channels
7. Visit forums which pertain to your target audience and start interacting with them
8. Develop a press kit which comprises of screen shots, app icons in different sizes, and other related information
9. Set a promotional deadline for all the activities which ensures that you are well-prepared at the time of launch of your app.

• Not Planning the App Launch Date in Advance

It is mandatory to decide on an app release date beforehand in order to make sure that it is properly covered by the media. Marketers often have trouble with delay in project deadlines, which ends up in an unplanned release date once the app is ready. Also, it is important to ensure that there are no key announcements in the tech world coming in the way of your date of launching the app, as your app fails to attract enough attention if that is the case. In addition, it is a good idea to create anticipation around your app and get it previewed by the influencers.

Post-launch Pitfalls

• Ignoring the Aspects of User Engagement as well as Retention

Some marketers fail to pay enough attention on user engagement. In fact, it is quite crucial to lay focus on this aspect as well as retention to make your app reach the right target. Here you can use paid user acquisition in combination with other marketing tactics to achieve success, instead of using it as a stand-alone tactic.

• Failing to Note Down the User Behavior Concerning the App

Though revenues are clear indicators of success of the app, it does not necessarily imply continuous gains. In fact, you are required to note down the features which capture the attention of the users, the aspects which compel them to drop off, how often people use your app, and so on.

• Not Paying Enough Attention to Customer Support

Though your app might have managed to draw the attention of several thousands of users, taking into account the competition going on in this industry, each user should be given due care, unless which they feel demotivated and drop off without a second thought. In fact, it would do good if the marketers follow the practice of replying directly to the customers through various applications like Google Play.

• Not Planning Push Notifications Carefully

Push notification is a great channel to nudge your users into launching your app again. However, if you exert much pressure on your users, it will make them uninstall your app without much thought, regardless of how good it is. Owing to this reason, it is better to plan your push notifications in a careful manner and let the users turn them off if they wish to.

In short, the world of apps is continuously evolving, and in order to stay ahead in the competition, the marketers need to avoid the common pitfalls mentioned above. Further, it is quite important to understand the expectations of the target audience and respond to their feedback.

Some of the Effective App Marketing Strategies

The idea of having an app just for the sake of it does not work in the current scenario. In fact, it is high time to reconsider the way we market our apps owing to the remarkable impact of the mobile devices. In other words, the organizations that have invested in serious resources are the ones which have achieved success with regard to marketing their apps. Even the experienced marketers overlook the fact that app marketing is an entirely different field and a new approach has to be employed in this regard. Some of the challenges encountered in the mobile app industry include targeting issues, app store rankings, unfamiliar channels, etc.

Below given is a list of certain effective app marketing strategies which equip you to be a better player in the field.

1. Focus on KPIs Related to the App’s Market

Though mobile app marketing is a whole new concept, the goals and objectives concerning it are more or less similar to other marketing initiatives. An important point to remember here is that your goals should be realistic, specific, and measureable, and to fulfill them, you may have to employ different strategies or tactics.

When it comes to app marketing, you need to direct your focus towards the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) pertaining to the same like organic as well as loyal user acquisition, cost per download, app store optimization, and rankings. In other words, it is essential to incorporate the app marketing objectives with the goals of other marketing tactics, at the same time concentrating on the KPIs which are concerned with app marketing.

2. Invest on the Resources Needed for the App

Marketers often fail to understand the influence of mobile advertising and reserve only a small percentage of their marketing budget for the same. In fact, a systematic restructuring of the budget is required to fend for app marketing resources, and an action plan also should be developed for the proper utilization of that budget. In other words, the app promotional campaigns should not only be creative and engaging to the users, but they have to be sustained for longer periods. Here your goal should be to maintain the visibility of the app all through the year.

3. Collaborate the Efforts of Your App Marketing Team with a Mobile Marketing Expert

In spite of the technical knowhow and skills possessed by your advertising department, they would not be able to cope up with the challenges offered by mobile app marketing. To address this issue, it would be better to partner with a mobile marketing expert. Though this may cost you more in your budget, this tactic helps to make your app an instant hit in the market.

4. Market the Unique Experience Provided by the App

In the past, the usual practice was to develop an app for the sake of it and marketing the same. However, over the years the situation has changed, and you are required to move a step further and market the unique experience provided by your app, rather than promoting the app itself. In other words, lay stress on points like how the app will make the lives of the users easy, and the like. Also, try to avoid providing each and every minute detail pertaining to the app.

5. Do not Use Traditional Advertising for App Marketing

Regardless of how reputed your brand is, if you use traditional strategies like in-store promotions, website banners, email newsletters, etc., they may not prove to be effective. In fact, your advertisement should be visible enough for the consumers to search for it on their mobile devices. As the customers find your app in some of the common marketing platforms like Google Play or App Store, it needs to be much more visible than that of the competitors’ products. For this purpose, place your advertisements where the mobile users are already present and make full use of mobile advertising networks as well as real time bidding.

6. Lifting Your App to New Heights Organically and Achieving Higher Page Ranks

Though paid media may give a boost to the overall rankings, ultimately you are searching for users who discover your app and install it by themselves. In fact, there exists a mutual understanding between organic users and those driven by ads. The greater the number of downloads you get by means of media ads, the higher your visibility in the app stores, which enables you to reach out to the organic users. In fact, your ultimate aim is to obtain higher rankings for your app, which could be made possible by balancing the organic downloads, ad speed, and app store rankings.

To conclude, in order to achieve the best results in mobile app marketing, you are required to dedicate the required resources, time, and effort towards the same.