App development can be difficult. Many businesses think that once they’ve spent their time, money and energy on brainstorming and developing an app, their hard work is over.
Unfortunately, this simply isn’t the case.
To make sure your app survives in a world where thousands of new apps are launched and thousands are taken down daily, you need to make sure you’re promoting it well.
After all, there would be no point in spending so much money on hiring a team to develop your app, to then let it fail as quickly as so many others.
However, things get difficult when it comes to money, especially for small startups with an even smaller budget.
That’s why it’s important that you learn how to get ahead of the game and learn how to promote your app for free, to avoid further heavy fees you simply do not need to pay.
Promotion shouldn’t just begin when the app is finished and on the market, either.
Here we’ll go through 5 strategies that will give your perfect app a boost that your pocket will thank you for.
Share your app with the media
Journalists love a good scoop, and if you can give them one that is perfectly packaged and ready to go onto a page, they’ll love it even more.
Writing a quick press release will only take about an hour of your time and is guaranteed to spread the message about your app.
It doesn’t need to be overly complicated, either – pick the best thing about your product and pop that right at the top of your article.
Include a quote from a developer or manager at your company, send off in a news-style format with a picture and any more relevant information, and you’re good to go.
In a similar way, it’s definitely worth trying to get social media influencers on board, as human brands have shown to work particularly well when associated with a brand, according to a study by Susie Khamis, Lawrence Ang & Raymond Welling.
Getting an influencer on your side will work wonders for hitting your target audience, while also putting a face to your product.
Your team should be aiming to get in touch with the media around two weeks before launch, to give them ample time to decide whether to run with your product.
Post regularly to social media
Social media is the best way to market yourself for free. After all, once you’ve finished setting up pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all you need to do from there is post.
Sending out posts reminding people of your app launch with a link to where they will be able to download it is the best way to get your name out there.
You should consider sending out a teaser once a week in the month running up to launch to get people excited, and maybe even run competitions to boost your outreach.
By asking people to like, share and comment on your posts for a chance to win free app merch or something similar, you’re automatically allowing more social media users to see your posts.
Creating hype around your product is so important to ensure that it does well by the time launch day comes around.
Healthcare Weekly suggests using tools such as Sprout Social for social media management, as it has a data first approach to form and deepen real connections with the people that will build your brand.
Host a launch party
You should host a launch party because, well, who doesn’t love a good party? Your guest list should be made up of avid supporters such as your family and friends, media made up of journalists and influencers and other company associates, according to Digital Authority Partners.
These people are more likely to share what they’re doing and who they’re supporting with Instagram stories viewers and Facebook status readers worldwide, automatically pushing your brand out there.
It’s important to ensure the party seems appealing to figures such as journalists and influencers through the offer of free food and entertainment. After all, many will be visiting your event in their free time, so lavish offerings will make the invitation seem much better.
Fair enough, this may not end up being completely free, however many contacts will offer free food and drink when asked in support if you’ve built a good rapport.
The rest is simply music you will already have, and a good party schedule to make sure you fit in all the little speeches you want to.
There’s plenty of places online that will offer you tips on hosting the best launch party, too.
Update your touch points
Adding your app name and links to your email signature and social media is an easy, effective way to get your app out there.
New clients may not know about your app, so giving them a nice easy way to find out about it and download it will be great for bringing business your way.
After all, having an app really does make you look the part, so it’s important that you show it off and make sure that as many people know about it as possible.
The reality is that a lot more people will know about you and your business than you think. Many will view your Facebook page and read your emails back on a daily basis, so having your app plastered all over these platforms is a great way to show it off.
Apply for awards
Many awards applications are free, and give you the chance to show off your app in the best way possible. If you love your app and much as we think you should, then you should be singing its praises and trying your best to get it recognized with an award.
There’s a whole host you can apply for, and even if you only come runner up, you’ll still get the chance to attend an awards ceremony and hand out your business card to every person you meet.
It’s like a networking event, but fancier. If you’re looking for a good competition to enter, we recommend the Best App Ever Awards.
You’re all set, without spending a penny…
By implementing all of these strategies, you’ll easily give your app the big push into the world that it deserves. Remember that you’ll need to keep these strategies going in order to make a dent in the app world, so keep trying and you’re guaranteed to make it.
