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Popular app stores like the Google Play Store and the Indus App Bazaar feature thousands of apps in their app library. Although such massive app libraries are always a boon for the consumer, it is the new apps that struggle to get recognition due to the cut-throat competition. In today’s competitive market, building a high-quality app is just half the work. App promotion is essential for any app to make its name among the masses. Stay tuned if you are an Android app developer as we discuss some of the best ways to promote your Android app.
1. Get featured on Android-focused media
It is critical to promote your apps through a medium that resonates with your target audience. Android-focused media is one such platform that can guarantee some relevant traffic to your app.
Blogs, newsletters, and influencers centered around Android can help promote your app. One of the most effective ways is to appeal to popular Android-based media platforms to feature a promotional post for your app. Popular tech YouTubers and Android-centric media houses can provide a massive boost to your app’s growth. However, the cost of these promotional posts will depend on the scale of the platform, and getting featured by large media houses could eat up a significant chunk of your marketing budget.
2. Create referral campaigns
The importance of referral campaigns when it comes to app marketing cannot be overstated. Whether you run an affiliate program or a contest, referral campaigns can be a huge help in generating leads and expanding your business.
The first step is to identify your target market. Once you’ve compiled a list of potential referrals, you need to give them incentives to join the referral program. These may include discounts, bonus points, or exclusive access to your products.
Once a referral program has been established, tracking participation and conversion rates are essential. Analyzing this information can help you determine the success of your campaign and make necessary adjustments.
3. Promote your app through your own blog and dedicated landing page
You can divert traffic to your app listing on an app store with blogs. With engaging content and proper SEO, a blog can generate substantial traffic via search engines such as Google or Bing. One of the smartest ways is to place your app in a listicle or present it as an alternative to another popular app in the niche. Blogs can boost traffic to your app store page organically through such blogs, and it is can be more cost-effective than running referral campaigns or relying on advertising.
To highlight the features of the app, you can also create a landing page — a dedicated webpage instead of an exhaustive website — listing all the features and perks of your app. A high-quality landing page includes links to your social media handles, blogs, promotional posts, and, obviously, the app download link. You can also get a domain name ending with “.app” to make the website look more professional.
As a landing page is your app’s first introduction to a potential customer and must have a lasting impression and compel them to download the app. Creating high-quality landing pages can be creatively and technically challenging.
To begin, choose a landing page design. Generally, landing pages can be static, dynamic, or hybrid. Static landing pages display static content without any interactive features, and they are the simplest type of landing pages you can create. You can also add interactive elements, such as forms and links, to make your landing page dynamic. For a better appeal, you can combine the best of both worlds into a hybrid landing page.
The next step is to decide how much information you will include on your landing page. You can highlight the app’s features, pricing, screenshots, and app download links. You can also use app store reviews by happy customers as testimonials.
The more elements you use that can add credibility to your product, the higher your chances of converting visitors into customers. However, be as concise and clear with your messaging as possible so as to not dissuade or overwhelm your users with information.
4. Release demo videos for your app
Promoting an app with a demo video can be very effective. In addition to demonstrating your credibility as a company, it can also outline the features and benefits of your application in a concise, easy-to-follow manner. You should start creating demo videos for your applications now if you haven’t already.
To keep costs low, you can start by finding the right online video creation platform for your business that is both affordable and simple. Make sure you use social media to spread the word about your demo videos and get some organic traffic to your app. More about the most effective ways to use social media for app promotion in later parts of the article.
5. Use social media to promote your app
Social media has immense potential for promotions, and there are numerous ways that you can use social media platforms for promotional purposes. Here are a few methods that make sure you get the absolute most out of your social media campaign:
Announce app & features via social media
Social media can be incredibly useful for promoting apps. Although both organic and paid forms of marketing have their pros and cons, it is essential to weigh these merits and drawbacks. With organic growth, you can build a loyal following without having to spend a fortune on advertisements or paid promotions. It is not always easy for brands to achieve organic growth, and some may struggle to break through the noise. Using paid advertising can help you reach a broader audience and quickly gain attention. In addition, it can be time-consuming and expensive.
Make sure you experiment with various channels but stick to those that offer the maximum growth potential for your company. As a whole, social media is an effective way to connect with customers and build brand awareness. To maximize results, make sure to wisely utilize both organic and paid marketing in accordance with your marketing budget and goals.
Use influencer marketing
One of the most effective ways of spreading the word about your application is by connecting with influencers. Be sure to do your research before contacting an influencer because every influencer has a different niche and following. Consider their interests, what they’ve posted about in the past, and what platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) they tend to use more. You can also research their comment sections to see what their audience engages with the most and/or talks about.
When you have a list of potential influencers ready with you, the next step is to reach out to them and negotiate the terms and conditions of the promotions, along with the pricing. A smart way to go is to reach out to as many different influencers as your budget allows and push the promotional post simultaneously on all their accounts. This would help you create a marketing wave, and it would also become easier to track the success of your campaign.
Create your YouTube channel and utilize short-form content like Reels and YouTube Shorts to your advantage
Growing a full-fledged YouTube channel or Twitter account into something valuable for your business can be challenging. While it has its advantages, promotional campaigns are often launched with the goal of seeing quick results. Short-form content might just work for your app promotion if you want to reach millions of users quickly.
The biggest advantage of short-form content is that it doesn’t need much time, effort, or even money to make videos that are 15 to 60 seconds long. While Instagram, YouTube, MX Takatak, etc., all feature short-form content, their algorithms and audiences differ. To maximize your chances of getting viral, optimize your content according to the social media platforms, look at what’s trending, and upload as many videos as possible.
If you want to build a loyal user base, you can consider creating a YouTube channel. YouTube is great for demonstrating how your app works in real life. But since no one wants to subscribe to a channel that solely promotes its app, you can make videos speaking about scenarios where your app can be beneficial. Depending on the audience, you can experiment with ways to integrate your app into the content smartly so that users are inspired to download it.
You should pay attention to graphics and animation to keep your viewers will stay engaged for longer, leading to a higher engagement rate. Even without a studio setup, you can use tools like Podcastle, Flair, and Illustroke to create aesthetically pleasing content without much investment. Additionally, you can share your videos on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to reach potential customers.
The final step is to include a call-to-action (CTA) so viewers can find out more about your app and download or purchase it.
Use Reddit to target your app’s audience
Before diving into Reddit, you might want to learn a bit more about it. Reddit allows users to post links, articles, videos, and other content to relevant communities or groups, which are called subreddits. While Reddit has a massive user base, it is also largely unexplored for app promotions. That’s another reason why Reddit promotions could give you a massive traffic boost with better chances of success.
Before you promote your app on Reddit, you should know a few things. The first thing you should do is explore Reddit content to get an idea of what Reddit users like. Join as many subreddits that relate to your product or that may have users who could become your potential customers. Then, create an engaging and exciting subreddit of your own. Analyze your campaign’s success with Reddit’s marketing tools and use them to improve your campaigns. You will need to post religiously across different subreddits and continuously engage with others’ posts to gain traction.
Make sure you modify content that isn’t bringing results and push more content that does. You could also create two subreddits: one that pushes relevant content for your target audience and another one that promotes your product. To maximize the results, you can smartly place/link the product-based subreddit in your content-based subreddit whenever it makes sense.
Create your own online community
Online communities or forums are places where users can communicate and exchange information. You can share your app through such Communities and connect with potential users at the same time. Using this method, you can promote your app and reach out to potential users. Multiple platforms allow you to create communities, but you can use Discord or Telegram for more intimate interactions with people.
By creating a community, people who share your interests can exchange ideas and experiences. Potential customers can discover your app and contact you easily through your community.
Community-based promotion allows you to reach a wider audience and advertise your app more effectively. Look at online communities as virtual meeting places where you convince people to use your app. You must also invite existing users to be part of such communities and incentivize them with benefits such as early access to new features or moderator roles, so they help you promote the app within the community.
Alongside promoting the app, it is vital to provide support and troubleshooting to existing users. This would set a good impression in front of your potential new users.
Join groups on different social media platforms
For social media promotion of your Android app, you can join an app promotion group. There are dozens of them available, and you can find one that applies to your industry or app. Make your app look more appealing to potential users by sharing the latest features, screenshots, and anything else you think can be useful. Help other members by answering their questions and offering advice.
Take advantage of group chat features if possible. This way, you can easily coordinate promotional activities with members and communicate effectively.
Groups tend to have more active members than individual accounts, so you are more likely to find other members with similar interests. Additionally, you can build a sense of community when you need support or want to share your experience with an app or service. You can join popular groups such as the Indus OS Twitter and LinkedIn communities to interact with and learn from other experts in the app development and app marketing realms.
You can also create your own social media groups and translate members from other groups into yours. Furthermore, you can get valuable feedback about your product and recommendations from other users.
6. Get reviews for your app
In addition to generating social media buzz, reviews increase your app’s download rates and provide valuable data for future marketing efforts. It may be in the form of articles, videos, or even Instagram Reels. When promotional posts are embedded in YouTube videos or articles, the end user might skip them since they are essentially advertisements. Reviews, on the other hand, are complete posts targeted at a specific audience. Reviews from honest YouTubers and bloggers are always appreciated, so make sure to tap into this and get reviewers to speak about your product.
7. Get your app featured on a podcast
People love listening to podcasts, and podcasts have quickly grown in popularity in recent years. A mention of your app in a podcast or by an influential personality may result in massive organic traffic. The best way to get your app featured on the podcast is to contact the production crew and request that your app be considered. Additionally, you can ask other podcasts in your niche if they are interested in using your app.
Finally, let the host know you have some valuable content to share. Podcasts are an excellent platform for app developers because they can introduce their app to listeners, provide tips and tricks on how to use it, or promote special offers in their apps.
Don’t forget to check out our podcast, Indus Speaks, where we discuss everything an app developer needs to make their app successful. To get your app featured on the podcast, you can also write to us at social.connect@indusos.com.
8. Engage in email marketing campaigns periodically
Marketing via email is a convenient way to connect with potential customers and promote your app. Additionally, it allows you to build relationships with potential customers.
When planning your email marketing campaign, keep your goals in mind. In most cases, the objective is to increase app downloads, retain customers, and generate new leads. Make sure also to analyze your email campaign’s success via analytics tools. You might want to track engagement (such as clicks on links or replies) or a conversion rate (such as downloads or signups).
After determining your goals, you should build your email list. You can collect customer contact information in a variety of ways. Having a mandatory sign-up is an easy way to capture emails via your app. However, this may lead to user drop-off as well if your product doesn’t really need user accounts, so do so wisely. In case your existing user base isn’t big enough, you may also run paid campaigns that are optimized to capture leads/emails from a relevant audience pool. After gathering all the contact information from your potential customers, create email campaigns mentioning special offers, upcoming features, and updates regarding your app.
9. Make your app available on alternative app stores
As the Google Play Store and App Store are big app libraries in the industry, it can be tricky to rank well in the search results. There is also a possibility that these app stores won’t have the algorithm that suits your app. For instance, your app might target a certain language-speaking audience, but the Play Store might not factor this into its rankings. With alternative app stores like Indus App Baazar, Amazon App Store, and APKPure, you can boost your app downloads and gain more users.
The Indus App Baazar could become a critical part of your campaign if you develop apps for Indian audiences. Indus App Baazar currently collaborates with India’s top OEMs to curate apps for their users. You can make your app available to hundreds of millions of smartphone users in India by publishing your app on the Indus App Bazaar for free.
10. Place ads on apps and websites
You could place a permanent ad in the form of a banner or a pop-up on popular websites. These ads can be videos, GIFs, or multiple images that promote your app. In a lot of cases, these ads are charged on a per-click basis and not ad impressions, which makes them profitable for the advertiser.
11. Write guest posts on different websites
Guest blogging is when you design the contents of an article and place it on a website/blog. A guest blog can also lead to new partnerships and collaborations, enhancing your marketing efforts.
To get started, find relevant blogs focusing on Android apps. Ask the blog’s editors if they would be interested in featuring your app once you have identified a few potential sites. Using these tips will improve your app’s visibility in the Android market and help you acquire new users.
You can also get in touch on social.connect@indusos.com to publish guest blogs on the Indus OS Blog.
Conclusion
Android is, without a doubt, a competitive platform for apps. You can boost the popularity of your app with strategic app promotion. Depending on your marketing budget, make use of as many of the methods mentioned in the article as you can. Social media is the most cost-effective and efficient means of gaining an organic audience for apps, which is why we have focused so strongly on it. Other than that, if you’d like to keep your marketing investment to a minimum while still reaching a wider audience, you should definitely look into listing your app in alternative app stores such as Indus App Baazar and Amazon App Store to boost visibility.
