16 Awesome, Effective Ways to Market Your Mobile App

There is no shortage of simple, creative ways to market your mobile app. But, keep in mind all marketing takes hard work and consistent effort to be effective.

I’m going to give you 16 awesome ways to market your mobile app today…

Before I do, I’d like to review for a minute. In this series of articles, I’ve covered a wide range of topics to help you market your mobile app. If you haven’t read the previous articles, I’d definitely recommend you check them out because they lay the foundation for a successful mobile app marketing strategy.

In order to effectively marketing anything (including a mobile app), you must have multiple tactics, channels, and strategies. Relying on one approach isn’t nearly as stable as using multiple approaches, just like riding a unicycle isn’t nearly as stable as riding a four-wheeler.

These 16 ways to market your mobile app will keep your marketing consistent, stable and effective over the long term.

1. Social Media

You should be active on social media channels relevant to your ideal users. Your social media pages are not only a way to promote the benefits of your app, but a place to promote the content you create and provide helpfully, engaging information for your ideal users.

Your Website

Your website is the hub for all your marketing efforts. Many potential users will check out your website before downloading your app. Make sure your website communicates a strong message that resonates with your ideal users and makes it easy to download your app.
Email Marketing

If you are just starting out, you may not have an email list yet. If that’s the case, I’d highly recommend you start building an email list so you can take advantage of the benefits of email marketing.

Effective email marketing will allow you to communicate with your users on a consistent basis and nurture potential users until they decide to download your app. This is a must-have for your mobile app marketing plan.
Content Marketing

I covered this at length in a previous article in this series, Why Content Marketing is a Crucial Part of Mobile App Marketing. Content marketing is a lot of work, but it will pay off for you in the long run.
Online Advertising & Search Ads

Online ads and search ads can be a really effective way to generate new app users consistently. It can also be a great way to flush money down the toilet if you don’t know what you are doing.

Keywords and knowing your ideal user(s) will be the foundation for your online advertising. Targeting the right keywords is critical if you are going to use Google AdWords and knowing your ideal user(s) will be key if you advertise on social media like Facebook.

This can and should be part of your strategy, but if you aren’t comfortable with online advertising I’d highly recommend you outsource to a professional.
Offline Advertising & Promotion

Are there ways you can promote your app offline?

If your app highlights the best local restaurants, you might create window decals for your restaurant partners. If your app is targeted towards active, physically fit men you might place an ad in a men’s fitness magazine.

There is no shortage of offline advertising and promotion opportunities for your app. It is only limited by your imagination.
Strategic Partnerships

There are all kinds of strategic partner opportunities to promote your app.

Start by creating a list of successful apps that complement yours (but don’t compete with yours) and a list of businesses that serve your ideal app user(s).

These are the companies I’d recommend approaching. If your app can truly add value to their community there will be many ways you can work together and create a mutually beneficial relationship.
App Store Optimization (ASO)

Think of ASO like search engine optimization for Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Your app store listings not only need to speak to your ideal app user(s), but they need to be optimized with the keywords they will use to search and find an app like yours.

Spend some time creating solid app store descriptions and detailed information about your app and its benefits. This leads me to my next two points…
Create an Eye-Catching App Icon

When a potential app user enters in a keyword relevant to your app and a list of potential matches pops up in the app store, what differentiates your app?

Your app icon can go a long way in making your app stand out from the competition and encourage a potential user to check out your app store listing first.
Include Great Screenshots

When potential users land on your app store listing you’ve got to wow them and convince them that your app is worth downloading.
Part of app store optimization is taking time to provide eye-catching screenshots that communicate the benefits of your app and encourage people to download it.
Here are some great resources to create communicative, visually appealing app screenshots.

– DaVinci Apps

– App Launch Pad

– AppInstitute
App Store Ads

App store ads are very similar to online advertising. The only difference is you are advertising directly in the app stores.

If you want to target potential app users that are ready and looking for an app just like yours this could be a great channel for you. Costs will vary significantly depending on the competitiveness of your target market.
In-App Sharing

Take advantage of all those engaged app users you already have. Create a way for users to easily share your app from within the app itself. This can be a great way to organically grow your user base.
Incentives for Downloading

Most of us are familiar with the “freemium” model a lot of software as service companies employ. People try their service with the free plan and a certain percentage of those users upgrade to the paid plans.

Game apps are a similar example. You can play the game for free, but to unlock additional features you need to pay.

Can you offer users some type of incentive for trying your app? Create a strong incentive to attract potential users to download your app and promote it in all your marketing channels.
Customer Testimonials & Reviews

There is nothing like social proof. The comments of others are incredibly motivating and play a huge role in the decision-making process for most consumers today.

Garnering reviews for your app store listings and your other online properties like social media pages should be a consistent part of your plan. As an app provider, you’ve got an easy way to do this…

You might send a push message to users after a certain amount of activity in your app requesting a review. Or, you might have a review request pop up after users take specific actions.

The bottom line is you really should build review requesting into your app to help automate this process.
Influencer & Celebrity Endorsements

Influencer marketing is nothing new. If you can find influencers or celebrities that already have the ear of your target users they can be very effective at promoting your app.

This is very similar to strategic partners where you are trying to take advantage of an audience someone else has already built.
Create a Demo Video

People love watching videos. Creating a short, professional video that communicates the benefits of your app and why someone should download it can really “speak” to people.

A video is something you can feature in a number of your marketing channels to help boost the marketing of your app.

That’s all I got…I hope you found some helpful tips you can start using today to market your mobile app. Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can help you in any way.