Recently, the trend of app development has grown like never before, and businesses are rushing to launch apps for every conceivable thing. Most companies are now aiming to reduce the time gap in the development cycle of an app – in other words the duration between its ideation and launch. And as soon as an app is launched, developers quickly work to ensure it gets noticed and downloaded by users.
Every app developer hopes and works to increase the virility of his app. If an app engages your target market and garners interest, greater number of downloads will naturally follow.
On the other hand, if the app has bugs, doesn’t solve a problem,fails to create a need, or doesn’t have meticulously planned marketing strategy in place, it will go unnoticed.
As of March 2017, Apple’s App Store hosted 2.2 million apps while the Play Store had some 2.8 million published apps. That means there are literally thousands of apps for each industry and niche. The only apps that ‘survive’ are ones with the right team, the right vision, the right marketing and the right product. So, what should you do to get your app noticed by users?
Regardless of whether your app is social, a game app or news-related; here’s what you can do;
1. Make full use of social media
The first and the most common way to make your app reach a greater number of audience is to make sure its seen by the right people. It doesn’t require great financial input and is relatively less time taking and more effective than other methods of promotion. But it does require a smart campaign to get a push.
Most of us use at least one social media platform. Its important to identify the social platform your target segment uses most, and work from there. An estimated 185 million people in the US are using social media according to these statistics. Many developers will start marketing their app long before it is officially launched.
A strong marketing campaign is essential for an app’s virility. This should include a blog, videos and social media campaigns to help you gain traction.
Must Read: The Basics to Get Your App Featured on the App Store
2. Burst campaign
We all know that success doesn’t happen overnight.Instead, one is required to toil consistently over a long period of time. The same applies to companies that succeed.And the formula of success for your app is no different.
In order to improve the rankings of your app, you must tirelessly work for it. An ample amount of social media sharing is the bare minimum you can do to promote your app.
However, burst campaigns are a complete game-changer in this regard. Burst campaigns refer to rigorous ‘media buying’ for1 to 2 days that is aimed at making the app reach an audience as large as possible. Usually, these campaigns are run during the first 90 days of an app’s launch for best results.
Along with generating positive results with a huge number of downloads in a short period of time, burst campaigns also ensure, in most cases, top rankings of an app. Dolphin Play ran three burst campaigns in the first three months of the launch of its app and received a 175% increase in its installs.
3. Trigger emotions
Triggering emotions is one of the most strategic ways to ensure the success of an app. It is a natural instinct to like and share what we relate to. The emotions induced or prompted by an app do not necessarily need to be positive ones. They simply need to be emotions people can strongly associate with.
Therefore, it is of high importance to keep the target audience in mind while designing an app. This is a strategy that the developer needs to be mindful of during the design stage instead of the promotion stage. If he is successful at it, the app will automatically harvest excellent results without the need for rigorous promotion.
Emotional arousal can be carried out in several ways. These include designing an app that makes people feel good about themselves or creating something that causes controversy and drama. The only trick is to make it engaging according to the target audience’s interests.
Pokemon Go is a good example here. The app capitalized on the branding of ‘pokemon anime’ and evoked and inspired loyal fans all over the world. According to this Forbes article, even though the game was great, if the developers had chosen a relatively unknown name, the app wouldn’t have taken off the way it did.
4. Create ease and save time
Time is money, and users do not wish to waste even a single second on an activity that is unnecessary. We have become increasingly obsessed with productivity in this capitalistic world.
Therefore, apps with long forms, complicated download processes etc. are generally not well-liked. Creating ease and enhancing accessibility is the key to a successful app that will consequently have the potential to go viral.
For instance, replacing a sign-up form with a simple Facebook or Google sign in (as most apps now do) is a better decision and saves a user’s time and alleviates obstructions.
The aim is to make the flow of the app so intuitive and effortless that users get right down to using it for its intended purpose. Pioneers of the app developing world such as airG do this, and yield extremely positive reviews for most of their products.
5. Reward often
Rewarding, and rewarding often is the best way to encourage certain behaviors. This psychological technique has been used on almost all of us ever since we were toddlers. You can apply the same rules for app virility; motivate your customers to share your app with friends.
Experts suggest that the number of users invited by each of your active users will determine your success.
Conclusion
There are several other things you can do to increase virility – but these were some of the easiest to implement. Have you applied other methods and strategies for app virility? Share with us in the comments below.
Author Bio: AlyciaGordan is a freelance writer who loves to read and write articles on healthcare technology, fitness and lifestyle. She is a tech junkie and divides her time between travel and writing. You can find her on Twitter: @meetalycia
