Filling a need: here's how to promote an app

Last year, 175 billion apps were downloaded on smartphones for consumer spending on apps of 86 billion globally. The most popular apps used are those dedicated to instant messaging, led by WhatsApp, followed by social networks, such as Facebook and Instagram, and video streaming such as Netflix.

Designing a mobile app is an investment that allows companies to retain customers, involving them with targeted communications and dedicated promotions. Before downloading however action must be taken to ensure that the smartphone application is known. To spread an app you will need to determined a 360° strategic system, that is, which develops on different instruments.

The first step to take is optimization of the product page on the store to appear among the search results of users of the various App Stores. However, being among the first results is it is not so simple because Mobile app indexing is not possible. as functional as that of the classic Google Search. Choosing the right keywords in the app description and explanatory images, creating a storytelling of how the app presents its potential, will create greater appeal.

An eye-catching product page is still not enough, there is another step to take: get a good number of reviews, since Android favors apps with a greater number of reviews, possibly positive, while Apple classifies those with more reviews as better. download.

The page is ready, but we cannot think of reaching only users who make a specific search on the app download platform, that's why will go evaluated a strategy including an investment in Pay Per Click campaigns.

Let's start with the Google AdWords platform. The best way to be found is by to be present among the results in Google Search searches. Let's imagine we have  developed an app that allows you to find the nearest taxi thanks to geolocalisation. near you. A potential user, who does not yet know our app, will type on Google something like “Rome Taxi Number”. At this point the following will appear in the Google search results: our ad for app downloads.

Google tools, however, they are different and, in addition to research, we can consider activating a Display campaign. Also in this case we can give an example, in which the app we have developed allows you to order lunch with a few simple taps and receive it directly at home or in the office. It's 12.00 and our user is surfing the net. Between a piece of news and a special discount, here is the image of a pizza that immediately attracts your attention, after all it is almost lunch time.  By clicking on the banner you will access directly to the App Store where we find our application ready for download.

Every day we spend around 3 hours consulting our smartphone, browsing between one social network and another. For this reason, in the promotion strategy of an app it cannot be lack of presence on Social Networks. A page dedicated to the app will allow to communicate the advantages of our product to potential users, involve users already active by inviting them to share their experiences with us and thus create a community of people around our mobile app.

As much as it may seem appropriate to communicate a product intended for smartphones exclusively online, there are other tools that can be put in place to spread the app. Let's think, for example, about packaging: by scanning the package of a product using image recognition technology, we can direct the user to download the application and offer an exclusive in-app experience.