An application or app is computer software that runs on a mobile device, watch or tablet. Desktop apps run on computers, whereas web apps require a web browser.
Apps were first created to increase productivity in the form of emails, contact records and calendars. Today, they have grown into gaming, workplace automation, ticketing, location-based services, etc.
Mobile apps are typically downloaded from an “app store” such as Google Play, Apple App Store or Microsoft Store. Currently, iOS users can access over 1.8 million apps, and Android users can enjoy over 2.5 million apps. At least 80% of the world’s population owns a smartphone today and spends an average of 5 hours per day on the phone.
Therefore, your app requires an efficient marketing tool to break through this noise and clutter and help it stand out from its rivals.
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App Marketing Funnel – The Client’s Journey
A robust app marketing tool should help you push your client through all stages of the marketing funnel. These stages are:
- Awareness
- This is the prelaunch stage
- The focus here is on building the visibility of the app
- Acquisition
- The focus here is on gaining the most number of users for the app
- The focus at this stage is also on creating higher downloads
- This is an ongoing process that should be constantly refined to ensure high rankings in app stores
- Retention
- Mobile apps need to hold on to clients it has acquired
- They need to be regularly engaged and turned into long-term users of the app
Marketing Process for Mobile Apps
Marketing for mobile apps is not different from marketing any other product or service. It is an interactive process that runs through the entire mobile app lifecycle.
An effective marketing process requires the app developer to create campaigns that help increase customer acquisition, create downloads, and retain users. This is done by staying in touch with current and potential app users constantly. Your campaigns must reach users at each stage of the funnel – discovery in the app store, helping them download the app and finally, using it properly and promoting it to others in their social circles.
The most basic forms of app marketing include:
- App store optimization
- App store ads
- Social media, including paid campaigns
- Email marketing
You need to go beyond these basic steps to make your app stand out. You also need to promote your app to the right people at the right time through the right channels. For this, you need to use the right app marketing tools.
There are plenty of app marketing tools in the market, both free and paid. You can also spend a lot of money to buy the “best mobile app marketing tool” in the market. However, you need to know that the price and performance of paid app marketing tools are not always positively related. There are many free app marketing tools in the market which can work just as well, if not better, than the paid ones.
The top 5 free app marketing tools
Let us check out the top free app marketing tools in the market.
- Tapstream
- Designed to push client acquisition and interest in mobile apps
- Tapstream helps app creators get insights into their client base – who they are, where they are and how to find more like them
- It provides various metrics for each marketing campaign – app engagement, conversion rate, Life Time Value (LTV), and others
- Tapstream also helps you gauge the differences in LTV of users obtained through different channels – viral campaigns or social promotions, social media sites or mobile ad networks which promote your app to relevant users
- The entire data is presented in a simple dashboard
- Google AdMob
- The big daddy of display advertising also has an effective tool to promote your app
- Google AdMob provides in-app ads downloads, useful user insights and easy-to-use tools to improve business from the app
- As part of the biggest global advertising networks, AdMob can also fill ad requests from anywhere in the world
- AdMob also helps you monetize your app by providing support for various currencies and creating high fill rates
- Apptentive
- Apptentive is a “relationship development” tool that helps your app create fun experiences with the app
- It focuses on changing user emotions produced by engaging with the app
- Apptentive helps you create a dialogue with your users, react to their feedback and reviews, and also use insights. This improves the entire experience with your customer using machine learning and targeted engagement processes
- Firebase
- Firebase is essentially an A/B testing tool that allows you to optimize your app experience
- This is done by helping you test changes in the app’s user interface (UI), engagement tools and app marketing campaigns
- It helps you gauge if your app marketing campaigns are increasing revenue, app downloads and user retention, before actually introducing the app product
- Usability Hub
- Is your app easy to use? Is your app design clean and attractive?
- The Usability Hub tool provides a second opinion on your app design and UI by providing data to support your design decisions
- Features of this free tool include the “Five Second Test” which allows users to record their first thoughts about the app during a trial. It also comes with the “First Click Test” which tracks your app user’s journey through the app to complete a given task
Key Outcomes of Using a Good App Marketing Tool
People search for apps in the categories of interest and typically end up downloading one of the top apps in the list. These apps are ranked at the top because of a good marketing strategy. The app marketing tool that you choose must give the following two critical results:
- Feature on the top of a Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
- Generate a large number of downloads
Conclusion
Mobile apps have come a long way since the late Steve Jobs first predicted their growth in 1983. Today, competition is huge in the app world. Using a robust app marketing tool, or a combination of 2 or more tools, is important to make your app stand out from the millions of apps out there.
The best app marketing tools can help you manage your app development and launch quickly and efficiently. They can be tailored to your preferences and needs.
Finally, make sure that you choose the app marketing tools that complement and fit into your overall digital marketing plan.