So you’ve launched your mobile app business, now what? It’s time to kick your post-launch marketing into gear. From onboarding to monetization, there are an infinite number of ways to grow your business and get more people to download your app. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of best practices to help guide to success in your mobile app journey.
These tactics are not only a great baseline strategy to have, but are also excellent ways to be creative and get experimental. See what works and what doesn’t. As you start understanding and learning from your KPIs, you’ll be able to craft your own unique strategy and vision.
________________________Set up automated marketing messages for your users – Communicating with your users is a vital first step to your app’s post-launch success. Using CRM and content marketing tools like MAZ, Airship or Leanplum will allow you to set up a variety of automated drip campaigns through email, push notifications and beyond. – Onboarding – the first day that someone downloads your app is the most important day. And, the first launch is the most crucial, as there might not be a second launch if the value of your app and navigation are not clear. Be sure to immediately educate end users of both of those things clearly.
– Content marketing – content marketing goes a long way. It’s a useful technique to capture the voice behind the brand, and showcase what they could enjoy in app. This can mean creating blog posts, videos, social posts, anything that gives your brand a voice to reach more users and share value.
– Referral plans – reward your most dedicated fans by offering incentives for them to share your app with their friends and family. In-app referral systems like Branch and AppVirality can make setting up a rewarding referral system a total breeze. Take inspiration from the many companies that have built massive audiences with their referral systems, like Uber, theSkimm, Dropbox, and many more.
– Deals and offers – everyone loves a good deal. Make use of national holidays and the change of season to implement a limited time offer.
– Re-engage lost users – what are you doing to stay in the minds of users who downloaded your app but may have uninstalled. If you have their contact information, create a drip campaign especially for them. If they’re a lost cause, try to understand why they chose to drop off.
________________________Listen to end users – who is this app for any way? Pay attention to what your end users are saying. Are they looking for additional features or having a hard time finding something? – Respond to reviews and questions – show that you’re listening by responding to App Store reviews and questions that come through. – Survey end users as often as possible – continue collecting data on your users’ experiences, either through formal surveys or qualitative testing, and use it to inform future product decisions, bug fixes and features.
________________________Push notifications – make use of push notifications. They’re proven to double a days worth of app sessions and launches. – Target by interests/geo/etc – targeting people by their location, and actions taken in your app is a great way to connect with them on a more specific level. – Deep links – send users directly into a piece of content or location in your app. Send push notifications with a purpose and destination.
-Real time events – depending on the type of app you have, utilize dynamic changes by pushing out real time news or notifications.
________________________Make updates without resubmitting – MAZ supports dynamic changes, which are edits to your sections, icons, and content without the need for a new app update. This is useful for real-time event or news coverage, holidays and more.
________________________Utilize banners and sponsor screens – having a sponsored launch screen, sponsored section, banner or skinned background are great ways to showcase partnerships and drive specific revenue. Banners in general are a useful way to drive people directly into featured content, advertisements, or sponsorships. With your niche audience, you can sell great and targeted spots.
________________________Try livestream – if you have video content, Instant On, which immediately starts a video upon launch. Using live streaming footage are two great ways to engage users who aren’t sure what they want to watch yet. Give them options without having to think too hard.
________________________Consider other content types – whether your content is text or video based. There are a lot of other forms of media that MAZ apps support and display beautifully. – Podcasts – Videos – Articles – Galleries – Feeds – create new feeds out of existing feeds through our feed filter, in which you break up a large MRSS or RSS feed into more thematic ones based on keywords. – Pop-up sections – consider a pop-up section for a holiday, event, spotlight, news story, and more. Election 2020 sections anyone?! – Pop-up apps – take pop-up sections a step further and create a pop-up branded app for something specific like an event, a major campaign, or something needed only for a limited time. Check out Duchess Diaries, a pop-up app for Royal Wedding news.
________________________Retention is so important as you finesse your advertising funnel and optimize search-ability on the App Store. A successful marketing strategy is when your end users can start doing the work for you through word of mouth. Ready to build your app? Talk to an expert at MAZ and get started today.