Creating an awesome app is just the first step in creating a successful startup. Even with the best, most well-designed app ready to be launched, there are still more steps to complete before you can get to the level of success you want. In fact, the real hard work starts when you finally let users try and interact with the app.
Growing your user base is relatively easy. With the right marketing campaign, a lot of users will give the app a try. Boosting user engagement – and then maintaining that high level of app usage – is another story. So how can you improve your app’s chances of connecting with users on the market? Here are a few tips to follow.
Tell a story
The focus of your marketing campaign should not be the app itself. Hard-selling is no longer a good way to promote an app or a service, especially now that there are so many people fighting for the same market. You need users to relate to the app and the people behind it. To do that, you need to tell a compelling story.
Conventional marketing instruments are still very useful in this case. Content marketing and social media campaigns can help get your app the traction it needs to go viral and succeed. That said, the message you send through these instruments should focus more on the story we’ve mentioned earlier.
You can focus on anything, as long as it is personal. The people behind the app, the process of turning that simple idea of yours into a functional app or service that users can benefit from or even the different ways users can interact with the app can all be your main story.
Use multimedia to your advantage
Articles and written tutorials are great, but it is much better to pamper users with multimedia content. We live in an era where videos are huge and video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo are where most users spend their time. To push your content – and the app – forward and reach the right users, video is what you really need.
Combined with storytelling, video is a great medium. You can do so much with audio-visual content, from letting users learn about the app through video tutorials to conveying emotion by using the right tones, colors or sounds.
Videos are not even difficult to make. You can choose to have fun and produce your video content in-house, or work with the best animated video production company in Miami or other parts of the country to create fun and relatable content. It takes time to develop a strong series of video content that users will enjoy, but the results are well worth the time and effort.
Work with Influencers
To reach a wider audience, you need bigger channels. Unfortunately, not all startups are blessed with a large number of followers when they finally launch an app or service. If you’ve been connecting with users through social media and sharing updates to keep them engaged, you’re in luck. Chances are you have a big enough following to push your content to more people.
What if you don’t have a large number of followers? Influencers are your answer. Working with influencers on various platforms enables you to reach their audience and expand yours to new market segments. This may sound simple, but there is a lot of work to be done in order for this to be effective.
For starters, you need to pick the right influencers to align your brand or app with. The way they carry themselves on the internet will reflect on your brand, so take extra care and do your research.
Next, don’t just advertise through influencers. Get them involved in creating unique content that their users will enjoy. Instead of playing your logo at the end of the influencer’s video, for instance, find ways to really integrate the app you have created with the content itself.
Get awards!
As you reach more users and get the traction you want, you’ll start getting recognition and attention. Now is the best time to take advantage of all the awards you can get your hands on. Are you one of the top 10 apps on the App Store this week? Add that to your app’s description. Is there a local app or startup award you can compete in? Apply for the award and get your app more exposure.
Startup awards and various other recognitions are easy to find, especially with the market being as competitive as it is today. By applying for these awards – and winning some of them – you’ll get more people on board and using the app. You may even get some mainstream media coverage without spending a dime. What’s not to love about that?
These are some of the tips you can follow to boost user engagement and push your app to the success it deserves. Apply these tips, have an integrated marketing campaign and you’ll be able to get to the level you’re aiming for in no time.