As a marketing professional in the 21st century, I’m often approached by companies that need to market their mobile applications. It’s a competitive environment with 2.2M total iOS apps, alone, and a market that’s predicted to grow to $189B by 2020. Whether seeking investment, focusing on acquiring new users, or increasing the ad value of your platform, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd - here are some tips for doing just that.
Find A Gap
There’s a ton of competition. Do your homework before developing a product to know if there’s a better solution to the problem you’re trying to solve. If competitors don’t exist, that’s a red flag, too - it may mean there’s no audience for your product. But if they do - and your product has a clear differentiator that makes your solution either faster, better, or cheaper - you’re in business.
An obvious example is Uber. A clear demand had long been served by the taxi industry; however, the Uber app appeals to the same audience with a service that is both less expensive and more convenient.
Focus On A Niche
A niche product makes it easy to target new users by tapping into pre-established communities around your subject.
“Start with what you know and how your audience knows you,” said Yahu Blackwell, a professional boxer from Baltimore and the #1 contender for the WBU intercontinental title. He created The People’s Champ, an interactive boxing game that allows people to compete globally against each other - and a callback for 90’s kids of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.
“You don’t have to reinvent how apps work,” added Blackwell. “Pull from ideas that already are proven to work and apply those to an audience that is hungry for something new, something that doesn’t exist right now for them.”
Build A Beta Community
By inviting your niche community to join your beta, you allow them to iterate on the development process. Not only do you end up with a better product, but deeply engaging your community and allowing them to be heard and represented in a final product moves them from disengaged follower to brand ambassador.
One of our current clients, Capsure, posts weekly updates to a private beta community on Facebook. They share screen shots of design changes that were informed through beta audience feedback, and update the community on company wins, such as new employee hires. This gives the brand a personal and genuine tone and invites the community to participate in early success.
Engage Brand Ambassadors
Once you establish brand ambassadors within your beta community, empower them to share your content, and to generate their own. Chances are, your most engaged audience members - those that care deeply enough about your niche - are fantastic micro-influencer candidates. By orchestrating the voices of brand ambassadors who are genuinely engaged in iterating on your product, you reach new audiences with the authentic content they’re craving.
By taking steps to validate your idea, hone in on a niche, and build and engage communities, you can take your product from the depths of the App Store to the fingertips of mobile users.