App marketing for cash-strapped developers

caribbean startups

STARTUPS – With millions of apps and hundreds of thousands of app developers out there, it can be difficult for any developer to get their app noticed.

Today’s app developer has to have a clear marketing plan if they are to gain visibility amidst the clutter in the app stores. Although a decent advertising budget can bring more exposure, not all developers have the luxury of budgets or cash flow for a marketing campaign.

Thankfully, there are other ways to get your message out. There are lots of free or next-to-free resources and strategies to promote your mobile apps on a budget, however constrained. Just be prepared to work. What you save in cash, you will have to pay for in time and effort. So, if you’re looking to increase the chances of your app being discovered, the following tips should help.

1. Define your target audience

Identify which group of people would be most interested and benefit most from your app? Think carefully about what kind of value your app delivers, and target your messaging strategy to the people most likely to be interested in what you are offering. Personagraph is a useful tool to help with app user segmentation and insights. It allows you to easily select the channels where your target audience hangs out.

2. Use your social circles

Friends and family can provide a very effective channel for getting exposure and feedback) for your app. People are significantly more likely to try or buy a product if a friend or relative recommends it to them. You can use this to your advantage and gain important initial traction by taking advantage of your personal social circles, such as your office colleagues, club members or church community.

3. Use online social networks.

Encourage your friends to give it a positive review, “+1” or  “like” on their online social networks. This is one of the best ways to help spread the word about your app. For example, the average number of Facebook friends 338. A single Facebook share can quickly get re-shared with thousands, bringing visibility and recognition to your app.

Adding social features to you app can also help tremendously. Depending on the type of app, you can include support for sharing content, challenging friends or recommending features. Such functionality boosts online engagement and lays a foundation for longer-term organic growth.