Where To Promote My App?
The question arises as to ‘Where to promote my app?’, and just like the ‘how to’ article we’ve done, ‘where’ is just as important.
As mentioned before, the first place to promote your app is on your app’s website. The app name and function should be clearly spelled out and well tagged in copy, pics, videos, and graphics. Once you’v established a site that speaks for itself, the next phase is to move onto placing promotions on other sites that allow it.
Do not spam. It will get you penalized and banned. Instead, be tactful and place or mention your app only where appropriate. This can be done easily and even on message boards or social media sites that have nothing to do with your app. It happens when you introduce yourself to a large community board. People want to know who you are. Seeing ‘Professional App Developer’ in your credentials is always a way to get attention and fast. People will ask about you on a thread you’ve started or are participating in. If the group wants to know about you and you state your skills at app development, you might want to send out or better yet, invite them to sign up at your site for a free app. They’ll jump at the chance and if your app is entertaining and/or useful, you pick up fans fast. People like to boast about talented people they’ve befriended, and your name and brand can be spread quite quickly this way.
Now, the top dog in social media is Facebook. Facebook has numerous ways to let you promote your app. Take into account, however, the warning about spam. Spam is a no-no and Facebook will come down on you hard, and seeing as how Facebook is rapidly becoming the third largest search engine, that Google itself feeds off of, you can’t afford that kind of bad publicity.
Facebook’s most powerful promotional tool is the sharing of content. Yes, Facebook has ‘Facebook Ads’ which is a service, but getting those personal shares and likes is far more powerful. If your app rocks, then people will make it go viral regardless and those shares will circulate for years. As new people discover your app, they’ll be quick to share it. This is where studying your statistical data comes in. You’ll be able to see where the traffic to your app is coming from and why. The venues that provide the most equitable traffic are the ones you should favor and repeat. For example, let’s say your app is one that allows for dog owners to activate a voice mechanism at home while they’re away that the dog can hear. You’ve gone to a Facebook page and posted about how your dog doesn’t bark when you’re gone. People want to know how you do it. You mention your app. Bam! Now you’ve got the thousands of people in that group seeing your app and then liking and sharing it. You could be a household name overnight.
It’s all about relevancy and strategy here. Social media and networking is becoming more complex and expansive each day, with new ways to promote good products and services. The simplest things, like outlined here, can go a very long way and only cost you the time to just post your opinions and interact with others.
Take baby steps here and get a good foundation, it will be what you build on for later techniques.