You can create a phenomenal app, but without strong marketing, even the best app will get lost in the sea of apps that are currently available on the various app stores today. You can’t afford to leave your marketing to chance – you need a plan. And when you’re putting together your marketing plan, here are five pitfalls you want to avoid, to keep your marketing on track for success.
Not Having a Launch Plan
The first week your app is out on the market is crucial. A successful launch is like a shot of adrenaline for your app. It can boost visibility and sales, so it’s worth taking the time to create an official launch plan as you put together your marketing strategy. Not sure what you need for a great app launch? Looking for a few tips? Check out our tips for a successful app launch.
Not Making It Easy for your Users to Reach You
It’s important that your users are able to reach you in case they have questions or need technical support. This is critical, as frustrated or disappointed users are twice as likely to leave a bad review about your app than satisfied users are to leave a good review. Omnichannel customer service – meaning service provided via multiple communication channels (Email, phone, social media, and text) – is king; businesses that use an omnichannel communication strategy have much higher customer retention rates when compared to businesses that don’t.
At the absolute least, you should have an Email address specifically dedicated to technical support and customer questions, and if possible, you should also have a phone number (preferably toll-free for the caller). If you can’t provide 24/7 support, make sure you set up both an automatic Email responder and voice mail with a message that clearly states when the user can expect to receive a response. Plan to monitor these communication channels closely in the first few weeks after your official launch so that you can respond as quickly as possible to any complaints or concerns.
Not Focusing on User Retention and Engagement
It’s not enough to attract users to your app, you have to keep them. In addition to omnichannel customer service, look for other ways to engage with your users, such as social media platforms and feedback surveys. You should also consider in-app communication tools and notifications if they are appropriate (depending on your app’s purpose and features).
User retention is even more important if you’re a company that offers (or intends to offer) multiple apps; the likelihood of an existing customer purchasing another product is at least 40% higher than attracting a new customer and in terms of cost, it’s six to seven times more expensive to find new customers than it is to keep existing ones. Do everything you can to keep your users once you’ve acquired them!
Not Gathering User Data to Measure Outcomes
Sales revenue isn’t the only thing you should be tracking. Data points such as which features and functions of your app are being used the most, which features are creating pain points for your users, and how often / how long your app is used by users, are important to track not just so you can improve the app, but also to guide you in making decisions on what features you should expand and enhance.
Not Implementing a Rewards/Incentive Program
Not every app will be able to have an incentive program – but if your app is such that users make frequent purchases (one example is a microtransaction store, such as a game app might have) or other sorts of interactions, then you want to have a program that rewards users for their transactions while simultaneously encouraging them to make more purchases (or continue to interact with and use your app), thereby creating a cycle of rewards – interactions – rewards – interactions. Something else you can factor in are incentives and rewards for existing users to draw in new users. You see these now with some companies, where an existing customer is given a referral code, and if a friend uses that code, both the friend and the existing customer are given some sort of reward, whether it’s a discount or a free gift.
Creating a successful app is an amazing accomplishment! Be sure your hard work doesn’t go to waste: take the time to develop a marketing plan, and be sure to avoid the above five “no-no’s” in the process to save yourself headaches (and lost sales and users) in the long run. And when you’re ready to create your app’s demo video as part of your marketing materials, get in touch with us! Our videos incorporate both educational and marketing concepts to create the perfect showcase for your app. We’d love the opportunity to work with you!