Mobile Marketing with Applications

There are a few ways apps can be used when marketing a business. The first way is to simply purchase advertising that will be displayed on apps. The second can be to develop an application that complements your existing business or website; think of the apps created by Facebook, Twitter, Skype, or any similar app that has come into existence in order to allow users access from their handheld devices. Applications can be a great way to further promote a business providing there is value in it in that it supports and promotes the existing business and does not take away from profits. Developing an app for your business is something that you would need to hire a programmer for, and from a small business perspective, not likely a resourceful way to direct funds and energy.

Another way apps can be useful to people involved in the digital marketing world can be to create a program designed specifically to be an app. I am referring now to the multitude of programs we see that have been developed solely for handheld devices. According to Moz, “there are currently 750,000 apps in the App Store alone, with over 40 billion downloads. And “one billion smartphones existing in the world, and that number is growing.” With numbers like these, it’s a challenging market in which to be discovered.

For an app developer who wants to be discovered, there are a number of factors that should be employed. Key words, the name of the app, and the graphics of the app, are what give users searching the app libraries their first impression, and so it’s imperative that a developer do extensive research to determine what features are likely to generate the most interest. Next, to promote an app you must create a PR campaign, using press releases, social media sites, blogs, and other online forums in order to generate buzz and drive consumers to your app.

This is just the tip of the iceberg; effective promotion of an app extends far beyond these strategies, however it’s a start. In my explorations about mobile app creation and marketing, I discovered this wonderfully thorough strategy guide from Apptamin that gives an abundance of information about how to effectively promote oneself in app marketing.