Modern holidays are becoming more like marketing ploys to make people spend money. According to a 2014 data, people spend the most on these holidays:
Winter Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year) – $616.9 billion
Valentine’s Day – $17.3 billion
Easter – $15.9 billion
Mother’s Day – $20.7 billion
Father’s Day – $12.5 billion
Halloween – $7.4 billion
Patrick’s Day – $4.8 billion
These numbers are bound to fluctuate but not by much. This is surprising especially that this data is only for the US. It is estimated that online shopping will increase up to 45% this year. As a result, e-commerce revenue is estimated to reach $327 billion.
Christmas day app downloads can increase up to 91% and Apple reported New Year’s Day 2015 as having the highest sales in its short history. Surveys also show that online spending in other countries increased in the past years.
So how can you have a slice of the holiday app bonanza?
Skin the app according to the festivities.
Or better yet, submit a holiday app. There’s a study that shows how the right type of holiday music and atmosphere influence the behavior of customers in malls and retail shops. This same principle is applicable to apps. A lot of people chose holiday-themed apps just to get into the “holiday vibe”. The use of holiday themes is also an effective strategy to increase your app’s exposure, engagement and click-through rate especially if the app is newly published.
Offer holiday-themed promos.
Decorations are good, but adding seasonal features and in-app goodies can make your audience feel the holiday spirit more. It could either be collectible items or sales that mimic real-world promos. After all, 70% of online shoppers are in holiday shopping mood all because of the promos.
Adjust your ad campaigns.
Make sure that your targeted demographics and ad campaigns coincide. This is very important since app stores are very competitive during these peak seasons as the quality of users increase.
Try your hand on app retargeting.
Some advertising networks offer an app retargeting service where you can send ads to users that installed your app but haven’t used it for a while. This way, you can re-engage them to the app, increasing both engagement and retention rates. This advertising strategy can become a boon during the holidays. Users are more forgiving of advertisements and more ready to spend on in-app purchases.
Take advantage of in-app messages and push notifications.
These messages can increase user interest in your app. Users are more likely to open your app if they are given a prompt using timely, relevant and persuasive , messages.
Prepare for high CPI costs.
CPI costs usually increase during the holiday season due to high demand. It is important to have a balance between user acquisition costs and estimated installs.
Submit the app early.
Almost every developer wants to take advantage of the high-spending trend of the holiday season so it is best to submit a holiday app early for review. The length of the approval process can double starting the third or fourth week of November.
Make sure that all’s set with your app.
Last year, the ‘App Store Freeze’ was implemented on December 22-29. The freeze would mean that manual changes on the app version updates, descriptions and prices won’t be allowed. This is also important since for the duration of the ‘App Store Freeze’, app ranking would remain mostly static so it is important to rank higher and give a good impression to possible users.
Aim for the holiday charts.
The ‘App Store Freeze’ is beneficial especially for apps that rank high in their categories. But another way to gain high exposure is through holiday app charts that feature the best holiday-themed apps. Visitors of the App Store is immediately drawn to this listing.
Plan ahead for eventualities post App Store Freeze.
A few days after New Year, things would go back to normal. After the holiday fever subsides, your holiday app may experience high churn rate. Another update may be necessary to shed off the holiday app skin and return to regular marketing strategies.
Reskinning can actually give an app a new lease on life – that’s just actually the beginning. An app that reached the end of its lifespan is not totally lost. Cited benefits of app reskinning are more on the business side of things especially to a developer’s app portfolio but let’s stop for a while and consider the benefits of app reskinning on a single app – on a single source code that had seen better days.
Reskinning can upgrade apps through the following:
UI and UX Design
Design trends come and go. An app designed according to last year’s trend can look dated fast. App reskinning can keep your app look fresh and current or even timeless. Design trends don’t only emerge because of popularity but also because of its practicality. Technological advancements greatly affect platform-specific design practices and guidelines. Apple design elements changed a lot with the release of iOS 7. The Android Lollipop update had the similar effect. Apps made before these major updates may have design elements that don’t conform to the new clear and minimalist approach in UI and UX design.
OS and Device Compatibility
Both Android and iOS have regular OS updates. Existing apps need to evolve to adapt to new features and keep up with the OS’s technological demands. Apps also need to be adaptive to the device hardware. New devices tend to have bigger screens, requiring new code for custom interactions. If you are reskinning a game app, it’s like upgrading the game itself.
App Monetization Networks
Not all monetization models are created equal. App monetization models don’t even perform the same way between two similar apps. The use of an app’s past performance as a benchmark would be excellent when employing a new monetization strategy. The beauty of reskinning is that you can explore new markets with minimal risks. You can graduate from banner ads to interstitials like offer and reward walls. Upgrades on in-app purchases can include items that improve the user experience. A great example would be options to remove ads.
Rapid Development and Deployment
The app industry is quite competitive. The supply of apps far outweighs the demand. It is vital to either be the first or the best app. That’s why developers now aim to shorten the development lifecycle of apps. With shortened development cycles you gain an edge against competitors. Additionally, it is also a means to lessen the cost and stretch profits. Instead of launching a new app, it would be more practical to reskin an app especially if both apps have similar functionality. This way, you can focus more on marketing the app.
App Store Policies and Guidelines
Apps can be unfortunately caught in the crossfire of a new app store policy. It’s either you make the necessary changes in compliance with the new policy or voluntarily remove your app from the store listing. In some cases, developers are shocked to find out that their apps were removed without their knowledge. Sometimes an app loses its essence with constant content changes. But it’s also such a waste to just discard the app. Through app reskinning, modification of the app’s content is possible without the disadvantage of losing its main functionality and identity.
It all begins with an idea. But how would you translate this idea into a great app? Learn about ways to not only find but develop innovative mobile app ideas of your own.
Observe what ideas are working.
Some mobile app ideas work just so. Observe how competitors and other developers make their ideas work. Know their marketing, monetization strategies, and solutions (especially the innovative ones) they create for specific problems related to the app’s functionality. Decide if you want to improve on these successful ideas. If you want, take another approach but still aim for similar results.
Read user reviews.
Consider app user reviews as a mine of inspiration. Filter through the flood of trivial complaints and you’ll surely find a novel idea or two. What’s great about this, is that these ideas are usually in an attempt to solve specific problems. Most of the time reviewers notice even tiny nuances that app developers and marketers alike do not often notice from their point of view. Reviewers are users – the target market; getting ideas from them is actually a great boon.
Watch out for trends.
It’s either you adapt or go with the flow. Always be on the lookout for trends that could affect your industry. Trends aren’t for everyone, especially with apps since complying with parameters set by a trend can make your app look dated fast. But trends can give you inspiration and a close observation of trend’s anatomy can give you a lesson or two on how to make an app stand out.
Scratch your own itch.
Are you wishing that some apps become simpler or become less of a chore to use? Do you need an app that can keep you from sleeping during work? Or do you want to explore the world through the luxury of your small screen? Then why don’t you make an app that solves one of your wants and needs at a time? Remember though that your mobile app ideas should also solve the needs of prospective users and not just your own.
Have a clear goal in mind.
What do you want to achieve? How are you going to make things work? The audience is, of course, the foremost consideration in searching for innovative mobile app ideas. You should have a marketing plan in mind and later on asses how an idea pans out with it. If the idea sounds good but the monetization avenues are limited and not sustainable in the long run, reconsider. This way, you know if an idea has potential from the very beginning.
Think technological development.
OS updates bring new features and capabilities. You can leverage on these updates so you can offer a user experience that is in sync with device capabilities. Technological development can also enable some mobile app ideas to work better especially those that were set aside because the technology wasn’t advanced enough. Search for innovative mobile app ideas like this, especially those that did not pan out due to technology-related issues.
Just look around.
Inspiration can actually be around the corner. Experience new things or just look at everyday processes in another perspective. You don’t necessarily need to think of solutions or even do your search in a linear fashion. Innovative mobile app ideas may pop up spontaneously – most creative ideas do. Don’t jump on the first idea that comes to mind; improve, innovate and go back to the drawing board until an idea is polished. Sometimes, great mobile app ideas come from unexpected places.
Just like in any industry, App Store Optimization (ASO) has its own standard procedures and tricks down its sleeves. In this article, we’ll examine the best App Store Optimization strategies (even the downright sneaky ones) that developers thrust in the battlefront of app marketing. App Store Optimization: How the Top Apps Do It doesn’t discuss though the strategies used by popular brands that crossover to the app industry. Most of these brands have a strong following and uses App Store Optimization to market their product to a new market – an advantage that indie and studio apps do not have. So we will be focusing on breakout apps and the most noticeable App Store Optimization qualities about them. (Note: Because of the app store’s volatility, apps featured in this article may no longer be in the top charts after its publishing)
App title: the name that ranks
It is advised that the app title contain the main keyword. But it’s almost always not enough that it’s just there. Some developers utilize some adaptive App Store Optimization strategies to maximize the effect of the keyword.
The catch line
Intrigue, curiosity, and interest are some of the reasons why someone would click on your app. The title and the icon would be your first line of defense so the two should complement each other.
AlphaBetty is an excellent play on the word “alphabet”. It seems like they developed the gameplay around the title, creating eponymous characters Professor Alpha and Betty as the main protagonists together with a sidekick we will not name.
A catchy title can also help in the name recall. It could sound funny or weird that your audience can’t forget about it soon enough that it creates a buzz, gaining your app free advertisement.
Plague Inc. provokes a certain reaction within the audience. There is an instant interest in the mechanics of the app. The app ranked number 1 for the keywords [plague], [disease] and [infect] among many other related words.
Other examples are WhatsApp, Shazam, Dubsmash, aa, Zomato, Bloons, Geek-Smarter Shopping, and many more.
The subtle stuffing
Keyword stuffing is a no-no but it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it with style. You can use permutation and conjugation; this is so that your keywords will rank with every variation of the word. This can be effectively used in the descriptions since there is more leeway in the number of words.
Let’s have a look at this app for example:
Videoshop had been in and out of the top 500 overall ranking since 2013 but it seldom went below the top 500 overall in the photo and video category. Recently, it is constantly in the top 50-100 download ranks in popular countries. It actually ranks for the keywords included in the title and description (iPhone data only); videoshop (rank 1), video (rank 10), videos (rank 15), editor (rank 13), and editing (rank 132).
This one would probably be banned in Google Play Store (it’s a June 2015 iOS version of the app) because of the keywords it uses. Even though the app isn’t really ranking for commonly searched terms like Youtube Videos, Maroon 5, Beats Music, Universal Pictures and Sara M. Lyons; this can still be considered keyword stuffing by the virtue of using these words as references. Be careful with this but Pic Collage actually used these keywords since they are relevant to the services offered by the app.
Who said that I can’t spell?
Of course, you can spell your keywords right but that won’t be the same keyword anymore! You can actually target a huge market by taking advantage of some searchers’ spelling shortcomings. A great example would be the developer Ahmed Ismail’s “Walkthrought”.
This is an ASO strategy in order to gain traction in a very competitive market. There are many cheats and walkthroughs out in the app store targeting keywords that are not used by competitors. Due to the “fat fingers” phenomenon, there are a lot of misspelled words that can be used as permutations of keywords. Ahmed’s keyword [walkthrought] ranked number 5 for iPhone and iPad until it reached rank 3 but only for one month (April 2015).
Another strategy is to make the app’s spelling distinctive or homonymous. Examples include Swype, Joinz, Lyft and many more.
App Icons turned eye candy
Crossy Road – Endless Arcade Hopper’s top keyword is actually [chicken], you can tell why. App icons can create an impression that can stick into the audience’s mind that even if they can’t remember your app’s title, your app icon would represent your brand and market the product for you. Amidst many crossy road game apps, this one stands out because of the unique graphics that is well represented by its icon.
The “chicken” is actually just one of the many diverse characters of Crossy Road – Endless Arcade Hopper by the developer Hipster Whale.
This guy looks persuasively intense.
You can’t call this an eye candy but it’s quite eye catching.
Some icons are intricate works of art.
App description that rocks
Why type when you can Swype? Right? Descriptions also need to be catchy but most importantly, informative of what the app is all about. The description length limit is 4,000 characters but most app description doesn’t reach the limit. Detailed overviews are often delegated to the release notes that are also limited to 4,000 characters. But probably the most important part of the description is the first 1,255 characters that are located in what is called “above the fold”.
Providing solutions for common day-to-day problems can be a great selling point.
“What is in for me?” and “Is there a better alternative?” are some of the questions that your description needs to answer.
Catch your audience hook, line and sinker. Who doesn’t want to be a billionaire?
Nothing draws more crowds than “massive sale” also, it sounds like so much fun.
Make a call for action. This will give the impression that your app is engaging and exciting.
Bite-size app showcases
App screenshots
It is through screenshots that potential downloaders judge the quality of the app. But this can also be misleading. It’s not uncommon for some apps to show high-quality screenshots that don’t actually represent the actual graphics used in the gameplay.
Monument Valley’s screenshots are truly pieces of art. Aside from its breathtaking beauty, the screenshots are also of high quality and are suited for Retina display.Texts can also help in showcasing the features or mechanics of the app especially if the screenshots aren’t self-explanatory.
App video preview
Video previews not only increase downloads but also ratings. Not all of your target audience would spare some time reading through descriptions; if they do, it might not be convincing enough. In this age of visual learning, anything short of high-quality video and graphics can stimulate your audience.
Sky Guide is a stargazing app and it did not fail to deliver in this video preview, showcasing the beauty of the universe.
You can use video previews to show actual gameplay and to further explain features.
Previews can also introduce a storyline that can make games more interesting.
Riding on a trending coattail
Banking on Hollywood
There is a trend wherein game themes are based on what is trending at the moment to ride into the popularity of the search keyword. A couple of these actually make it to the top, but most of the time it’s just until the trend wanes. Some of the common themes are from movies, pop culture subgenres, and controversial celebrities. Some examples include Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, Star Wars: Force Collection, and Despicable Me: Minion Rush among others.
“Emulating” established apps
Some apps, on the other hand, are based on other apps as a form of spoof or reskin. Examples are the many clones of Flappy Bird, Block City Wars – Mine Mini Game Edition based on the hit game Minecraft, and Crossy Roads based on the popular Frogger arcade game.
Block City Wars actually ranks for the keyword [minecraft] and other Minecraft-related keywords.
Being indexed with the big brands
Apps for big online brands like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook do not only ride on the success of these companies but also on their names. Being indexed with these big names is almost like being on the first page of Google SERPs. Tweetbot 3 for Twitter actually ranks number 19 for the keyword and number 15 for the keyword [twitter] (both for iPhone (June 23, 20016).
Cross-promotion is the way to go
There are actually a couple of ways to cross-promote your app.
Using cross-promotion networks
Chartboost is a cross promotion network created by app developers. Here you can either promote your own apps or publish ads for advertising apps. Candy Crush, DirtyBit, and Rovio are just some of the developers that made testimonies about this network’s efficiency. Other alternatives are Playhaven, AppFlood and TapForTap.
Your apps promoting each other
There’s this handy icon at the upper right hand side of Candy Crush Saga that not only informs you of new games Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Jelly Saga but also gives you a direct link towards the game if it’s already downloaded into your device; not to mention the animated ads at the lower right hand side of the screen promoting other King games.
This is actually a nifty strategy. You aren’t just advertising your other apps but also convincing the downloader to patronize your brand.
App bundles
According to a report from App Annie in mid-2014, 98% of Google Play Store’s income comes from freemium apps. Convincing someone to buy your app needs a push in marketing but when they do buy your app and actually enjoy it, you can actually convince them to buy your other apps in bulk.
Toca Boca AB actually has a couple of bestselling apps. What they did in this bundle though was group the least popular apps with the most popular so that their exposure will increase, together with the downloads. And since you can save 40% in buying the bundled apps, it’s safe to say that one app is actually a giveaway, a good deal if you ask me.
Make the most out of your brand
Once you established both you and your app’s reputation in the app store, it’s easier to market consecutive apps – especially if it bears the trusted name with it.
Create sequels
Grand Theft Auto is quite a successful franchise. Rockstar Games made 26 apps out of this series and even has bundles.
Grand Theft Auto’s mechanics and theme allow for almost infinite sequel options.
Expand your app monetization scheme
Aviary is a photo editing app acquired by Adobe.It now extended its reaches beyond in-app purchases. Aviary now sells licenses for the incorporation of their UI in apps. An app developer can download the Aviary SDK and become a “partner”.
Publicity is always good they say especially in the ‘Shark Tank’. The premise of the show is straightforward enough: a budding entrepreneur comes in and makes a pitch in front of “sharks” that could potentially offer an investment deal. The main goal is to bag the deal but an entrepreneur can actually go home empty-handed and still gain more. For example, several entrepreneurs would refuse any offer from the “sharks”. So why appear on the show? Here’s why: the show packs on an estimated $4-5 million worth of marketing exposure.
What is the Shark Tank Effect?
Marketing exposure is the very backbone of the Shark Tank Effect. An appearance is enough to boost an app’s downloads with some apps featured on the show amassing up to hundreds of thousands of downloads within a few hours of the show’s airing. This boost can last for several days with a secured deal helping bolster the Shark Tank Effect for a few more weeks.
The Shark Tank Effect is considered as a popular example of the impact of publicity on a product. The same effect is attributed to an app featured in tech websites like TechCrunch and Mashable. There’s even something called “The TechCrunch Effect” that works similarly to the Shark Tank Effect. In this effect, featured start-ups experience a snowball effect from almost all aspect of the business from inquiries, orders and down to capital investments. For apps, benefits can be:
Mass Exposure
According to a study, mass exposure is the second most effective publicity strategy for apps (the most effective being featured in the new apps charts). In the USA alone, there are 285 million TV viewers as of the fourth quarter of 2014. About 7.9 of these people watch Shark Tank. TechCrunch peak on a million visitors while Mashable can peak up to 4.9 million visitors for a given month.
Promotion of Virality
In the same study, mass exposure exhibits an epidemic curve right after a publicity event. For excellent apps, the magnitude of the curve is larger but the duration of the epidemic is shorter. The Shark Tank show, therefore, provides a different type of virality. Most viral apps circulate through recommendations with the app first tested before it receives marketing exposure. But some apps featured on Shark Tank don’t hold up to the audience’s expectations and thus, don’t really make the most out of the effect.
Gives the App Credibility
Being associated with a trusted brand can create a “halo effect” wherein the audience’s’ impression of your app is based on the perceived image of the brand that endorses it. Even though Shark Tank and TechCrunch don’t necessarily endorse your app, the trust the audience has for these names creates an impression that the featured apps are legitimate and are pre-screened.
Increase of Visibility in More Ways
One of the indirect effects of publicity is the increase in visibility as search frequency of the app’s keywords increases. The app’s ranking in these keywords increases so is its ranking in mobile SERPs. The app’s exposure in social media also increases as it becomes viral. The audience would also most likely access your app’s web page for more information instead of downloading it directly from the App Store. Some blogs and review sites may even cover the app as an analysis on the before and after effects of the publicity.
