Promoting and Marketing Your App

Once you have created your app, it is important that you promote it!  Marketing and promotion of your mobile application will ensure it finds it’s way to the pockets of your users.  Make sure that you build a solid marketing plan along with developing your application.

Building a Marketing Plan

You should have a marketing plan in place before your app goes live.  This should include information about the application, how to download it, screenshots of the application in action, etc.  Just as you would market your new website, you should market your mobile app.

One area of promotion is Search Engine Optimization within the app stores to improve the app ranking within the store.  These recommendations address the main criteria in app store rankings:

• Choose several keywords and phrases related to your app for search engine optimization.

• Write a great description for your app in the app stores.  Use some of your keywords again in the description.

• Encourage app users to review and rate the app.  Ratings can have a large impact on search rankings.

• Increase  downloads through social media and promotion.  The more times the app is downloaded, the better the search ranking it will have.

You should also make sure your app is included in the “Mobile Apps” section of this website.  To be included in this website, we will need the following information:

• Up to 4 screen shots, 380px x 420px

• Link to your application

• Name and Description of your application

• If you would like to be featured on the homepage in the banner section, we will need a 900px x 200px image to include.

Look for unique opportunities to publicize your app.  Some initial ideas include:

• Post the app store download links to Facebook and Twitter

• Promote the app on industry or interest specific blogs and websites

• Send seasonal or periodic reminders on Twitter and Facebook

• Special events such as an Open House, Orientation or industry meet up

• Departmental newsletter

• Email signature

Tracking Performance Of Your Application

Once you have released your application, you probably will want to know how many downloads it has, or what country people are downloading your application from.  The Mobile Initiatives Committee offers this as a free service to any developers on campus through appFigures, a wonderful service that will monitor the downloads of your app on the iOS app store and the Android Marketplace/Google Play.  To sign up for this service, use the “Contact Us” form on this site and we can get you started.