A lot of the articles you read on this blog are aimed toward individual local businesses. These small companies are often strapped for cash, time, and resources when it comes to promotion, making them prime targets for consumer app developers looking to get their products in front of eyeballs.
With that said, here are some tips/tricks I’ve used to effectively market my local business apps over the past year or so:
1. Make sure you have a website.
A webpage is an absolute must if you’re going to be able to sell your app online – certainly through your own app store. Even if all your users will be buying directly from their phone, having a web presence is needed in order to validate yourself as a legitimate seller. Setting up a website is easy with services like SquareSpace, and there are even free options available if you’re frugal.
2. Have an email list of mailing contacts.
This should consist of everyone you know or has given you their contact information in order to stay up to date on what your company is doing. Whenever I release an update for any of my apps, I send out an email blast letting people know it’s available, new features, etc. You’d be surprised how many non-customers will download these apps just because they’ve received the notification that the application has been updated – it only takes one person who shares this enthusiasm to get others interested in downloading it as well!
3. Get involved with the local community.
A great way to market your app is by gathering a group of interested parties together to discuss its creation and management. Hold meetups at coffee shops or other public venues, and sign up as many attendees as you can fit into your space, usually 3 – 5 people per gathering is perfect for keeping things casual but interactive.
At each of these sessions I give a short presentation of my company’s mission statement, followed by detail-specific examples on how my apps and software have helped different small businesses grow and prosper through better use of their online presence. If your audience shows strong interest in attending another session after yours, invite them to join you at the next one! Try doing this every second month if possible so that prospective clients can count on your company being around for the long term.
4. Be sure to have a license available!
I’ve had local mobile app developers approach me with offers of licensing their apps before, only to find that I don’t have the cash on hand at any given time. Have something up front ready for people who want to buy your apps without having to wait – even if it’s just $5-10/month for individuals who are interested in having access to every aspect of your product line without needing approval from within their organization. You can work out more costly arrangements later if they express interest, but having something up front will make you look more professional and increase customer retention across all mobile platforms – I guarantee it!
5. Invite customers to give reviews and feedback.
Don’t be afraid to email your app users and ask for reviews on the marketplace they use it at. The more positive reviews you show up with, the more likely people will be interested in buying from you! Even if all your apps have a 5-star rating so far, there’s always room for improvement – this is where asking users directly comes into play.
I was ecstatic when I found out that local companies could actually market their mobile applications through channels such as Google Play, Apple’s App Store, and Amazon’s Marketplace. These online storefronts provide developers with a worldwide audience of potential consumers who are free to download copies of the software they deem most useful based on its popularity among other users. Ideally, when you make your app available for purchase on one of these distribution platforms, you want it to sell as many copies as is possible – but how do you increase the likely hood that people will find out about your product in the first place?
6. Set up a Google+ page.
Even if all your users will be buying directly from their phone, having a web presence is needed in order to validate yourself as a legitimate seller. Setting up a website is easy with services like Squarespace, and there are even free options available if you’re frugal.
7. Have an email list of mailing contacts.
This should consist of everyone you’ve ever given your business card to, as well as every person who’s downloaded one of your apps. Create a Mailchimp account and send out an email blast weekly with the latest update for each app you have available.
8. Get involved with local communities.
Social media is great for this – post up flyers in coffee shops, bookstores, laundromats, anywhere where people are likely to see it. Have people sign up to receive updates on your products or attend informational sessions about how they can better use their mobile device for their professional life!
9. Offer licensing options.
Make it clear exactly what various prices entail; if there’s something extra about using your software that users need to know then include that information in the fine print. Have different tiers available that encourage customers to access your services for longer and longer periods of time without having to buy a brand-new license every time you make an update!
10. Ask for reviews.
Don’t be afraid to email people who’ve downloaded your app and ask if they could leave feedback either within the store or on their personal blog/social media account (if such exists). An active social following can help give your company a leg up above your competitors! As with all marketing, it should be clear that these tips are just resources that have been found out through trial-and-error – feel free to do more research on this topic as needed before implementing any strategies! Enjoy building awesome local apps?
