By Heena Banga
While the topic of app installs is an expansive one as a whopping number of apps continues to add to the app stores. Too often, marketers overlook the important fact that apps serve a different purpose than websites. Besides a technical difference in coding and tools, there is a huge difference in user experience that an app offers.
Then what’s that the most downloaded apps have over the rest? How do they differentiate?
You may have invested more time and efforts than your competitors, still they are enjoying more downloads and more revenue. There’s this one thing that a good owner and a skilled mobile app developer are clear about – that it’s not a piece of software that they had to deliver to the target audience, but a little companion that they can keep in their pocket and feel connected to. Over the years, the top app behemoths have realized that users are smart and sound and thus, to give them a delightful service, you need a well-thought-out strategy.
Let’s drill down five of such ways that will inspire more people to download your app
A super simple interface
Oh yes, Instagram was not the first photo sharing app on the app store. They didn’t have any rocket scientists to build it for them. They also hired an app development company and did it like you. But then what’s so good about Instagram that it has reached 13 billion downloads and counting across Apple App Store and Google Play? Nothing like a miracle. Believe me!
The experts at Insta just found out an easier, quicker, fun and more consistent way to let users do the talking. The key to a smart app is to make it really simple- such that it does one thing- but that one thing flawlessly. If the app users get to know what to do next in your app in the initial 5-10 seconds, you have cracked it.
All in all, a simple interface with fewer features – like what’s the key purpose of the app, is the major.
Content is the king
And that’s for sure. While we say we have a smarter audience, it really comes down to the content they are reading on your app. Supposedly, if it’s the time and section where you want users to buy t/book the service, just come up with a ‘Book Now’ button rather than beating around the bush. Also, when it comes to app optimization, your technical content team needs to work meticulously- name of the app, app title, app description as put on App Store, the amount and type of content on each screen or in demo make a major difference on how your app ranks on the app stores.
Understand the audience deeply
With app services like Uber, WhatsApp providing an extreme level of app personalization to the users, nothing but a thorough understanding of users, their next move, their next click should be identified. Really! Take a look at what motivates your target audience? Who are their favorites? What brands do they love? How do they spend on the various categories? How and where do they love to travel? Their searching styles while looking out for a product. Because that’s what will help you build a real connection with the user.
Referral marketing
This may sound cliché to you, but it’s quintessential, in fact in our every life as well. For building our contacts with people, we go to parties, meet friends of friends and thus, add more connections. This is how referral marketing goes. You can’t stay in your home and expect people to come to you. People trust their friends more than you. This world drives on recommendation. Your existing users can do it for you. They can influence their family, friends, colleagues, Facebook connections to use your app. In return, they need to be rewarded. For every referral, offer a discount/cashback on their next purchase.
Interesting promotional videos
Earlier, it was more of text and less of images in a newspaper, journal, online platforms because people loved reading or they never imagined watching a video. They had their TV sets.
Today, if you want attention, you need to post a video. Millennials find it boring if all your sales and marketing is text -based, they don’t heed attention as much as they are intrigued by a video. Top apps keep striving to market their concept and service through short films, emotive ads on Facebook, Google, television. The idea is that users can process a video faster than words and can remember it for a longer time. They are impactful.
So, stop procrastinating and get moving with video marketing.
A final note
The app market is more competitive than ever before and is expected to be emulous. The most popular apps have already done this and they are moving forward to delivering more engrossing experience, like a one-on one interaction between the user and the app. So, start keeping your users in the center of this mobile app circle and take strategic yet exciting moves to go beyond an expected number of app installs.
Heena Banga is a Senior Content Developer at Konstant Infosolutions– a globally recognized mobile app development company. She leads marketing and growth initiatives at the company using a mix of technical and business content tactics. Heena also contributes articles to CrowdReviews, OpenSourceForU, Sociableblog, Duct Tape Marketing, Paymill Blog. She hopes to enjoy a business conversation onboard a commercial space flight someday. Her ultimate goal is to combine business and writing and go into advertising.
