Developing a mobile app is only half the battle, your app being discovered and used by your target audience is what's going to define business success. In order to make your app seen and valuable in a crowded app space, a marketing strategy is essential before and after launch. Each stage of your mobile app lifecycle requires a different strategy that considers user assumptions, platform algorithms, and trends.
Before your app is available, your goal is to create anticipation. Pre-release marketing establishes the opportunity to plant the seed, build interest, and build momentum. This starts with some market research; you want to know who users are, what the app gives them value for, and how it is different than the competition. Clarity in these points forms a foundation for everything including branding and messaging coverage plans. The app should have clarity to logo, color scheme, tagline, and tone of voice prior to development.
An early landing page is your app’s online home and lead capture mechanism. It should include a strong value proposition, provide a look of app functionalities, and call to action. When you combine a landing page with email marketing, you build your list of interested users and can begin to engage with them via updates, teaser videos, and helps to reach wider audience prior to launch.
Apart from this another important pillar is social media. Building presence on platforms such as Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok allows for a wider reach. Social media allows you to tell your brand story, share moments behind the curtain, and engage with early followers. Influencer outreach and teaser campaigns also help to reach a broader audience prior to your launch day.
App store optimization (ASO) is also something that should be done concurrently. Optimizing the name, description, keywords, and visuals of the app will help ensure your app will be found when users search for solutions like yours. This is also a good time to draft a press kit and reach out to tech blogs or specific reviewers to do early media pickups to develop credibility and establish a buzz.
When it is time to launch the app, the focus will shift to customer acquisition and retention. The goal is to convert attention into downloads, and then downloads to regular users. Email list created before the launch to create immediate installs and reviews, which will give the app a bump early in the app store rankings.
After launch, social proof is especially important. Getting users to leave reviews, ratings, and testimonials will help you build trust with new users. Continued interest can be achieved through push notifications, in-app messages, timely updates, and other methods that make sense for your audience. When a user sees your app evolve based on their input, they will be more likely to use it going forward.
Post-launch marketing is also an opportunity to scale paid advertising. Google App Campaigns, Apple Search Ads, and social media ads targeted to your user segment will help accelerate growth. By using data from user behavior and analytics, you can make data-driven decisions and maximize advertising budgets.
The marketing for your mobile app doesn't stop once you launch the app, instead it continues to develop in-line with the users of your app. You can build a thriving community around your mobile app by providing continual updates to your app, adding new features, updating the ASO based on performance, re-engaging inactive users, and listening to your audience will help in creating a strong community around your app.
In a vast competitive digital space, marketing your mobile app isn't only about getting people to download it—it's about creating a brand experience that resonates, engages, and provides value at each step of the customer journey. Whether you're going to launch or already in the app stores, an ongoing and strategic marketing plan is the bridge between making a great app and building a great business.