Tips for a Successful App Launch

Launching an app can be a super exciting time, or an overwhelming and scary one. Preparing for your app launch early can relieve some of that anxiety, and ensure a smoother and more successful kick off. A solid marketing strategy can raise business awareness, increase downloads and strengthen app ratings.

Define how to measure success

How is the business doing currently, in regards to the digital space? Consider doing a S.W.O.T. analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to get a good handle on the assets that can be played up during launch. For example, got a large Twitter following? Then, use it!

Now you need some numbers. What is success? A particular number of downloads? A 4-star rating? So many in-app purchases? Put some data into place to look back on.

Define your audience

Who is your app targeting? What challenges are they facing? What devices do they use? What social media channels are they on? Meet them where they are!

Creating documented personas can be an excellent exercise, allowing you to reflect upon the users throughout the entire process.

Define marketing channels

There are a million different ways to reach your audience. Choose ones that are comfortable and familiar to your particular users. Make the content unique to each channel, as they each have their own personality and use case. (Yes, that means don’t post the same image on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.)

Here’s a few things to keep in mind on some popular platforms:

Email: Email is a direct form of contact to your customer. Your customer, in some shape or form, voluntarily gave you (and trusted you with) their contact information. Not only did they choose to give this information to you, they have to choose to open your emails. So make them feel special! Providing insider-like content, such as early access or extra features, can make your emails more desirable to open.

Facebook: Facebook provides a space for more browseable content. Your posts are going to layered in between Aunt Becky’s summer vacation posts and competitor ads. So don’t make it feel like an ad. Make your content shareable, relevant and fun. More shares = more views.

Instagram: Instagram is generally for the artisans at heart. Create visually interesting content that is not reliant on a large description. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Twitter: Twitter gives real-time access to new information. Keep tweets short and sweet. Lead with the ‘breaking news’ and ‘cool factors’ of your app.

Optimize for the store

Search is important! The most weighted components are the title, subtitle and keywords. Keep these in mind, and avoid cliche terms that will land your app amongst millions during a search.

Make a landing page site

A large chunk of users search for an app online, before they decide to search for it and download it in the store. Create a landing page site that includes a feature overview, short description and direct access to download it in the store.

Test user groups and solicit feedback

Get a test version in the hands of the people. Address bugs and initial feedback before the full-on launch. Give this adequate time. It is better to release a bug-free app later, then to release a buggy app sooner. It’s good for those ratings and reviews.

Build anticipation

Create some buzz before the launch. The purpose of this is to generate curiosity and excitement for the release of the app. This can be a bit mysterious and obscure.

Launch. Launch. Launch.

Once the app is available, it’s all hands on deck to get the word out. Use all your selected channels to announce the launch. Make sure that all avenues have some sort of call to action or destination — whether that is the landing page or the store to download.

Update content regularly

Don’t let your momentum fizzle out. Post relevant content often. Use your digital presence to create a community for your users. This can help build long-term brand loyalty and trust.

Measure and grow

After 6 months or so, take some time to reflect on the successes and failures of your app launch. Grow from these experiences and use them to make informed decisions on how to improve, and release the next version. Or maybe even your next app!

Check out some of the apps that we have launched: atomicrobot.io