The Easy, Complete, Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your iPhone/iPad Apps!
There are huge profits to be made in selling iPhone and iPad apps! But with more than 180,000 + apps now available, just getting your app into the App Store is no longer enough. You need to market it effectively. Don’t know much about marketing? Don’t worry: This book gives you all the tools you’ll need. Top iPhone and iPad apps marketing consultant Jeffrey Hughes walks you through building a winning marketing plan, positioning highly competitive apps, choosing your message, building buzz, and connecting with people who’ll actually buy your app. With plenty of examples and screen shots, this book makes iPhone and iPad apps marketing easy!
You’ll Learn How To
- Identify your app’s unique value, target audience, and total message
- Understand the App Store’s dynamics and choose the right strategy to cut through clutter
- Set the right price for your app
- Get App Store and third-party reviewers to recommend your apps
- Write effective press releases for your apps and time your publicity for maximum effectiveness
- Blog about your app and get the attention of influential bloggers
- Use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to generate word-of-mouth buzz
- Use promotions and cross-marketing, just like professional marketers do
- Build an audience that will buy your next app, too!
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
Part I: Your Marketing Message 4
Part II: Delivering Your Message 4
Part III: Pricing Your iPhone/iPad App 5
Part IV: Implement a Marketing Plan/Launch Your App 6
1 Your iPhone and iPad App Marketing Strategy: Grand Slam or Base Hits? 9
We’ve Seen This Movie Before 10
The Big Win--Grand Slam 14
The Steady Win--Base Hits 17
The No Win--Strikeout 19
Benefits/Drawbacks of the Big Win and Steady Win Strategies 21
2 What Makes a Winning iPhone/iPad App? 25
Build Something Unique 26
Deliver New Features 28
Tie Your App into Trends and News 30
Tie into Seasons and Holidays 32
Tie Your App to Part of a Wider Solution 32
Apps Created from Other Platforms 33
3 Identifying Your App’s Unique Value 37
The Four Questions 39
Who Are Your Competitors? 40
What Are the Key Features of Your iPhone/iPad App? 48
What Are the Benefits of Your iPhone/iPad App? 49
What’s Unique about Your App? 49
4 Identifying Your Target Audience 55
Refining Your Audience 57
Segmenting Your Market 57
Targeting Your Market 63
5 Building Your App’s Total Message 67
Choose an Effective App Name 70
Basic App Naming 73
Get Creative 74
Search for Synonyms 75
Use Google to Help 75
Select and Test Your App Names 76
App Store Text: Lighten It Up 76
Make Graphics Your Focal Point 78
Make Your App’s Icon Jump 79
Build a Simple, Clean Product Website 81
Who Is Your Audience? 81
Developing Great Web Copy 82
Make Your Content Usable 83
Strive for Immediate Positive Reviews 83
6 Electronic Word of Mouth 87
Positive External Reviews 90
Coordinated Marketing Effort 92
Generating Demand 93
Reaching Interested Buyers 94
Choosing the Right Delivery Methods 94
Three Key Areas 95
Direct Marketing for Your App 95
Direct Mail 95
Email 96
Promoting Your App 98
Your App in Traditional Media (Newspapers, Radio, TV) 98
Advertising Your Apps 101
Paid Search 103
Online Advertising 105
Building a Community 105
7 Using Social Media in Your App Marketing 109
Selecting Your Social Media Tools 112
Using Facebook 113
Your Facebook Marketing Objectives 113
Using Twitter 115
Using Blogs 117
Using RSS 119
Using LinkedIn 119
Using YouTube 120
Video Basics 121
8 Timing Your Marketing Activities 123
App Buying Cycles 124
Is Your App Seasonal? 125
Hitting the Grand Slam 126
Timing the Launch of Your App 128
Submitting Your App for Review 129
9 Getting the Word Out About Your Apps 131
When to Write a Press Release 132
Do You Have What It Takes? 133
Writing Your Press Release 135
The Anatomy of a Press Release 136
Developing the Body Copy 140
Embedded Links 141
Attaching Multimedia to Your Press Release 142
Press Release Signature 143
Publishing and Distributing Your Press Release 144
When to Launch Your Press Release 145
10 Pricing Your App 147
Competing Against Free Apps 149
Be Found 150
Make Your App Better 150
Make Your App More Intuitive 151
Provide Better Graphics 151
Create Documentation 151
Offer Some Technical Support 151
Develop a Reputation for Customer Service 152
Go Viral 152
Some Pricing Misconceptions 152
Offer a Free Version of Your App 154
Setting Your App’s Price 155
11 Conducting an App Pricing Analysis 161
Cost/Benefit Analysis 162
Quantifying App Development Costs 163
Quantifying the Benefits 166
Performing a Cost/Benefit Comparison 167
Breakeven Analysis 168
Some Caveats 170
12 Selling Value over Price 171
Selling Value 173
Selling Quality 174
Selling Usefulness 175
Selling Return on Investment 175
Additional Thoughts on Selling Value 177
13 Breaking into the App Store Top 100 181
Develop a Great App 182
Beat Up Your App Mercilessly 183
Have Friends in High Places 184
Cross-Promote 185
Price It Right 186
Integrate Your App with Other Apps 186
Optimize Your Web and App Store Copy 187
Develop Your Brand and Promote It Like Crazy 188
Reach Out to Apple 189
14 Level the Playing Field with a Free App 191
Build a Paid App--Standalone 193
Build a Free App, Build a Following 194
Build a Paid App and a Free App at the Same Time 195
In-App Purchases 197
Free Apps with Ads 198
From Paid to Free 200
15 The App Pricing Roller Coaster 203
Raising Your Price 205
Lowering Your Price 205
Temporary Price Drops 208
Value-Add Sales 209
16 App Promotions and Cross-Selling 211
Promotional Marketing for iPhone/iPad Apps 212
Cross-Selling and Up-Selling 216
Up-Selling 220
17 Using iPhone/iPad Analytics 223
Analytics Components 224
Track Your App’s Sales 224
Track Your App’s Location 224
Track Your App’s Usage .225
Track Specific App Events 225
Measure App Interface Patterns 226
Top Analytics Vendors 226
Flurry/Pinch Media 226
Mobclix 228
Analytics and Privacy 229
Managing a User’s Privacy Expectations 230
18 Why Have a Marketing Plan? 233
Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Have an App Marketing Plan 234
Focuses Your Target Market 235
Allocates Marketing Funds 235
Measures Your Progress 236
Provides a Roadmap for Growth 236
Helps You Obtain Funding 237
Coordinates Your App Launches 237
Sets Realistic Sales Targets 238
Evaluates Your Competitors 239
Sets Prices and Defines Promotions 240
Defines a Strong Value Proposition 240
19 Components of an App Marketing Plan 241
Marketing Goals and Objectives 243
Product Objectives 243
Your iPhone/iPad App Sales Objectives 243
Profit Objectives 244
Pricing Objectives 244
Market Analysis 244
Business Environment 245
Demographics 245
Competition 245
Consumer Analysis 246
Strengths,Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis 246
Strengths 246
Weaknesses 247
Opportunities 247
Threats 247
Marketing Focus 247
Your App’s Functionality 248
Promotions 248
Price 248
Financial Information 249
Marketing Calendar 249
20 Marketing Essentials 253
Write About What’s New and Exciting 254
Striking a Balance 254
21 25 Essential iPhone/iPad Marketing Activities 259
Delivering Your iPhone/iPad App to the World 260
Seek Reviews from Any Site That Matches Your App’s Category 260
Showcase Your App on the App Store 260
Use Press Releases Consistently 261
Market Through Email 261
Use Word of Mouth 261
Use Targeted Advertising 262
Use Analytics for Your Apps 262
iPhone/iPad Pricing and Promotions 262
Develop a Pricing Strategy 262
Promote from Ads Within Other Apps 263
App Product Website 263
Increase Your Website SEO 263
Let Visitors Market Your Site 264
Social Media Marketing 264
Promote Through YouTube 264
Promote Through LinkedIn 264
Promote Through Blogs 265
Create a Facebook Fan Page 265
Create Digg Articles and Videos 265
Visit Forums and Post Comments 266
Other App Marketing Activities 266
Create Trial and Paid App Versions 266
Secure App Launch Sponsorships 266
Continuously Improve Features 266
Collaborate with Other People 267
Seek Non-App Review Sites for Your App 267
Exchange Ad Space 267
Create an Icon Worth Remembering 268
Determine Your App’s Unique Value 268
22 Implementing Your Plan 269
Determine Goals for the Campaign--What Results Do You Hope to Achieve? 270
Establish Measurement Criteria 271
Gather Prospects to Target for Campaign 271
Tracking Results--Measuring Marketing ROI 272
Managing Your App Marketing Activities 273
23 iPhone/iPad Apps for Corporate Marketing 275
Is an iPhone/iPad App Right for Your Company? 276
Build an App to Extend/Reignite the Brand 278
Apps to Extend a Web-Based Product’s Use 279
NetSuite 282
Fidelity Investments 282
Woodforest Mobile Banking 283
Chipotle 283
Index 287
About the Author :
Jeffrey Hughes brings more than 18 years of industry passion as a marketer, publisher, and keynote speaker in high-technology industries, including such companies as McAfee, Blue Coat Systems, Webroot, Intel, and Novell. Hughes is the author of 10 technology books and numerous trade press articles on technology and marketing topics.
He is the developer and lead instructor for Xcelme’s (www.xcelme.com) iPhone App Marketing, a course that has helped scores of developers learn how to market their iPhone/iPad apps the right way in a very competitive market.
Jeff is a frequent contributor to popular iPhone/iPad app sites including 148Apps.Biz, an iPhone development and news site. He has also consulted to a growing number of independent developers and small companies on how to launch and market their iPhone apps, offering marketing expertise and consulting services to help their apps gain maximum exposure. Hughes has a B.S. degree in marketing with a minor in computer science from Brigham Young University. He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.
