Tips on marketing and promoting your mobile app, specifically Apple iOS (iPhone, iTouch, iPad) and Google Android apps.

1. Mobile Application Marketing
Author:
Mike Lee
@mikeleeorg
me.mikelee.org

2. Channels
• In-Store Marketing
• App Marketplace SEO
• App Marketplace Editorial
• Off-Store Marketing
• Viral Marketing
• Web Marketing

3. App Marketplace SEO
The art of increasing the ranking of your app in
the search results of an app marketplace.

4. App Marketplace SEO
• Choose the right keywords
• Use the Google Keyword Tool (link) to find related
keywords
• Examine descriptions of competitor apps
• Examine descriptions of top ranking apps
• Consider popular generic keywords (e.g. “free,”
“lite,” “fun,” “Facebook,” “Twitter,” etc)

5. App Marketplace SEO
• Use keywords in app marketplace listing
• In app title
• In app developer name
• In keyword list
• But not in app description (link)

6. App Marketplace SEO
• Get more ratings
• Consider in-app prompts for reviews, like Appirator
(link)
• Consider pay-for-reviews, like Truevoo (link)
(Caution: may adversely hurt rankings)
• Consider incentives for ratings (link) (Caution: may
adversely hurt rankings)

7. App Marketplace SEO
• Get more downloads
• Consider mobile advertising, like AdMob (link)
• ~2500 daily downloads needed to make top 100 in a
popular category
• Consider a sponsored listing on app directories, like
GetJar (link)
• Consider an incentivized download, like Tapjoy
(link) (Caution: may adversely hurt rankings)

8. App Marketplace SEO
• Increase click-throughs
• Have a compelling icon (link)
• Have a compelling description
• Have compelling images
• Consider informative images instead of static
screenshots
• Have high ratings

9. App Marketplace SEO
• Monitor, measure & revise
• Monitor rankings in various app marketplaces for
top keywords over time
• Measure rank movements of text changes
• Revise keyword list to optimize ranking
• Revise description & screenshots to optimize click-
throughs

10. App Marketplace
Editorial
The art of getting your app featured in an app
marketplace by editors (actual people).

11. App Marketplace
Editorial
• Get the attention of the app marketplace
editors
• Foster a buzz in mobile tech blogs & magazines
• Provide bloggers & journalists with a promo code if
you have a paid app
• Consider using holiday-related marketing
promotions (e.g. Valentine’s Day, Halloween,
summer vacations, etc)

12. App Marketplace
Editorial
• Establish a rapport with app marketplace
editors
• Find and network with them (e.g. on Twitter, at
parties, via introductions, etc)
• Apple’s App Store (link)
• Google’s Android Market (link)

13. App Marketplace
Editorial
• Make app catchy enough to look good in
Apple’s TV ads
• Pizza Hut in Apple TV ad example (link)
• Choose a particular feature that will work well in an
Apple TV ad
• Find and network with Apple iPhone & iPad’s
marketing teams

14. Viral Marketing
The art of encouraging people to talk about,
recommend and share your app.

15. Viral Marketing
• Build features that encourage raves
• Conduct user research (e.g. ethnographic research)
• Solve annoying problems for users satisfactorily

16. Viral Marketing
• Build features that encourage sharing
• Make sure sharing is easy, effortless and
instantaneous to do
• Incorporate viral loops (link)

17. Viral Marketing
• Build buzz amongst influencers
• Identify bloggers, Twitter users & social media users
who are in your target audience
• Give influencers access to beta features
• Encourage and gather praise, feature requests &
complaints

18. Web Marketing
The art of promoting your app on the web.

19. Web Marketing
• Optimize app landing page
• Pay attention to website SEO (link)
• Consider a web demo (e.g. interactive, video, etc)
• Include customer testimonials
• Include inbound links from rest of website
• Compare against iTiunes Preview page (link)
• Create a custom App Loading page with an affiliate
link (link)

20. Web Marketing
• Monitor reviews on mobile app directories
& review sites
• Respond to bug reports and frustrations
• Foster an attitude of “we care and we’re listening”
on these communities

21. Thanks!
Author:
Mike Lee
@mikeleeorg
me.mikelee.org