In general, your app will have to overcome the following five challenges to succeed:

 

1. Get noticed: It needs to get noticed by users, or get easily discovered in searches.

2. Get downloaded: Once discovered, users should want to download it.

3. Don’t get deleted: Once downloaded and tried out, users should not feel like deleting it from their phone.

4. Get used… & reused: Now that users have chosen to keep it on their phone, they should want to use it again and again, in other words they should not forget about it.

5. Rake in the revenue: Finally, users should want to purchase premium content or additional features from within your app from time to time. This is the point at which most successful apps create a steady revenue stream for their creators.

 

 

Get noticed

 

Overcoming this challenge is mostly about having a successful marketing campaign for your app.

 

Here are some of the things you can do to advertise your app:

 

1. Soft Launch the app: Soft launch a BETA version of the app among family, friends, social and professional contacts. If you have contacts within the media, make use of them. You can provide a preview version of the app to the editors of online and print magazines and news sites.

2. Advertise using traditional channels: You can always use the traditional paid advertising channels such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines and billboards. These usually cost a lot of money but remember that as with any product launch, the cost of advertising should be part of your overall app development budget, assuming you wish to have a serious shot at success.

3. Advertise using digital channels: Make use of digital advertising techniques such as paying for web ads & mobile ads. Create a Facebook page for your app and invite people to visit it. Also consider setting up a WiFi hotspot to advertise your app in a social place such as a mall or a public square. Create a Twitter handle for your app and invite people to follow it. Announce your app on your website or blog, on your (or your company’s FB page), using the Twitter handle or even on your LinkedIn page.

4. Advertise using paid app services: You may wish to make use of paid services such as AppBrain & AppShout which manage the marketing of your app and charge you on a per install basis. They also analyze how your app is doing with respect to the competition and inform you about your app’s strengths and weaknesses.

5. Invest in Search Engine Optimization: Another very important aspect of getting noticed is to appear on at least the first page of search results on the web or on the app stores when people search for what it is that your app does. To achieve this, you should apply Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to the content on your app’s website, your app’s FB page as well as the content you write on your app’s front page on the App Stores.

6. Get the content right: Remember that no amount of SEO can take the place of well written content. Make sure that your app’s name reflects its primary feature and the write up that you have posted on the app’s main page on the various app stores clearly describes everything that your app does.