I made an Android app that connects people based off mutual interest. The app has been out for about a month and I have had about 15 people try it out.
I need people more to try it out to get validation that it is something people want. Advice, feedback, recommendations; any insight would help.
Go to google play search the name just like this "thatsme"
The Big question is how do you get people to use the app -
There is a tonne of ways really, but it really depends on what you want - more users is very broad
Who is your target market
age, gender, demographics
--- once you have this ---
where do you find these people - communities? social networks?
what apps are they already using?
what simliar apps to yours have the largest active users?
How long have they been around?
how do they market their app and to who?
what is your engagement rate of the apps users?
How long do they use it, when do they close it, do they uninstall it - if so why?
----
once you have all these questions you can at least start te basic marketing -
be careful paying for marketing most are complete scams - dont try and cheat active users - imagine it like this, someone sends me your app - if i dont meet the target market above then you app has 0 chance with me - and this is the case for most - aim for targeted marketing - Your app is your business - your active users are your customers - market your business to the right customers, treat your customers right and over time you cannot fail.
Are you targeting a specific group of people who would benefit most from this app?
What does it do other than "connect based on mutual interest"?
The best promote my Android app is as follows:
1) Offer App installs using Facebook ads: The best way to get a lot of installs is using paid mediums such as Facebook ads. Facebook offers to advertise for apps (both Android & iOS), and you can target users based on various factors such as age, location, mobile OS and many more. If you have an email list, you can use that to target your ad to a particular list also. Head over to Create Facebook Ads page & get started.
2) Finish and Optimize your App: But before you submit your Android app to the market, keep in mind that the application must be fully complete and should have a good interface. Never make the mistake of submitting a partial app. Submitting an incomplete app will lower your user ratings and will blow your plan permanently. Also, it is known that Google Play’s market algorithm will take your app higher if the users rate it well in the initial stages. That’s one of the tricks to improve your download count.
3) Submit to Multiple stores: Did you know there are multiple stores to submit your Android app? Google Play Store is the most popular one, but there are many others such as the Amazon app store, which is good too. Here, I am listing down some of the most popular stores where you can submit your Android app.
a) https://developer.amazon.com/welcome.html
b) http://www.appbrain.com/info/addapp
c) http://slideme.org/developers
d) http://developer.getjar.mobi/
e) http://developer.mobogenie.com/docs/submit.htm
4) Make a Freemium app: This has been the best way to get people to download premium apps. The free apps get the user base, and the users end up buying add-ons or the full version if they like it. Or you can just launch a free app with an ad and promote an add free with some advanced features in your premium version. You can also consider starting your app for free for the first two weeks to increase the user base. You can later charge for it. This marketing and promotion strategy works most of the time and for most apps.
5) Promoting through Reviews: Nobody will know of your app unless you promote it. Hence, marketing the Android app is as important as building one. The best method to market your app from my experience is through content and reviews. There are a few review sites that offer paid reviews. If your target is more specific to the Android market, you can try a few like androidtapp.com or pcworld.com depending on your budget.
A few other options:
a) AndroidCentral (Free, but difficult)
b) AndroidPolice (Paid)
c) Appbrain.com (Paid)
6) Promoting through free content: Some services offer free publicity. For example, ProductHunt. It’s a start-up voting community that ranks apps at the end of every month. If your app idea is good, it might even be on the front page for a month if it gets enough votes. The site is also a good option if you have the same app for different operating systems because they accept Windows, iOS, Android, and Blackberry apps as well. You can try this if you want to get an initial boost of downloads.
7) Promote on YouTube: Make a couple of YouTube videos showing how the app can be useful to people or entertain them. Try to make an informative video. Moreover, when you are going to drop a pitch email to any bloggers for a review of your app, make sure you send the link to the video. This will help a blogger understand your product better and will help them to write better app reviews. Also, most of the time you will see your videos embedded along with a review article, which will help in creating more awareness.
8) Get a gorgeous icon: Have you ever downloaded an app with no icon? Well according to the app market, people download apps on large based on their icons. Crappy icons blow your app to the bottom and will indicate an unfinished or poorly made app. Optimize and beautify your icons.
9) Use social media: Social media can be immensely useful. Submit your app to social media like Reddit, etc. and if your app deserves some attention, then you might be in for some better download numbers. Do not forget to submit to the Reddit Android section here: Android Reddit.
10) Press-release: If you manage to get into one of those PR agencies, that send out the newsletter to techies and bloggers about the latest Android apps, it can be greatly beneficial.
11) Advertise your App: If you have developed a paid app, it’s always a wise idea to keep a budget for advertising too. Create a landing page for your app and put advertisement banner on popular Android niche blogs. Though, if budget is a constraint, you can always go ahead and take the route of Guest blogging and do a soft promotion of your app. For buying advertisements, you can directly contact the bloggers and webmasters.
12) Submit to Product Hunt: Product hunt is a social site where anyone can submit exciting apps or websites. People then vote for it. If you have developed an interesting Android app, you should submit it on Product hunt. If it is a remarkable app and hits the homepage, not only you will get enough downloads, but you will also get coverage everywhere due to the popularity of this platform.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
