iPhone and iPad Apps Marketing

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.

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