10 Things You Need To Consider To Ensure A Successful App Launch

When Apple’s App Store was launched in 2009 there were a mere 500 apps. Fast forward to March 2017 and there are now a staggering 2.2 MILLION apps competing against each-other for user downloads. While some of the lucky ones enjoy miraculous overnight success, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands that fail to amount to anything.

Launching a new app is not just a matter of uploading your creation to the app store, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Even if you think your app is going to be the next big thing and is going to change the world, if nobody has heard of it then you are probably not going to get too many downloads. Successfully launching an app takes a lot of ground work, and not just the day before launch. I’m talking, from the very first moment that the idea for the app took root. Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to consider before, during and after the development of your app to help you have the most successful launch possible…

Research

Market research is an essential first step. This is where you discover if there is an actual need for your product. You need to understand who the core audience for your app is going to be e.g. age group, location, interests, etc. Knowing this prior to the development of your app enables you to design the app and channel your marketing efforts towards this particular demographic. Do your research on the competition - what are their strengths and weaknesses? This is your opportunity to discover if there are any key features they might have overlooked and figure out how you can differentiate your offering to make it more compelling and attractive, than theirs.

Choose a great app name

A name can make or break an app. This is the first chance you have to impress your potential users and make a solid impact - so, you need to make sure your name is memorable. Keep it unique and to the point. The general rule of thumb is between 1 - 3 words as a short and slick title looks catchier and more professional. However, on the flip side, adding extra relevant keywords to your title helps increase your position in the search results. The higher you are in the list, the more clicks and downloads you are going to get. It’s a question of finding the right balance.

Great visuals

No matter what cool features or functionality your app might have, if it doesn’t ‘look good’, the sad reality is that people aren’t going to use it. A user is more likely to download and continue to use a well designed app, good-looking app that feels like it’s a pleasure to use. So, make sure you have a talented graphic designer on your team.

Your icon and app store screenshots are especially important as these are the first images your potential users are going to see when they come across your app on the app store. Your icon is also what is going to be used in all your branding material, from your website and social media platforms to press releases and blog articles.

Test at every stage

It’s important to test at every stage and on as many different platforms as possible before you fully launch your app. Each mobile device operates differently so never trust an app building tool to provide a realistic environment for testing.

Don’t do too much, too soon

Keep your first launch simple. The number one mistake app entrepreneurs make is they try to do too much. It is much better to launch an app that has only a few features but does them extremely well, rather than an app that has loads of poorly built features. An app full of bugs and glitches will only result in your user having a poor experience and will damage your brand’s reputation forever. Start off small and obtain a loyal group of active users to begin with. Once you successfully manage to do this, you can begin to capture user feedback and update your app with new and improved features as you go along.

App store optimisation (ASO)

Marketing is a great way to drive users to download your app during the initial launch, but for long-term, organic growth, it’s important to optimise for the App Store.

At least 63% of iOS users search for apps organically, therefore getting your keywords right is an essential component of your app’s success. Keywords help users find your app in the app store and should be directly related to what your app does. This means spending time looking at your app’s title, keywords and description, making sure you include trending terms that will help you gain traction with your target audience. If possible, include a keyword in your app title as they have been found to rank up to 10.3% higher than those without.

Start marketing early

Having a well thought out marketing strategy Having a well thought out marketing strategy is essential for getting the word out about your new app. But don’t wait until the week before you launch. Once you have the core features of your app nailed you should start brainstorming ways to get the message out there. Building hype drives excitement, and having a list of people ready to download your app on launch day will help bump you up to the top of the App Store on launch day. Some of the most effective ways to build hype is with a teaser website, social media (either paid or organic), email marketing and blogging.

Get user reviews

58% of people check app store reviews before downloading an app. User reviews are a core part of your app’s success. Potential users are way more likely to trust the opinion of someone that has already used the app over the word of a marketer. Therefore, the more positive app reviews you have, the more installs you are going to get. Don’t make the mistake of just expecting the reviews to start rolling in. Then again, don’t just plague your users with daily notifications begging them for a review. You need to go about this carefully or you run the risk of annoying your user and ending up with a bad review and a possible uninstall.

Focus on user retention and engagement

When launching a new app, the focus of most app marketers is on acquiring as many users as possible. However, with the average app losing 77% of its users within the first three days, this surge in new users won’t last very long. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how many new users you acquire if you don’t have a solid app user retention strategy - you’ll just end up losing them as quickly as you gained them. Push notifications are definitely one of the best ways to help retain your users. In fact, effective use of push notifications has been found to boost retention rates by a staggering 180%!

Measure KPI’s

Measuring how much revenue your app is making is important, but it is certainly not the be all and end all. There are many other key performance indicators you and your team should be measuring in order to continuously improve your app and keep your users engaged. For example, you need to keep a close tab on indices like your daily and monthly active users, retention rate and lifetime value, just to name a few. Having said that, don’t let the numbers run you ragged; Just try to keep an eye on everything that’s within your reach. Figure out what the most important parameters are, in helping you achieve your goals and focus on them.

AUTHOR: Emma Mullan

Emma is a Marketing Strategist at Hurree. Hurree is a marketing automation platform for apps, that helps engage users and keep them active at a time that suits them. It goes one step further by automatically enhancing the personalised, 1 to 1 experience for the user, without demanding any additional time from the marketer. If you would like to learn more about Hurree please visit www.hurree.co.