Getting users & How your app survives & Marketing

General (non-technical) Off-Topic
#1

Hello!

I’m thinking about marketing and how your app takes place in the market once your upload your app online. I am starting to think you actually need marketing for it to get any users at all. If you don’t market it, how can users find your app? Some marketing is needed? Is it enough with posting it on various forums for it to start growing in userbase, or do you think you have to pay for marketing in order to make it grow in userbase at all. Of course it depends on your app but in general what do you think about launching your app and to get people to use it if your app is unknown.

#2

Any ideas?

#3

This topic has been subject to everything from three paragraph blog posts to doctorate theses. It’s a complex, dynamic topic the face of which changes every time a new market is defined and a new game/app genre is discovered. Add to that fact, you posted yesterday and bumped it today, means that folks might have great ideas, but just don’t have time to post here, because they are busy marketing their apps! Fortunately, I’m currently procrastinating so I’m writing a lengthy post. YMMV on whether it was a good use of time :wink:

Your title has a lot of questions, but the main answer to all of them is: it’s complicated. Making an app that makes money (or even one that makes it’s budget back) is hard to do. The process is certainly more science than art, but it’s a science in it’s infancy. You’re going to have to make several conclusions based on your own project(s), which will assist you with understanding how to move forward with marketing. Some of these decisions include:

  1. Spot your market : there is very little benefit trying to sell a new dentists chair to an orthopedic surgeon. If you’re making an app that has a focus on world-building and farming, you aren’t going to advertise on a website for first-person shooters. Know who you’re making your game for, know who will spend money to play your game, and know where those people live. Make sure those people know about your game, and make it easy for them to get it.

2.  Calculate your marketing budget : if you have no money to advertise, that isn’t the end of the world. There are several game review sites and personal blogs with a large enough following that you can target to provide some expose. Spend time doing Google searches in this vein. If you DO have a ton of money to throw at it, then you should do so. Small dev studios can see a relatively good margin when going through ad campaigns with Facebook et. al. DO NOT PAY FOR GAME REVIEWS.

3.  Be engaging : these days, you’re just as likely to sell the sizzle, as you are the steak. Every struggling indie gamedev laments the fact that their cool, fun, interesting game isn’t getting enough play with people, but the devs that succeed, do so because they cultivated a fan base. They had a running devlog on TIGsource, or they had an active blog showcasing progress, or their Facebook account hosted contests for fan art. In this business, it’s OK to let people watch the sausage get made. In some cases, it makes them appreciate the meal when they finally get it (sorry, I haven’t had breakfast yet so all I can think about is food).

I know this post has been heavy on metaphors, but there is no magic button that makes your app a commericial success. It takes a combination of money, determination, business acumen, and luck. You’re going to have to find the right balance for your project.

TL;DR: It’s a difficult topic, and anyone who has the silver bullet has no incentive to provide it to the little guys. Work hard, make a compelling app (or at least a compelling marketing strategy) and don’t shut up about the project you’re trying to promote. Good luck!

EDIT: Full disclosure, none of my personal projects have been financial successes, so my advice comes from a position of complete ignorance/arrogance. 

#4

Say, you upload your app to google play or apples. Will the app be found without marketing? Anyone have experience with this? My guess is you actually need marketing but then again apple has a great money system so if anyone has experience with this that would be welcome.

#5

That’s a very vague question that no one can answer yes or no to.  I suppose if you have an app in a very specific niche then yes it is possible to get downloads without marketing.  I would also venture to say if it is a game then you’ll likely not get any downloads without marketing.  

#6

What is the app? Who is it for? How does it monetize itself? Is it a game? is it kid-friendly? Is it educational? Has it been picked up by a large publishing house?

If a developer doesn’t have the answers to the above questions, marketing budget or not, the likelihood of the app/game being a success is very low. Not saying that there isn’t a shot-in-the-dark chance, but it’s highly unlikely.

#7

Of course, the question is towards people who knows or has experience with this. If you think about it a little more, the question I asked is very simple; how good is the built in marketing and obviously it must vary depending upon your app. So I guess no answer will come here because no one has experience of this here.

#8

Yeesh. 

So, your question is: if Apple/Google Play/Other store features your app, is that enough to make your app profitable? There are still too many variables for this to be conclusive. However, the  likelihood of your app being successful is certainly increased. 

If you think about your question a bit more, the answer is obvious; It’s the equivalent of asking, if you owned a pizza store, and they just happened to build a high school directly next to your store, would you sell more pizza? Well, of course you’d sell more pizza, just by virtue of an exponential increase in foot-traffic, through no effort on your part.

#9

I didn’t see any question about getting the app featured.  He just asked if people would find your app once you’ve uploaded it.  Unless I missed something?

#10

He’s talking about “built-in marketing” and how “apple has a great money system”, which makes it sound like he’s talking about getting the free bump of having a featured app. You’re right though, I’m grasping, because I’m not 100% sure what he’s asking. I’m doing more procrastinating so I figured I’d take a swing at an answer for him.

#11

Probably because neither of us have experience with this apparently :wink:

#12

You know it, bruh. I am waiting for the day when I can have experience with some of that sweet, sweet free marketing. 

#13

Okay let me explain this step by step.

  1. You create your app

  2. You create your developer console account

  3. You upload your *.apk file

  4. You manage & publish your app to google play

  5. Your app will be searchable on google play

If people know the name of your app they find it by searching on google play.

Now the question is; will your app be shown anywhere else on google play, other than manual search for the name?

#14

No.

Google or Apple may feature it, but don’t count on it.

An example… I have a rather decently downloaded money calculator.  For the past several months, Apple has featured money calculators on their Utilities section of the app store.  My app is not included.

About 6 months ago, Apple featured “retro space games” on the App Store… not mine.

I would not rely on getting featured.  It’s a combination of downloads and a lot of luck and magic to get featured.

–john

#15

Any ideas?

#16

This topic has been subject to everything from three paragraph blog posts to doctorate theses. It’s a complex, dynamic topic the face of which changes every time a new market is defined and a new game/app genre is discovered. Add to that fact, you posted yesterday and bumped it today, means that folks might have great ideas, but just don’t have time to post here, because they are busy marketing their apps! Fortunately, I’m currently procrastinating so I’m writing a lengthy post. YMMV on whether it was a good use of time :wink:

Your title has a lot of questions, but the main answer to all of them is: it’s complicated. Making an app that makes money (or even one that makes it’s budget back) is hard to do. The process is certainly more science than art, but it’s a science in it’s infancy. You’re going to have to make several conclusions based on your own project(s), which will assist you with understanding how to move forward with marketing. Some of these decisions include:

  1. Spot your market : there is very little benefit trying to sell a new dentists chair to an orthopedic surgeon. If you’re making an app that has a focus on world-building and farming, you aren’t going to advertise on a website for first-person shooters. Know who you’re making your game for, know who will spend money to play your game, and know where those people live. Make sure those people know about your game, and make it easy for them to get it.

2.  Calculate your marketing budget : if you have no money to advertise, that isn’t the end of the world. There are several game review sites and personal blogs with a large enough following that you can target to provide some expose. Spend time doing Google searches in this vein. If you DO have a ton of money to throw at it, then you should do so. Small dev studios can see a relatively good margin when going through ad campaigns with Facebook et. al. DO NOT PAY FOR GAME REVIEWS.

3.  Be engaging : these days, you’re just as likely to sell the sizzle, as you are the steak. Every struggling indie gamedev laments the fact that their cool, fun, interesting game isn’t getting enough play with people, but the devs that succeed, do so because they cultivated a fan base. They had a running devlog on TIGsource, or they had an active blog showcasing progress, or their Facebook account hosted contests for fan art. In this business, it’s OK to let people watch the sausage get made. In some cases, it makes them appreciate the meal when they finally get it (sorry, I haven’t had breakfast yet so all I can think about is food).

I know this post has been heavy on metaphors, but there is no magic button that makes your app a commericial success. It takes a combination of money, determination, business acumen, and luck. You’re going to have to find the right balance for your project.

TL;DR: It’s a difficult topic, and anyone who has the silver bullet has no incentive to provide it to the little guys. Work hard, make a compelling app (or at least a compelling marketing strategy) and don’t shut up about the project you’re trying to promote. Good luck!

EDIT: Full disclosure, none of my personal projects have been financial successes, so my advice comes from a position of complete ignorance/arrogance. 

#17

Say, you upload your app to google play or apples. Will the app be found without marketing? Anyone have experience with this? My guess is you actually need marketing but then again apple has a great money system so if anyone has experience with this that would be welcome.

#18

That’s a very vague question that no one can answer yes or no to.  I suppose if you have an app in a very specific niche then yes it is possible to get downloads without marketing.  I would also venture to say if it is a game then you’ll likely not get any downloads without marketing.  

#19

What is the app? Who is it for? How does it monetize itself? Is it a game? is it kid-friendly? Is it educational? Has it been picked up by a large publishing house?

If a developer doesn’t have the answers to the above questions, marketing budget or not, the likelihood of the app/game being a success is very low. Not saying that there isn’t a shot-in-the-dark chance, but it’s highly unlikely.

#20

Of course, the question is towards people who knows or has experience with this. If you think about it a little more, the question I asked is very simple; how good is the built in marketing and obviously it must vary depending upon your app. So I guess no answer will come here because no one has experience of this here.