Hughes, J: Android Apps Marketing

Traditional Media (Newspapers, Radio, TV) 92 Advertising Your Apps 95 Paid Search 97 Online Advertising 98 Building a Community 99 Summary 101 7 Using Social Media in Your App Marketing 103 Selecting Your Social Media Tools 106 Using Facebook 107 Using Twitter 109 Using Blogs 111 Using RSS 112 Using LinkedIn 113 Using YouTube 114 Video Basics 114 Summary 115 8 Timing Your Marketing Activities 117 App Buying Cycles 118 Is Your App Seasonal? 119 Hitting the Grand Slam 120 Timing the Launch of Your App 122 Submitting Your Android App 122 Summary 124 9 Getting the Word Out About Your App 125 When to Write a Press Release 126 Do You Have What It Takes? 129 Writing Your Press Release 130 The Anatomy of a Press Release 131 Embedded Links 135 Attaching Multimedia to Your Press Release 136 Press Release Signature 137 Publishing and Distributing Your Press Release 138 When to Launch Your Press Release 138 Summary 139 III PRICING YOUR ANDROID APP 10 Pricing Your App 141 Competing Against Free Apps 143 Be Found 144 Make Your App Better 144 Make Your App More Intuitive 145 Provide Better Graphics 145 Create Documentation 145 Offer Some Technical Support 145 Develop a Reputation for Customer Service 146 Go Viral 146 Some Pricing Misconceptions 146 Offer a Free Version of Your App 148 Setting Your App's Price 149 Summary 153 11 Conducting an App Pricing Analysis 155 Cost/Benefit Analysis 156 Quantifying the App Development Costs 157 Quantifying the Benefits 160 Performing a Cost/Benefit Comparison 162 Breakeven Analysis 163 Some Caveats 164 Summary 165 12 Selling Value over Price 167 Selling Value 170 Selling Quality 170 Selling Usefulness 171 Selling Return on Investment 173 Additional Thoughts on Selling Value 174 Summary 176 13 Breaking into the Android Market Top Paid Apps 177 Develop a Great App 178 Beat Up Your App Mercilessly 180 Have Friends in High Places 180 Cross-Promote 181 Price It Right 182 Integrate Your App with Other Apps 182 Optimize Your Web and Android Market Copy 182 Develop Your Brand and Promote It Like Crazy 183 Reach Out to Google 185 Summary 186 14 Level the Playing Field with a Free App 187 Build a Standalone Paid App 189 Build a Free App, Build a Following 190 Build a Paid App and a Free App at the Same Time 191 Free Apps with Ads 195 From Paid to Free 198 Summary 198 15 The App Pricing Rollercoaster 201 Raising Your Price 203 Lowering Your Price 203 Temporary Price Drops 206 Value-Add Sales 206 Summary 206 16 App Promotions and Cross-Selling 209 Promotional Marketing for Android Apps 210 Cross-Selling 214 Up-Selling 216 Summary 217 17 Using Android Analytics 219 Analytics Components 220 Track Your App's Sales 220 Track Your App's Location 220 Track Your App's Usage 221 Track Specific App Events 221 Measure App Interface Patterns 222 Top Analytics Vendors 222 Flurry/Pinch Media 222 Mobclix 223 Analytics and Privacy 225 Managing User Privacy Expectations 226 Summary 227 IV IMPLEMENT A MARKETING PLAN/LAUNCH YOUR APP 18 Why Have a Marketing Plan? 229 Focuses on Your Target Market 231 Allocates Marketing Funds 231 Measures Your Progress 232 Provides a Roadmap for Growth 232 Helps You Obtain Funding 233 Coordinates Your App Launches 233 Sets Realistic Sales Targets 234 Evaluates Your Competitors 234 Sets Prices and Defines Promotions 234 Defines a Strong Value Proposition 235 Summary 236 19 Components of an App Marketing Plan 237 Marketing Goals and Objectives 239 Product Objectives 239 Your Android App Sales Objectives 239 Profit Objectives 240 Pricing Objectives 240 Market Analysis 240 Business Environment 241 Demographics 241 Competition 242 Consumer Analysis 242 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis 242 Strengths 243 Weaknesses 243 Opportunities 244 Threats 244 Marketing Focus 244 Your App's Functionality 244 Promotions 245 Price 245 Financial Information 246 Marketing Calendar 246 Summary 248 20 Marketing Essentials 249 Updates to Your App: Write About What's New and Exciting 250 Striking a Balance 250 Summary 253 21 Twenty-Five Essential Android Marketing Activities 255 Delivering Your Android App to the World 256 Seek Reviews from Any Site That Matches Your App's Category 256 Showcase Your App on the Android Market 256 Use Press Releases Consistently 257 Consider Email Marketing 257 Create Word of Mouth Buzz 258 Consider Targeted Advertising 258 Utilize Analytics for Your Apps 259 Android Pricing and Promotions 259 Develop a Pricing Strategy 259 Promote from Ads Within Other Apps 259 Build an App Product Website 260 Increase Your Website Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 260 Let Visitors Market Your Site 261 Social Media Marketing 261 Use YouTube Promotions 261 Use LinkedIn Groups 262 Use Blog Promotions 262 Create a Facebook Fan Page 262 Employ Digg Articles and Videos 263 Visit Forums and Post Comments 263 Other App Marketing Activities 263 Create Trial and Paid App Versions 263 Use App Launch Sponsorship 264 Continuously Feature Improvements 264 Collaborate with Other People 264 Seek Non-App Review Sites for Your App 265 Exchange Ad Space 265 Create an Icon Worth Remembering 265 Determine Your App's Unique Value 266 Summary 266 22 Implementing Your Plan 267 Implementation Steps 268 Managing Your App Marketing Activities 271 Summary 272 23 Android Apps for Corporate Marketing 273 Is an Android App Right for Your Company? 275 Build an App to Extend/Reignite the Brand 276 Apps to Extend a Web-Based Product's Use 279 Summary 280 A Competitive Worksheet 281 Index 283