The accessibility and thus a broad popularity of smartphones and tablets during the recent years has created a high-powered impetus for the emergence of an absolutely unbelievable demand for mobile applications of diverse kinds from a Zombie Game to a Mobile Banking app.
Mobile application industry is booming and has not reached the boiling point yet. Still, we observe a great demand for mobile apps both among individual consumers and among businesses too. As more and more people become aware of how convenient it is to use a mobile app and what a powerful marketing tool they can have at their disposal, the rules for winning this competitive game among mobile apps sellers change.
There is no need to say that one should take into account a great number of various factors that may have a crucial impact on sales of any mobile application. Without a doubt, a brilliant mobile app may be condemned to failure if some of the tricky points are omitted and not paid due attention to. Many forget that while idea itself may be great, it’s not a business until it is sold well. That is why even the slightest slip can lead to sales failure.
As there are hundreds of thousands of mobile apps available in the app marketplace today, the competition here is very strong. Your idea may have no chances for success unless you take into consideration the following 12 slips that may be a sign that your application will have a hard time selling:
1. Not knowing your target audience
The fact that the app has been created for a certain target audience does not mean that the implementation of the idea will be a success. On the contrary, it may turn into failure if you have not studied properly all sides of this issue such as your target audience interests, likes and dislikes, their needs and specifications. The whole marketing campaign should be built in such a way so that they could at once become aware of the features and functions that are of great importance for them.
2. Not maintaining communication with the target audience during the whole process of the marketing campaign and even after it
Many forget that an interesting and easy-to-handle mobile app is not the self-selling product. Even if the start of sales was much promising, interest to your mobile app may soon begin to fade away or even vanish. In order to make your product stand head-over-shoulder above the rest, stay in touch with your customers via the app. Don’t bother them, of course, but maintain their interest and devotion by offering incentives, coupons, deals and specials.
3. Absence of a good and simple feedback channel of communication
Another way to lose customers is to forget about placing your contact info and clickable links to where your customers can get in touch with you via email, private message or phone. The customer will definitely feel more interest in your product if you and your technical support team are more accessible and easy to get in touch with.
4. Not presenting the value and benefits of your mobile app
Being concentrated on the features of the sold product, one may easily forget about motivation that predetermines choice when people decide to buy your product. Most customers choose this or that product basing on the benefits they can get if they purchase your mobile app. Thus, heading to success in sales one should place benefits on the top of any ad and any presentation made.
5. Underestimating the role of commitments and testimonials
Commitments and testimonials predetermine sales results, move deals ahead and help to increase profit. Make a free presentation of your mobile app benefits for your potential customers and you will gain their commitments and will get their testimonials.
6. Selling the mobile app when it is already launched
Much time and money can be spent on the product that nobody will agree to buy or even try to use for free. Many err thinking that their product is what their customers need.
Getting criticism and micro-testing of mobile app before it comes to sales may help you to understand whether your product is what your target audience desires to possess. For that purpose put your mobile app ads out on crowdsourcing platforms to see how many people want it, create several landing pages with highlighting the benefits. There is no need to say that interested people will give you their email addresses so you can contact them when the app launches. Micro-testing helps to choose not only the catchiest name of the mobile app, but also the best design, logo, icon, description and much more.
7. Choosing the wrong price for the mobile app
To make your choice what price to put is not an easy thing at all. Nevertheless, here once again the micro-testing with creating of landing pages may be of great help to you. The statistics will show what price to choose and that will reduce the risk of choosing the wrong price to a minimum.
8. Creating a too complicated ad
It can be rather confusing for some small business decision-makers if your ad or mobile app description is too complicated. Things must be explained clearly and directly.
Most of the customers are not tech gurus and they simply need to understand the way your mobile application works and its benefits. After all, almost no one will become your customer before they understand what they’re buying.
9. Trying to become a millionaire on day one
As the proverbs says, the Rome was not built in one day. Customer acquisition is a long and thorny way and it will be better to start with selling your mobile app at your local market and to make all slips there. It will allow you to be more flexible and to correct your marketing campaign so that to be able to extend to other cities and countries.
10. Assuming analytics has nothing to do with selling your mobile application
Analytics is an essential part of any process. While a special attention can be paid to analysis at the beginning of sales, it can be forgotten in the middle. Moreover, if you do not track how your customers use the app and how engaged they are with certain features, you will not be able to increase traction for the app. Here specific analytics softwares will be of great help.
11. Selling your products while sitting at the office
You need to go out, meet your customers in person, ask them if they are satisfied with your mobile application, what is to be improved and convince them that it is you who is ready to serve them faithfully.
12. Surrendering soon or holding on even if the failure is obvious and there is nothing can be done
The researchers say that if the product does not meet your expectations for sales outcome during the first six month, it makes no sense holding on. However, even if there are some obstacles on your way to success during the first several months, do not give up. Still you can conduct a research on what is going wrong and try to change your marketing campaign components, description styles and tactics.
There is an assumption that if a product is good it should simply sell itself. Nevertheless, the truth is that many of the best products have become top-sellers thanks to a wise and well-done marketing campaign. Thus, to be successful and make sure the sales will skyrocket, one should carefully select the bricks while building his wall of success and do his utmost not to lose his footing on the 12 slips mentioned above.
Elinext mobile projects for marketing campaigns:
Application for the Paris Capitale magazine
Pantene Pro-V Augmented Reality Interactive Game
Ariel « Deep Down Cleaning » Augmented Reality Interactive Game
Industries and Technology Areas:
Industries: mobile software development
Technology Areas: mobile application development, software development
