How To Market Your Apps Part Deux
So, here’s the rub. When I wrote that last post I wasn’t really prepared for the positive “droppings storm” that followed. So we’ve decided to muse some more, to further savour the roast that is App Marketing – We now present part deux.
Where were we before I rudely hit the publish button?
Marketing – in a dictionary-esque way – is what you do to sell your blood and tears. To get part of the way there we talked about simple icons and app names that said a lot with a little. The other important ingredient was the importance of “spellin’ stuff right”. Just remember baby Jesus and the tears.
Today we’re going to talk about thievery and corruption. We’re talkin’ devious. You must learn to cheat via flattery. And that sincerest form of flattery is to admire your opposition. Gaze longingly at them if you must.
Instead of programming up some objective C or Java greatness and punting it out into the ether without restraint – you must channel your inner grasshopper. Be patient and study three things to find the one answer.
The three are:
- What makes my competitor successful?
- How do they stand out above their opponents?
- And where are their flaws?
And the one answer you seek is:
- Why am I the one?
So by studying the three you’ll know that your customer is successful because, for example, their interface is more modern and clean. They stand out because they have Twitter integration. But you also realise that they are dearer than their opponents.
By knowing this you can become “the one” by exploiting those points of difference. Instead of rushing out and producing an app just like “them”, you’ll spend time creating a better interface, incorporate Facebook along with Twitter and price your app just under the leader.
Of course these are simplistic views of a complicated dilemma for the upcoming developer – but at the end of the day, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and the rest all do the same things. It’s called preparation and market research.
You may think you’re a hotshot, and it may just work out that way for you, but it never hurts to take a peek at what you’re up against. And, perhaps, decide if it’s really not worth it – do we really need another Foursquare clone?
So, until next time, I’ll leave you with this:
You must find out, by fair means or foul, why you are “the one”. Why your app is better than all others. If you cannot answer these questions or mould your app to fit those answers, now is not your time.
Just be patient grasshopper and in the immortal words of Zack De La Rocha – “Know your enemy”.
