If you take the right steps during the development of your app and its marketing strategy, you will be better prepared when it’s time to launch. In this guide, we share actionable tips that will help make your launch successful and sustain growth in the weeks and months that follow.

Work with ASO to Identify the Most Valuable Keywords for High-Value Clients

App store optimization (ASO) will serve you well before you launch and far into your app’s lifecycle. But prior to launch, app developers will often use ASO to seek out keywords with the best potential for gaining early visibility. Knowing which of your relevant keywords achieve the highest search volume but present the lowest level of competition is valuable information that could determine whether your app takes off or has a slow start.

Fortunately, there are plenty of app optimization tools that offer keyword data and analysis to guide your keyword selection. These analytical tools allow you to see how many people are searching for specific keywords, their level of difficulty in terms of ranking on those words, and can often break down the data to show the keywords and rankings of your competitors. There are a number of options for pulling out the exact data you wish to see.

Check out our Zutobi DMV test app page to see how we used keywords to target pre-teens and teenagers who are studying for their driver’s exam.

A/B Testing Can Help You Make the Right Decisions Pre-Launch

If you’re struggling to determine which of two features may be more relevant to your target customers or which ad creative will move potential users to take action, it’s easy to run a test for those two options among a smaller subset of your target audience. There’s no reason to rely on chance and guesswork when you can get a real-world response to your product and marketing questions. A/B testing can give you the decision-making data you need to successfully launch your app.

Developers can use in-app A/B testing to learn which type of user experience best resonates with customers. They can also avoid a launch disaster by scrapping a feature that’s less desired for one that offers greater utility.

Marketers can test which message is more likely to motivate someone to download the app or which visual has the most impact on a high-value segment of your target audience. The testing options are limitless - you just need to know which questions you want answered and have a plan for which action steps you’ll take when the results of the test come in. Make sure that the test lasts long enough and the sample sizes are adequate to get statistically reliable results.

Learn About Your Customers by Reaching Out to Them

ASO and testing are excellent ways to learn which product and marketing elements resonate well with your target audience. But you can also directly interact with potential users to find out more about their needs and discover what they like and don’t like about existing competitive apps in your category.

Control the conversation by asking for responses on a popular question-and-answer site like Quora or conduct a survey (with a follow-up discussion) on your brand’s social media pages. You can also sign up as a participant on boards, forums, and online groups related to your industry. Be truthful about your identity but avoid language that makes it seem like you’re there only to promote your app and make a sales pitch. That type of behavior is rightly categorized as spam, and you will not win any fans by using those techniques. Instead, let the group members know that you consider their input to be valuable and that you’re committed to creating an app that will serve their needs.

Zutobi users often let us know what they would like to see added to the app. Based on customer feedback, we updated our content with actionable tips on passing the driving test, and also included popular topics like parallel parking and rules related to traffic lights. Our team works to respond quickly to user requests, which lets them know that we’re actively working to bring additional value to the app.

During the Pre-Launch Period, Begin to Establish Thought Leader Credentials

Working to establish your authority in the industry and achieve thought-leader status will enhance your brand and any products associated with it. But credibility and name recognition can be especially powerful when you’re launching an app in a crowded and very competitive marketplace. When people are familiar with your brand, they’re more likely to conduct a branded search in the app store, which will greatly improve your chances of appearing during a search.

You can improve your visibility and boost your credibility by participating at conferences and industry events (which, for now, are conducted remotely). Also try to get articles published in relevant publications or pitch your story to well-known journalists in your industry.

When you’ve set up appearances or you’ve secured editorial space in publications, enlist your PR team to promote these events or stories. Social media is a perfect promotional platform because users will share with others who may also be interested in the story or event. Your goal is to gain favorable word-of-mouth that can contribute to greater search volume and more downloads.

Create an Incentive Strategy that will Encourage Users to Share Your App

You’re going to be looking for sustainable growth once you launch your app, so recruit your early adopters to share your app with like-minded friends, family, and colleagues. People overwhelmingly trust referrals made by those they know and trust, so if you can find a way to incentivize early users, it could be a powerful acquisition tool for you.

Decide what kind of reward your users will value (you could find this information when you’re reaching out to potential users), and set up a structure to deliver that reward for every new user they recruit.

Make sure to promote your referral program either through paid ads or social media. Once you develop a referral program that works, you can employ it in the future when downloads decline and you need an influx of new users.

Author: Tim Waldenback

Tim Waldenback is the co-founder of Zutobi Drivers Ed, a gamified e-learning platform focused on online drivers education to help teens get their license. Tim founded Zutobi to make world-class driver's education fun, affordable, and easily accessible for all.