So, you’ve spent a lot of time and effort in developing your company’s new app, and it’s now ready for launch. That’s fantastic! However, that doesn’t mean your work is done. Far from it, in fact.

Now the question becomes: How to make your app stand out from the millions of others available in both the iOS App Store and Google Play?

There are plenty of channels to market an app, and most serve different – and useful – purposes. Yet, as any seasoned marketer would tell you, if it’s notoriety and engagement you are after, you can’t leave video out of the equation.

A well-crafted video can showcase your app in action, boost engagement through clever storytelling, and ultimately lead prospects toward a conversion. Maybe you enlist the help of a skilled video production company to help you along, or perhaps you decide to go at it yourself!

The important thing, though, is that in today’s marketing landscape, a great video is a must to help apps build that vital early-adopters core-audience. And today, we are going to discuss a few things you should know as you work on your own.

Best Types of Videos to Promote Apps

The first thing you are probably wondering is, what kinds of videos work best when promoting an app? Well, even though app stores do present some restrictions in this regard (more on that later,) there are three types of videos that tend to do a great job:

• Demo videos: Videos showing your app in action are probably the first thing that comes to mind – and for good reasons. Demo videos give you a great way to give your target audience a glimpse of what you offer. They usually focus on running viewers down the list of your apps most prominent features.

• Explainer videos: Another hugely effective type of video to market an app. These are short pieces that describe your piece using storytelling to underline its key features and benefits. Explainer videos are also great at conveying complex apps or new services that could be harder to grasp with other videos.

• Video ads: a good ol’ ad can bring something different to the table, as they often appeal to emotion rather than features. A video ad for an app is more of a statement, as it also puts your company’s voice in the spotlight.

For a few more examples, take a quick look at some app videos online. You’ll quickly realize that most of them fall in some of the categories above. From displaying what happens on screen to using animation to bring attention to a specific feature, app videos mostly stick to one of these three types.

Why? Well, to put it simply, because they work so well.

Videos & App Stores

App stores are the obvious go-to spot to deploy your app videos.

After all, they are where most of your audience will come from, and are designed to facilitate conversions and get people to install your app. So, it’s only natural to prioritize them as the central spot for your video.

Since it’s highly likely your app will be available for either iOS or Android (or both), let’s take a look at the things you should keep in mind to use videos on those platforms.

There are three important differences in which the two major app stores handles video content:

• Video in search results: the iOS App Store will autoplay your app video in mute when it appears in a search, regardless of the device’s orientation. Google Play only displays the video’s thumbnail and requires your audience to click it for the video to play.
• Video on product pages: Google Play only allows one video per app in the product’s gallery, and once more, the user has to hit play to watch it. The iOS Store, on the other hand, allows for three videos, and these are set to be auto played when users put them in focus.
• Videos’ contents: all videos uploaded to the iOS App Store are approved manually by Apple. That means you have to follow their guidelines, such as the need for device-specific videos (for different iPhone models and iPads) that only show captured footage of your app and with specific durations. Google Play doesn’t restrict anything, though it does suggest things like shooting videos in landscape and showing Android devices and UIs.

As you begin planning and creating your videos, you should make sure to go over these differences and learn them by heart – doubly so if your app has both iOS and Android versions! After all, they can severely impact the way your video shapes up.

App Video Production Tips

As you look into making awesome videos for your apps, you should be aware of a few key elements and how they should come into play. And this applies even if you enlist the help of a production company to make your video!

Knowing these things will help you shape the process better and make sure you get exactly what you want for your app.

Duration

Your app video’s length is already somewhat limited by the stores’ guidelines, so you might as well stick to them. Also, even though Google Play is more flexible about it, it’s best if you keep your videos under 90 seconds to avoid overwhelming your audience.

Script & Storyboard

You might think that a video this short doesn’t need that much preparation, but you’d be wrong. You should treat these app videos as any other piece of content in your video marketing strategy – Meaning that you should work on a script and storyboard fleshing out the video’s structure, information, and scenes.

Branding

As with any other promotional material, you want your brand to be present throughout your app videos. This means that you should include your colors, logo, name, and set the overall tone to match your company’s branding throughout the entire piece.

Content

Whatever it is your app does, there are three essential components you’ll want in your app videos.

First, there’s the call to action, which encourages people to install your app. Then, you should always include where people can get it – even if you’re using the video in the same store where from where they can install the app. Finally, work on an eye-catching thumbnail, as it will serve as some eye candy wherever the platform doesn’t allow autoplay.

It Doesn’t End with the App Stores…

Believing that your app’s promotion begins and ends with app stores is a mistake you should avoid. Video opens up a lot of opportunities to grab people’s attention and generate buzz around your app, so you should implement them all throughout your marketing funnel.

From using them on landing pages to embedding them in email campaigns and sharing them on social media… There’s plenty of benefits to be reaped from an awesome app video.

Also, I’d also recommend you to upload your vid on platforms like YouTube and Vimeo – Something you’ll probably have to do if you are publishing your app on the Play store.

Lastly, it is also worth remembering that you shouldn’t create your app’s video in a vacuum; they should be a piece of your larger marketing push!

The right app video can be a powerful addition to any marketing effort and works amazingly in tandem with other elements of your strategy. They can bring your app a lot of visibility and awareness while helping to boost SEO, engagement, and overall interest…

All things that will contribute to your app’s success!