Using Digital Marketing to Grow your App Development Business By James Tredwell on October 24, 2020 Digital marketing has evolved immensely over the last decade. From being used as a simple tool to improve brand identity, it is now being used by businesses as a means to understand their customers, find potential leads, and churn revenue. It is estimated that 80% of people rely completely on online research before deciding to purchase anything. If you own an app development business, it is important to know that you are one amongst thousands offering the same services. The rise of freelancing has also added significantly to the competition. In this article, we will see how you can use digital marketing for mobile app development business and stay ahead of the curve. 1. Build a Buyer Persona Before you create an awesome digital marketing strategy to grow your app development business, you need to understand who your customers are. You could be targeting other businesses looking to build app-based solutions (B2B) or individuals who want to purchase your products (B2C). This process of identifying your target customer is called building buyer personas. A buyer persona should be based on factors like: Demographics like gender, age, and location Purchase patterns, lifestyle, and brand loyalty Business size and nature of business Once you identify your target customers, you can then use customized digital marketing strategies to drive sales. 2. Invest in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Creating a website for your business can be a key player in helping you acquire clients. The idea is to make your business website appear on top when someone searches for solutions that you offer. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of using the right keywords to get a first-page ranking for your website on search engines. The right keywords are terms used by your potential customers to search for solutions like yours. According to a report by Hubspot, around 70% of companies are actively investing in content generation in 2020. Almost 24% plan to increase their investment in content generation and promotion within this quarter. Identifying the right keywords that yield the best results for your app development business is a process of trial and error. You can also use some keyword research tools to identify the right ones for your business. You also need to constantly upskill yourself with Google’s updates as its search algorithm is very dynamic. Since it constantly keeps changing, staying abreast will help you to tweak your SEO efforts from time to time. For best results: Post blogs on your website at least once a week using the best keywords Create at least 6 quality backlinks every month 3. Run Paid Advertisements Generating leads through paid advertisements is one of the most successful digital marketing strategies. A survey conducted by Clutch showed that 75% of customers rely on ads to find what they are looking for. With user data collected by search engines, you can target customers who have previously shown interest in your app development solutions. This makes your targets relevant and assures a guaranteed return on your advertising investment. Since customers now see exactly what they are looking for, the chance of acquiring new business opportunities is significantly higher. 4. Use Social Media for Brand Exposure Social media platforms have become an integral part of our everyday life. Using them correctly to market your app development business can guarantee not just brand exposure but a high probability of conversions. It is important to understand how to use digital marketing on these platforms as each one targets a different audience. Targeting without understanding the platform’s audience would lead to poor conversion rates. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: As of 2020, Facebook has 2.6 billion active users, out of which 280 million are based in India. As an app development company, you can build a strong following on these platforms by becoming a brand that frequently generates interesting and informative content related to technology and mobile development. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the best platform to approach business owners who would be interested in your app development solutions. LinkedIn’s In-mail feature lets you connect with the business’s decision maker directly. It is one of the best features as you can connect with business beyond boundaries. With most companies now understanding the need to provide app-based services, your app development business can find a huge potential audience through: YouTube: YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine right after Google. Videos are far more engaging and require fewer efforts compared to text-based content. They are also easily shareable across platforms. Creating video content like tutorials, best practices, and webinars can help your app development business get the attention of potential clients. Quora: Another great platform to grow your app development business is to register on Quora. Quora is an online forum where people can ask questions for answers. As an app development business owner, you can start answering mobile development questions posted by people or business owners. You can redirect each answer to your website and tell how your business can offer the solutions that address these questions. Quora can thus become a great way to redirect traffic towards your solutions. 5. Engage Audience with Tutorials and Guides As a technology-based app development company, generating content that solves problems is an effective way to engage your potential customers. Tutorials are also a great way to get the email addresses of your subscribers and send follow up emails to convince them to buy your solutions. You can do this by generating video tutorials and best practice videos that help business owners understand the challenges they face and how your solutions can help them break their competition. Well-made tutorials and informative videos can attract a lot of views which also builds your authority and in turn make your brand recognizable. 6. Collaborate for Guest Blogging Another way to grow your app development business is by writing columns, providing insights, and generating content for business websites that already attract a high volume of traffic. This can be done by collaborating with fellow app development businesses. A clever digital marketing strategy is all about turning competition to your advantage. This results in the sharing of potential customers and exposing your app development business to a wider audience. 7. Create Comparison Guides You can create comparison guides that showcase how your app development solutions are better than your peers. Your comparison guide could be in the form of a webpage that is specifically targeted to potential customers who are comparing businesses before engaging in a contract. You can highlight key differentiators like the experience working with you, the price advantage, the technical capability your organization holds, and product maintenance packages. Building a competitive edge without being too pushy can project confidence and attract businesses looking for app development solutions. 8. Get Featured Getting featured in digital technology magazines and platforms that attract high volumes of readers is another way you can grow your app development business. Some of these platforms include Clutch, Yourstory, Techcrunch, etc. Registering your business on these platforms validates your company as legitimate and a professional business. You can also choose to run paid partnerships with these platforms and get featured. Being featured in these platforms improves your SEO score significantly. 9. Build Customer Reviews and Trust An important principle in marketing is to understand that customers buy things that other customers recommend. This can be done by registering your app development business on review platforms. Great user reviews for your business these review platforms will help you in getting a first-page rank on Google as well. You can actively ask happy customers to write reviews about your business and their experience with you. You can also direct your social media followers to consider writing reviews for your business. Run competitions, quizzes, and giveaways to keep your potential customers engaged in return for the positive feedback. Potential customers find it easy to trust your business over others when you have good reviews from a large number of people or businesses. Digital Marketing is a Game of Patience While digital marketing is crucial to growing your app development business, it is important to understand that it requires a lot of patience and persistent efforts. Building a brand and creating trust amongst potential customers is a slow process. You may require experimenting with a mix of digital marketing strategies to find the perfect combination and the right channels that work in your favor. As a business owner of an app development company, you need to keep yourself updated with the latest digital marketing trends and ideas. Follow more successful companies and try to understand their marketing campaigns. Try to see who they are targeting and how they are achieving the same. Digital marketing has transformed the way companies grow their business. Ideating a digital marketing strategy has become an integral part of optimizing your sales funnel. With good research, planning, and the right digital marketing tools, your app development business can sustain and flourish in the market. Author Bio, :- Rajamanickam Rajan is the Director at Skein Technologies which is a leading software and mobile application development company in India.
