{"id":499,"date":"2014-08-08T18:29:13","date_gmt":"2014-08-08T18:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buildblog.wpengine.com\/?p=499"},"modified":"2014-08-08T18:29:13","modified_gmt":"2014-08-08T18:29:13","slug":"market-app-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/launch\/market-app-free\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Market Your App For Free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you don\u2019t have the budget for widespread ads (or any ads, as the case may be) you need to figure out how to market your app for free.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need to leverage the power of web and mobile technologies, but you\u2019ll also need to figure out how to connect with your audience on a personal level, both physically and online. These free methods can get you the users and buzz you need to grow big.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Social Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Put on your consumer hat for a moment. What does it take for you to \u201clike\u201d a page on Facebook or tweet a link to someone else\u2019s product? Your strategy simply needs to provide the value that people want from social media.<\/p>\n<p>Free strategies to use on social media:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Start conversations. <\/strong>People love voicing opinions. Questions on relevant, intriguing topics will make people happy to interact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Run contests.<\/strong> Get people to retweet or follow you to enter the contest and gain tons of leads for as little as the price of a download code or t-shirt.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ride the trends.<\/strong> Comment on trending topics, use the latest hashtags, and keep it all relevant to your app.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Start groups.<\/strong> Link your app from groups designed your target audience. For an exercise app, start groups about hiking trails. Connect the value back to your app with visible but innocuous branding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Collecting Users<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Marketing doesn\u2019t get cheaper than word-of-mouth, but first you need users. Get creative, get in communication, and get physically out there! You need to put your app into people\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n<p>Essentially free ways to gain your first users include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Start taking names (and emails).<\/strong> A pre-launch waiting list will drive some excitement pre-launch. Even if not many people sign up, those who do will feel connected and be more likely to download and use the app when it gets released.<\/li>\n<li><strong>In-person recruitment.<\/strong> Some people want to be in on the ground floor of the next big thing. Others will respond to simple questions. Be earnest and proud of your product\u2014the personal touch offers a great method of how to market your app for free because people will remember and tell everyone about their five minute conversation with an app inventor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Getting Publicity<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Can\u2019t afford to buy ads? Put your product in the news instead. People who hear of your app from trusted third-party sources will take you seriously.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to get free publicity:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Submit press releases.<\/strong> Explain the newness and impact of your app, or something tangential like how your team represents the local tech industry.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give interviews.<\/strong> You made an app\u2014congrats! You must be an expert on something, whether it\u2019s tech, business, or social. Contact influential bloggers and journalists and offer quotes and research statistics. Ask them to identify you by your association with the app.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Submit for reviews and awards.<\/strong> Product reviews bring page hits and content that online sites desperately need. Awards are even better\u2014they\u2019ll tout your merits and you can display an icon on your page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Creating Your Own Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You can pay lots of money for great content, but you don\u2019t have to\u2014especially when you only want to entice people enough to make them want more.<\/p>\n<p>How to market your app for free with original content:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make simple videos.<\/strong> Don\u2019t worry about a camera crew. Show a slideshow of screenshots, add some voiceover explaining the benefits, and that\u2019s it. There are even apps to help you do it, of course.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blog everyday.<\/strong> You know those genius ideas that run through your head? Jot them down and publish them with tie-ins to the app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Featured image credit\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/68453216@N03\/6227719078\" target=\"_blank\">Featured Image Credit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you don\u2019t have the budget for widespread ads (or any ads, as the case may be) you need to figure out how to market your app for free. You\u2019ll&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[55,44],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Market Your App For Free<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just launched an app with a limited marketing budget? 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