A growing number of app developers, publishers and brands increasingly rely on app stores and search as the primary method of discovery for their new apps, content and services. But this is proving to be a risky strategy for all but the smartest or luckiest companies.
When an app is published to an app store it enters the “What’s New” area and gains some much needed visibility. As it gains success it gets promoted in the “Most Popular” list which propels it even higher. But time and time again we hear how unstable it is to simply rely on these app store promotions alone. This week we are hearing that Apple is changing the algorithm by which it ranks the most popular apps in their app store effectively shutting out some apps that may have previously been included. While the “What’s New”, “Most Popular” and recommendations still remain a valuable method of promotion, they clearly should not be relied on as the only method of marketing. As the volume of mobile apps, content and services grows and the noise levels and competition increases it has never been more important to think about how to gain attention with smart mobile marketing.
Beyond the app store, organic search and paid for search marketing has traditionally been a major method of discovery, typing the name or type of app or content into Google gives the consumer an exhaustive list of options. But even that method has its complications as Google recently rolled out their “Panda” update. While this “improvement” to the Google algorithm has benefited some companies, mainly news sites, it appears to have cast some brands into extinction, dropping them from the top set of search results and into second page obscurity or beyond. By using Bango Analytics you can see the impact of Google’s Panda update.
What this all clearly shows is how crucial it is for developers, publishers and brands to take ownership and control of their marketing to ensure maximum visibility and success. This primarily means smart marketing – ways to differentiate and get noticed, social, viral and mobile marketing campaigns backed up with solid mobile analytics to measure the success. A good set of accurate measurement is even more important if you are backing up your campaigns with an increased marketing spend or testing multiple ideas simultaneously, as nobody can afford to throw away time or money. Analytics forms the foundation for success – no matter what you are doing. Understand how Bango Analytics can help.
