Without mobile phones, our life will come to a standstill. It might not be true for all of us, but it is the case for most of us. With the invention of smartphones, the use of a mobile phone isn’t only restricted to communication. Also, with this invention, desktops/laptops have taken a backseat. Our smartphone can pretty much do everything for us, from the basic function of communication to secondary functions such as booking cabs, ordering food online, paying bills online and what not.

Smartphone user base, especially Apple smartphone user base, is an ocean full of opportunities for digital marketers. Thanks to technological development, brands are an app away from their customers. For brands wanting to reach out to the customers, Apple App Store, commonly called iOS App Store, is the place to be.

Mobile communications and social networking concept

Statistically speaking, users spend double time on App Store as compared to Google Play Store/ any Android Play Store. Also, going by the stats, App Store users don’t mind paying for quality. In this article, we will answer the hot question- how to successfully market your business on the app store?

Here is the 5-point guideline that will help you grab more eyeballs on App Store.

  1. Visual Appeal

There are more than 2.2 million apps under 24 categories in the Apple App Store. Further, these apps are either free and paid. Long story short, it is a crowded marketplace with cut-throat competition. In order to survive and stand out, your app should be visually appealing. If it doesn’t appeal the users, your app won’t be installed.

Here are three key elements that can enhance the visual appeal of your app.

  1. Logo- A logo introduces your brand to the world. Your logo should be able to create your brand value, and later on, it must create a retention value.

Tip- Try to keep the logo design as simple as possible. There should be no room for clutter in your logo.

  1. Colour Scheme- Colour scheme plays a pivotal role for an App to be a hit. The colour scheme of your App must go with your brand and it should have the desired effect on the users.
  2. Design- The layout or design of your App decides the number of downloads it gets. It should be aesthetically pleasing.

Tip-   Try to keep the design or layout as minimalistic as possible.

2. User Interface and Engagement

The way your app interacts with the user impacts how often a user will access the app. The UI should be entertaining, and it should keep the user hooked. A boring, run-of-the-mill UI will only lead your app deeper into anonymity as nothing would set it apart.

To prove our point, we picked up some insurance-related apps. The insurance industry, as we know, is considered to be dull and dreary. However, the apps of a couple of insurance aggregators were clean and had an excellent interface. For example, the UI of Policybazaar app is user-friendly. It is simple and sophisticated.

Remember, minimalistic attracts while clutter repels.

Engagement

The ability of an app to engage users matters A LOT. It is what drives users to review, share, and most importantly, use the app. The screenshots and preview video of an App is a helpful tool that can easily compel an indecisive user into downloading the app. A major chunk of all popular apps in the App store achieves a high customer conversion rate using app previews in the App Store.

  1. Reviews and Ratings

User reviews & ratings are an important factor to consider when trying to attract potential users, especially the ones who are unfamiliar with a particular app brand. Lower App rating means fewer users will download it. Nobody wants to download an app with a one-star rating. Rating is directly related to conversions as good ratings enhance your brand value. However, while raising ratings from 2 stars to 4 stars is easy, maintaining a top rating is not a cake-walk. This is why soliciting customer reviews within the app comes in handy.

Note- Reviews won’t always be positive. There will be bad reviews as well. Don’t simply act duck to such reviews; instead, reply to these negative reviews. Most of the times, users have a bad experience due to a technical glitch or error which can be corrected.

  1. Optimization

When a user searches for your App, your competitor’s Apps are displayed in the search result as well. This means, if your optimization game is on point, you can divert your competitors’ traffic to your App. Apple’s search algorithm factors in various components such as engagement, reviews, search optimization etc. to analyse, sort and rank apps.

If you optimize a keyword within the title, it will increase the flow of keyword-related traffic and hence, the ranking of your App. However, there will always be some restrictions, since App Store’s regulation standards are very high. Also, iOS 11 allows only 30-character title. Moreover, deliberately stuffing a keyword in the title can get your App banned.

Tip– Be Smart and consider a few technical pros and cons before working on your App optimization strategy.

  1. Keyword Metadata

The latest feature in iOS 11 is its 100-character limit for keywords and the provision of separating them with commas. This feature can help your App get discovered- all thanks to search & related content.

In addition to that, there is absolutely no need to use the category or sub-category option. If you wish to analyze the keywords, it can be done easily using a tool called Apple Search Ads. This tool is exclusively available for iOS.

Summing it up!!!

Now that you have a basic understanding of how search rankings work and what optimization does to your ranking, you can explore and apply the best practices to market your business on App Store and enhance its visibility to increase your ratings while improving the download rate.