5 Easy Ways To Market Your App

So you’ve developed a new app and you want everyone and their brother to download it today so you can start yacht-shopping, right? But with your limited budget, it seems you can’t compete with other app developers via traditional app marketing channels. Advertising is too expensive to keep up, and so far no one is reading your blog (despite the fact that you’re only using it to tell everyone how great your new app is). What’s a poor developer to do? Well, you can start by reaching your potential customers via channels your competitors aren’t capitalizing on. If you want to get your app in front of the masses, consider the following five unique, cheap or easy ways to market your app.

1. Contact journalists and bloggers

Getting great PR for your app can help put you on the fast track to success. Press releases are good, but if you can personally reach out to journalists and bloggers who cover a relevant field you’ll have far better luck.

2. Direct-mail postcards

Print direct-mail postcards and build (or buy) a mailing list that’s comprised of your target customer base. Send your postcards with a URL and/or QR code that lets users instantly download and install your app with their mobile devices, simply by pointing them at your postcards. This is a great way to engage customers with a tangible item they can hold in their hands; once actively engaged, they’ll be far more likely to respond.

3. Flyers, stickers and posters

Blanket areas your target audience frequents with flyers, stickers and posters that promote your app. Again, incorporating URLs and QR codes can provide quicker paths to app downloads. Think about places in which your customers are sitting and waiting – they’re bored, and your flyer, sticker or poster can give them something to do. Busy restaurants, appointment waiting rooms and even public restrooms might qualify.

4. Vinyl banners

Vinyl banners can also be great ways to promote your app. Place banners near busy intersections, shopping districts, sports stadiums and public parks. Again, if you can find places where people are sitting for long periods of time, you can increase the value of your banner marketing by generating greater response rates.

5. Facebook page admins

Seek out popular Facebook pages (those with hundreds of thousands of likes) that are relevant to your app theme, then reach out to page administrators to give them a reason why mentioning your app will add value to their fans. You can reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers, and that third-party validation will be far more powerful than buying Facebook ads.

What other easy ways to market your app can you think of?