In today’s world, a smartphone with all our favorite applications has become a necessity. The Google app store or the Apple app store contains thousands of applications, of different genres, both paid and unpaid and each day the number increases. Even with countless applications out there, we are glued to certain apps that enhance our lifestyle. For example, it’s hard to find a smartphone without the social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. It’s hard to find a game loving person without a phone full of the latest, most popular games, like Angry Birds, Temple Run, and Dumb Ways to Die. Similarly, the same example applies to food lovers, sports lovers, and television junkies and Netflix binge watchers.
Everyone wants those specific applications on their phones. For any of these above-mentioned applications to stick out, it has to serve a purpose and have a competitive edge, and it has to be marketed well. In order to get in the game, here are a few ways to that can make your application go viral. Because no matter how useful your application is, if the consumer isn’t aware of it, is it really that useful?
1. Make Something Worthy
You can’t just make another version of an application that already exists in order to gain fame. Sure, you can be inspired by an application but your app has to offer something which the other applications don’t. Something with usability makes a huge difference. Make sure that you know your target market and understand your audience’s needs. You need to have a plan in mind before starting the process.
2. Evoke Emotions
Your application needs loyal customers. To have loyal customers, you need to evoke emotions. The users should not only have a positive perception about the application but should also have an emotional response each time they use it. The user must think twice before uninstalling the application. You can use emotional designs to better serve the purpose, be it through the choice of color, the user interface or overall usability. This will eventually result in decreasing customer dissatisfaction. The art of evoking emotions works best with understanding consumer psychology.
3. Build an Outstanding Onboard Experience
The overall experience and usability of the application will impact the application’s desirability in the app store. Even if the application is the answer to all the problems a customer may have, if getting to use it is a frustrating experience, the consumer will most likely not use it. To ensure that this never happens, test and revise the app if necessary before the consumer ever has a chance to use it. Make sure the user experience is effortless and the task is completed in the minimum number of taps.
You can up the game by adding a storytelling feature in the application which will make the app more user friendly which will engage the user and boost the application’s overall experience. In the initial stage, you should make the main features of the application more prominent so that customers can see what the app has to offer. In addition, you should make the sign up process easy and convenient for the user so that they don’t have a lot to think about before deciding to register because this can often be a tiresome process.
4. Make Your App Enjoyable to Use
The classification of your app doesn’t really matter. You should make your application enjoyable for the users, try adding games to making it more fun and interactive to use. Such features can help in causing the app to go viral. Moreover, you should keep the interface of the app more interactive in order to engage more users. By doing this and adding games and making it more enjoyable to use will attract more people towards the app and it may with time and effort become a viral sensation.
5. Offer Rewards and Incentives
Everybody likes free gifts and rewards. According to research, users love to download and use applications that offer rewards. Therefore, it is important to offer rewards and incentives to your users, especially in the initial stages of the app because you have to make users aware of its availability in the market.
Awareness can be accomplished through promotional techniques, McDonald’s for instance offers a code to users upon downloading and installing the app, which can be redeemed at any McDonald’s to get a free happy meal. Discounts will also lure customers, like using Charter bundles to get internet discounts. Another example is Uber, the ridesharing app that offers reward points to its users for sharing the application with their friends and family. Giving rewards and benefits to your customers has proven to be a very successful marketing idea for all types of apps.
6. Easy to Share
If you like an application and want to share it with your friends and family but the process of sharing is long and complicated. Will you still do it? There is a high possibility of you not going through that complicated process. You must make sharing your app with others easy so that it has a chance to go viral. When users find it easier to share, chances are better that they will share it with others.
7. Focus on the Language
The phrases and words that you use in your application must be chosen carefully because they will have a tremendous impact on your users. For example, using the word “ask” instead of “share” or “invite” is considered a better way to entice users to share the app.
8. Build and Retain Loyalty
It is a fact that one user brings other users to the same platform if he/she likes it. The word of mouth marketing is still a very important concept because people rely on the opinion of others before they try something for the first time. Therefore, you need to come up with promotional campaigns on a regular basis in order to retain the customers that are already registered and gain their loyalty. Retaining existing customers and attracting new ones will lead to the desired growth of your application, possibly leading to a viral sensation before you know it.