The last 9 years have witnessed a Big Bang in the smartphone industry. You can now have the smartest of phones in your pocket without burning a hole in it. In the last 3 years, the explosion of smartphones with the most sophisticated technology combined with easy-to-use interface has led to the developments of many different kinds of Apps. This is a worldwide phenomenon. The power of Apps to capture diverse markets and widen the scope of business cannot be underestimated. Industry pundits hold that the iOS App Store will hold on to its premium spot in the App store market and will stay entrenched: projected gross consumer spend generated is estimated at more than $60 billion by 2021.As the Earth keeps spinning and the iOS App Store continues to rule the roost, the importance of localization of Apps to make them an effective business tool cannot be underestimated. What is the Apple of your eye? Identify your App category.
There are 24 categories of Apps on the iOS App Store, but they can be fit into 7 broad categories:
1. Lifestyle
2. Productivity
3. Games
4. News
5. Entertainment
6. Utilitiesmhapks
7. Social Networking An App developer needs to understand that the style of programming is particular to the App category. Some apps may work best with off-app storage and dig up data from a web-service when necessary; a different category may necessitate the use of 3D modelling software. Global audience means skillful localization
The iOS App store takes care of distribution and payment to help drive your App's global journey. Developers need to localize Apps and marketing materials to smoothen their path.1. User-visible content like texts, icons, nib files, and graphics, especially cult-specific ones, audio and video files will need to be translated to the target language as part of the localization process. Keeping these files separate from the source code makes it easier to work with either in-house translations or external localization services and to integrate content back into the App.2. Apple's application programming interface (APIs) can be used to express user visible values like dates, times, measurements like lengths and weights, prices, currencies and currency symbols accurately.3. Successful iOS App localization ensures that the App works with user-generated text in any language or multiple languages.4. Localise App Store metadata like App name, description, keywords, screenshots and images. Remember: App descriptions must be short, sweet and to-the-point, listing the most relevant features and functionality. Beyond these bare necessities, an App developer would be wise to research what users of other Apps in the same category value.
5. Enhanced localization needs sensitized acculturalization. It is of paramount importance that if an app is to be well received, localization incorporates culture-specific content. This needs a deep understanding of local customs and trends including regional seasons, holidays, taboos, etc.6. Providing local sharing options such as messaging, mailing or social networking can do a lot for publicizing Apps and products in new markets. Researching what media are best advised to specific markets will trim localization endeavors and help App developers to hit the marketing bullseye.7. Goad your audience into action. A simple way to shine the light on an App is to use the 'Download on the App Store' badge as a call to convert the casual surfer into a user. What's not measured, can't be improved: Mastering App Analytics
App analytics is of the absolute essence to understand customer behavior and to retain existing customers as well as to acquire new ones. Adding analytics to the App is, however, only half the game. A developer needs to know what to do with the data thus mined.
Here are a few points to ponder about App analytics: App analytics must be set up from the word 'Go!' Studies show that, on an average, an App loses 77% of its users within the first 3 days after installation. This number rises to 90% within the first 30 days. Incorporate analytics from the start for your app and not after 90% of your initial users have left the shores. No data is better than bad data. If you base your future decisions regarding app features, promotion budgets and app economics on an incorrect metric, you can wave success goodbye. As a simple example, the assessment of purchases by measuring clicks on the BUY button can be misleading. The accurate measurement would be to consider the payment acknowledgement receipts as these are the true proof of a complete and successful transaction. More data can be a useless flood which drowns out what is important. It bloats your App and adversely affects the number of downloads. Resourceful developers know how to trim the use of resources. Channel your analytics towards target users, target service, and user interface.
Business- sense
Analytics must be able to deliver the answers to the following: Who is the user?
How do they find your App?
How many users download your App?
How long do users use your App?
How often do they use it?
How much does each user cost you?
How much is a user worth to you? The magic formula is that the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a customer must be at least 3 times the Cost of Customer Acquisition (CoCA). This makes an App sustainable and profitable. At Mayflower Language Services, we hold that the fast-moving pace of global markets and trends leaves no space for trial and error. As businesses increasingly use Apps to grow and go global, the complexities of localization and marketing a successful product require professional, experienced, and skillful services. This is not the playing field of amateurs.
Marketing Strategy for Success in the App Market
Developing an app is an accomplishment. With so much time and effort involved in the entire process of development, test and launch, devising an effective marketing strategy would be the last thing in the mind of a developer. In the App market, there exists the 'problem of abundance'. With a surge of mobile apps in various app stores, success is not guaranteed even if your newly developed app has 'everything' in it. This is further aggravated with the high failure rate of various nicely developed apps at the app stores. The truth is, no matter how fantastic your app is, a solid marketing strategy is what ultimately sells it. The marketing of 'promised value' can act as a key differential. It is essential to create a marketing plan before the launch for promotion and brand awareness. After all nobody is going to download an app that doesn't s have buzz around it. What is the strategy to create the marketing buzz?1. Promotion Before Launch: Even before the launch of the app, various promotional content should be finalized - content development, reviews by various influencers, opinion makers and bloggers and banner designing for advertising, news releases, etc. Correct medium (portals and publications) can guarantee that the promotion is targeted to the right audience.
This is facilitated by making an online presence through social media networks. Demo testing with a target group spreads awareness amidst the right audience.2. Optimizing the App: Optimizing the app to search engine by providing the correct keywords in its title and description is important so that users can locate it easily. App optimization during the development process should be an essential step for discoverability in search query at the app store. (1)3. Releasing Unique Features Early: To grow a user base, it is essential to release early, which draws investor attention. Releasing the primary features would help early adoption - setting the stage for growing user base in the future. Enabling a social sharing facility can further lead to enhancing user base. Adoption is typically fast if a unique feature is introduced at an early stage. For example a messaging app that has the capacity to target 50 or more people at time would attract interest. (2)
4. Get Discovered - With a plethora of apps in the same market segment you are operating, at the highest frequency is essential to make your presence felt. The audience wants to know that how your app makes their task easier and that is ready to be downloaded. Create a landing page and an email subscription option for the app. Focus should be to create awareness to drive traffic to the page. A multi-channel marketing strategy such as email marketing, banner advertising, and viral marketing can help promote apps across various channels. To garner maximum visibility the marketing process should continuous.5. Make Users Your Marketers: Attaining the top position in the chart is difficult but once achieved, users can act as the marketer for your 'great app'. Users can use the shareable features of the app to spread brand awareness among friends. They can use the app to share content, and social media to create the buzz around the app. Relationships can be forged through the shareable aspect of the app. Social media can be used to create profiles of the targeted users who can be engaged and re-engaged through content, value description, offers, and feature capabilities. Once convinced your true marketers do the viral marketing for the app. (4)6. Revenue Model: It is essential to develop clarity over the revenue sourcing model. The most appropriate revenue model should be chosen. The app can be a paid app or an initially free and chargeable later on. The various monetizing sources of the app that can be explored include purchase options, advertisements, subscriptions, and product/service selling.
7. User Retention and Engagement: Retaining customers can be just as difficult as acquiring them. Push notifications serve as a source of user engagement. A solid user experience is essential to engage and retain customers. Feedback on user experience through ratings and reviews on the app page/app store are definite ways to boost credibility, retain existing customers, and acquire more. Allowing people to contact directly from the app through a mail or social media can help build engagement. Any negative review about a bug, problem, crash or additional feature requirement should be sorted immediately. Successful handling of user request leaves a happy customer and leads to positive reviews. (5)Positive reviews increases app credibility as people download apps with higher positive recommendations. Well planned pre-launch promotion, precise optimization, releasing unique feature early, enhanced discoverability, viral marketing, and positive review through high credibility are some of the killer strategies to fight competition and top the charts in the app market.
