Editorial Articles

Long ago the big, one-stop-shop agency ruled the roost. Over time, that has given way to a multitude of small, nimble and innovative specialists as marketing has diversified into many different disciplines. That’s great when it works - but the explosion in mobile apps, heralded by the rise of the iPhone and Android, means that multi-discipline agencies will once more be required if the promotion of mobile apps as a distinct product is something that agencies want to take seriously.

The sheer volume of apps and app stores is bewildering. Apple recently announced the milestone of half a million apps for iOS alone: add in the Android market and any number of smaller app stores and it’s no wonder that everyone from the small developers through to the big brands is finding it ever harder to get their apps noticed.

Sadly, there is no ‘magic bullet’ for successful app promotion. This is a new art - or rather, a new application for established skills - that requires a broad range of disciplines, from SEO and PPC through to effective PR and solid marketing know-how. That’s why, with so many ‘specialist’ agencies out there, app marketing seems to fall between the cracks.

Promoting apps is also very different depending on who is launching the app. A small, two man development team is unlikely to have planned ahead for any marketing or promotion, so are likely to need plenty of help even with the most rudimentary stuff like copywriting and producing quality screenshots.

Big brands face a very different set of app promotion challenges; they may be well versed in the execution of marketing strategies, but they’ll still need someone to ensure that all the boxes are being ticked and that activity is being coordinated between their multiple agencies from PR to SEO, PPC, experiential and more. Even if a brand uses an existing PR agency, securing news and previews may ultimately be best left to a specialist app promotion agency that has invested time in cultivating the right relationships with the new wave of journalists and bloggers who are dedicated to this emerging space.

Ultimately, one thing tends to ring true when promoting an app: does it deliver what it promises? The number of low quality apps that make it onto app stores where they sit, forlornly, never ceases to amaze. Likewise, too many big brands are still producing apps purely as an exercise in box-ticking.

It may be the case that as the app economy evolves platform owners and mobile operators build in more promotional mechanisms. But this is by no means certain, as the margins on apps in most cases are so small. Big agencies continue to work with big brands, where budgets are not an issue. But medium to small app developers and publishers will face a difficult choice in finding the kind of specialist knowledge that they need; on their own, PR or marketing or social media aren’t enough - the answer is how to blend all three. That’s where the new opportunities will emerge, with cross-discipline marketers and PR specialists able to meet the demands of the new app-centric world, and all the shocks, setbacks and surprises that will bring. 

Jacki Vause, MD, Peppermobi
http://www.peppermobi.com/