From the mundane “Get Your Family to Download Your App” to the off the wall “Create Beer Coasters” join us on a 52-week journey of some of the top ways to promote and market your mobile application.

Last week we talked about “Submitting to Review Sites, Blogs & Directories“. This week we’re going to enter the world of Video.

Week 5

Mobile Marketing Tips: Using Video to Promote Your Mobile App

To help market your application, you’re going to need some tools which will help people find out about your app as well as help others share your app. The tips that we discuss on this forum aren’t meant to be followed in order, there are definitely some items that you would want to do first, such as naming your app. However, creating a video for some people may fall into a second or third round strategy for marketing their app.

So Why Create a Video?

Videos help to visualize your app, more than words or screenshots ever could. They let you tell the story the way that you want it to be told, and give great link bait as well as something that easily shareable. As we discussed in our previous blog post, bloggers and reviews especially enjoy videos because they offer an instant glimpse at how the app works and what it does.

How to Create a Video

There’s no true “right” way to go about creating a video for your app. Some folks prefer the DIY approach, while others turn to video professionals. However, both approaches require a fair amount of time and planning, so it’s important to plan, record, and publish the video before the app is formally launched.

The DIY approach is certainly the most economical – most computers come with built-in video editing software, whether it’s iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Your only expenditures would be screen capture software like ScreenFlow or Quicktime Pro, and perhaps a licensing fee for some background music. Once you have everything you need, you just need to get some video of your app in action, add some titles, and put the whole package together before putting it on YouTube.

However, many app developers also choose to outsource the video production to freelance video makers or studios. Letting someone else handle the video certainly frees up your time to take care of other matters concerning the app’s marketing and promotion; however, the convenience will come at a cost. Regardless, sometimes it’s a much better use of time and resources to hand the job off to a professional that is more experienced in the programs and workflows of video production.

Where to Post It

When the video’s done and you’re ready to show it to the world, you can upload it to the hosting site of your choice. Lots of folks like YouTube because that’s where the customers are, but a fair amount companies also just host the video on their own servers.

Regardless of where the video is hosted, there are three different areas that will showcase it:

• The company website or blog
• The website for the app itself
• Promotional emails sent to reviewers, bloggers, and clients

What’s the Major Benefit of a Video?

Videos are entertaining; videos are fun; videos are shareable. Videos are what might lead your customer’s eyes to your page and what might convince them to click “download”.

It could be said that the video is the softest of soft sells – it’s not forcing your customers to download anything, nor is it screaming for their attention as a sidebar ad on social networks or news sites. All it does is show them how the app works and how it might entertain or help them.

The right video can mean the difference between a conversion and a “delete”. As with any marketing venture, your video must emphasize what makes your app unique – whether it’s a feature, price, function, or just the sheer novelty of your idea.

What are Some Examples?

Here are some examples of well done videos. These were done by professionals, but in each case they clearly showcase the mobile application and entice you to want to download them as well as share with friends. Notice the length of each video, unless it is a super complicated concept, it’s suggested to keep videos to around 60 or 90 seconds or less.

WebDrive for iPhone & iPad
This is a project that we worked on, the video shows how easy the app is to set-up and use while giving reasons why someone would want to download and use the app.

Cut The Rope
We think this video is very clean and simple, additionally, the lack of words or voice-overs makes it a universal watch regardless of language.

Tune in next week when we take a look at Creating a Microsite. Join us on Facebook to keep up to date when we post new ways to market your app.

The 52 Week Series of Marketing Mobile Applications
Week 1: Talk to Friends & Family
Week 2: Picking the Right Name for Your App
Week 3: App Store Optimization
Week 4: Submitting Your App to Review Sites, Blogs, and Directories
Week 5: Using Video to Promote Your App