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 “Creating a Video Trailer“. Today is all about Microsites.
Week 6
Mobile Marketing Tips: Creating a Microsite to Promote Your Mobile App
Microsites are an important asset for marketing any mobile application for the simple fact of it gives you a place to easily direct people to find out more information about your app. It also provides a way for you to share images, screen shots, videos, and text that the app stores may not allow.
What should be on my microsite?
Microsites can be as simple as one page, or be more complex with multiple pages showing a variety of information. Typically the more complex an application, the more information you will need to share and thus the larger your page/site may be. Overall, a site should include:
- App screenshots
- Video (if you have one)
- Content and text about the app – What does it do?
- Features and benefits – Why does someone want it?
- Links to download sites – iTunes & Google Play
- Contact information – especially for media
- Social media links
How do I build a microsite?
There are various tools to help you build a site outside of hiring a designer to create one for you. Some sites will let you build your page in a few hours, though be careful using those and check on who owns the content you post (a lot of times they take ownership) and watch for monthly fees that creep up after time.
WordPress is a good option for creating a simple microsite, and for building an even simpler site, creating a static HTML page and uploading that to a server is another route to go.
Do I really need a microsite?
Some apps do get away with using Facebook as their landing page to move traffic, or by just having the app posted on iTunes or on the Google Play store. But this option can be tricky as you don’t own any of those pages or stores, so any work you do on generating links and traffic to those pages goes to those sites and not yours. Additionally, with those sites you are limited by the content you can post. iTunes doesn’t even allow videos to be posted, so when you create your app trailer you won’t be able to publish it there.
What other benefits does a microsite provide me?
Microsites are another great way to share information with the media when you are pitching them your app. If they have a site they go to for information, screenshots, videos, and other content they can use in their story or review, it increases your chances of success.
Microsites are also a way to share various apps, so when you have two or three or more apps available, you can have a central place to cross market and promote all of your applications.
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
Week 6: Creating a Microsite
Week 7: Creating a Press Kit
