Magenic on Mobile: Making Your App Stand Out is No Day at the Beach

So you’ve decided to develop an app for your business. You’ve even got it accepted in the App Store. Cool! According to the latest numbers, there are over a half million apps in the App Store. That’s your app and over 499,999 others. Yikes! So how do you get your little grain of sand noticed on this rather sizable beach?

In order to help you wrestle this challenge to the ground, here are some suggestions. First, let’s take a look at what Apple themselves say…wait…I can’t find anything.

However, this handy form tells you, the developer, exactly how to not standout. Example: “Do not change the color of the App Store Badge.” Clearly, doing so will knock the earth off axis. Seriously though, Apple needs to play it straight and offer the same info to everyone.

So here are some tips from developers, marketers, others around the web, and me:

• Be search friendly
  That means that you should make sure the app is named for what it is or does. It also means using solid descriptive keywords in the tags and description of the app in the store.
• Design a good-looking icon
  This is going to be your billboard in the App Store and on the device. It’s worth it to make it look good and reflect the function of the app.
• Be unique
  Nope, don’t need another flashlight, fart, or Sudoku app. Perhaps something that makes a mundane task easier or fun. No matter what though, being unique does not replace the need to…
• Be useful
  The best way to get noticed is by making something people want. Answer a need. Ease a pain. Simplify a process.
• Make sure Bloggers know about it
  You’re going to need to put on your public relations hat… or hire someone with one. I prefer to hear from developers themselves. Quick formula: Tell people you’re creating an app, create it, and then tell them you created it. That way I can gauge their passion and commitment. Get as many people as you can to review your app.
• Market
  Sure it would be great to have tons of money to advertise your app. If you do, great! If not, market through the resources you have. Use your website, talk about it on Facebook, share your story.
• Try to get in the Top 100
  OK, this is the first of two very paradoxical tips. Of course you want to be in the Top 100. It gets you noticed, but you have to be downloaded to show up and you need to be noticed to be downloaded. This is a vicious circle, huh?
  A tangible tip here is to consider your category. Maybe you should look to dominate something other than Games. There are fewer fish in the smaller ponds.
• Be featured by Apple
  Number two in the paradoxical tip category. There’s no silver bullet here. However, it is a combination of the above tips and more. Of course “knowing” someone at Apple, preferably in the big office, would help.

This is by no means a complete list. It is, however a start. So take a look at your app and your plan. Will it help you be picked up or washed out to sea?