10 Strategies for Increasing Visibility of a Mobile Application in Russia
In 2008, a groundbreaking innovation emerged that profoundly impacted the lives of millions, providing convenience and enhancing their overall experience. This ushered in a tremendous business opportunity, specifically within the vast user base of mobile applications. However, the potential of this platform remains untapped without effectively reaching out to potential users. Discover the strategies for achieving popularity in Russia and the Russian Internet in the following Quarter Billion Agency GROUP article.
Over the past six years, the mobile applications market in Russia has witnessed remarkable growth, consistently exceeding a 100 percent annual increase. Today, it is rare to find an individual without a mobile phone by their side, serving as a constant companion for communication, news updates, language learning, food delivery, cooking assistance, handicrafts, social connections, bill payments, gaming, reading, self-education, fitness routines, movie streaming, photo editing, virtual outfit trials, stargazing, and much more. The advent of mobile apps has revolutionized these possibilities. Therefore, adhering to the advertising rules of the modern world, if your company does not establish its presence on the mobile internet, it essentially ceases to exist.
Applications are developed for various reasons, which include:
• Creating a new channel to deliver information about the company and its services to customers.
• Keeping pace with fierce competition in the market.
• Expanding the customer base by attracting new users.
• Demonstrating a sense of status or prestige.
• Exploring new business opportunities through mobile apps, such as selling content or licensing app usage rights.
• Enhancing customer experience and fostering loyalty.
• Increasing the app’s reach in different countries by adapting it to different languages. Many international companies create Russian versions of their apps to ensure easy navigation and content comprehension for users.
In 2016, it was predicted by experts that the mobile application market in Russia would achieve a substantial value of $1.3 billion. With the ever-increasing number of apps being developed, the challenge arises of how to stand out in this diverse landscape and effectively attract customers. Let’s explore ten strategies that can assist you in accomplishing this goal:
- Gain visibility by ranking in the “top free” category. Experienced professionals can assist you in positioning your app among the leading ones in the App Store or Android Market, with prices ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. The concept behind this promotion strategy is straightforward: utilizing bots to boost your app’s ranking, resulting in a significant increase of 10-15 thousand authentic downloads per day. Our team of promotion experts can provide further guidance on implementing this method for your app.
- Engage in self-promotion through platforms that offer reviews, specialized forums, and websites relevant to your industry. Monitor the app’s installation and usage patterns, as well as user feedback. Utilize this valuable data to make informed decisions, incorporate necessary updates, and enhance the overall user experience of your app.
- Social Media Advertising: Facebook, VKontakte, and now Instagram all have their own advertising platforms. The key to successful social media advertising lies in effective targeting and reaching the right audience. The more precise the user profile, the higher the chances of the advertisement being noticed. In addition to driving traffic to websites, social networks also enable direct app downloads from stores. Instagram‘s advertising service is relatively new, having been officially launched in Russia less than two months ago (for more information, please refer to the previous article via the provided link). Companies that have managed to create interesting, amusing, and valuable advertisements have already reaped the initial rewards. It is important to approach this form of advertising with caution and consider the specific characteristics of each social network’s audience. Facebook caters to a business-oriented audience, Instagram users appreciate captivating visuals, and VKontakte’s audience is more diverse, albeit not as demanding as Facebook‘s.
- Interest-Based Communities on Social Networks: Social networks offer both free and paid advertising options. The larger and more popular a group or community, the higher the price for advertising. While the subject matter of an advertisement may not directly align with the community’s theme, it should still resonate with its members. For instance, promoting a jewelry store app in a cooking group may seem unrelated in terms of content, but the target audience – women – remains the same.
- Affiliate Networks and Their Impact: Affiliate networks serve as established platforms for affiliate programs. Advertising on such websites goes beyond just paying per click or website visit, it also includes compensation for specific actions taken by interested customers who show genuine interest in the product. These platforms operate on the payment models of Cost Per Action or Cost Per Download, which are known for their cost-effectiveness and high conversion rates. For more information on the CPA model in Russia, you can visit our website [insert website link].
- Advertising through Mass Media: Utilizing radio, online media, and television for advertising can be effective in generating interest among the audience and encouraging them to discover and download your app. For instance, a popular Russian taxi service faced the challenge of promoting app downloads instead of relying on phone calls to operators. To tackle this, they devised a simple strategy: radio advertisements were aired, highlighting that customers who ordered a taxi through the app would receive a larger discount. Although the promotion lasted only a few days, the number of app downloads increased exponentially. Similarly, renowned global taxi services offer initial free trips when booking through their applications. The key lies in spreading the message to as many people as possible.
- The utilization of a pay-per-click (PPC) payment model for resources has gained prominence. Yandex, Russia’s leading search engine, introduced the ability to create advertisements exclusively for tablets and smartphones six months ago. This development enables PPC advertising to be tailored for mobile devices, presenting a significant opportunity to generate substantial traffic. Notably, the PPC method has proven more effective in attracting customers compared to SEO-promotion.
- A recently popular method is conducting giveaways in the most popular groups, such as Giveaway. One of the requirements is to follow the company’s page, download the application, or use relevant hashtags to promote the company. It only takes a small effort to receive something for free: subscribing to a page, downloading an app, or using hashtags. People have always believed in miracles, and despite the large number of participants (ranging from 500 to 100,000) and only a few winners, the number of participants continues to grow. This approach is a cost-effective way to attract a large audience, with the advertising placement for the giveaway typically costing between 100 and 1,000 rubles.
- A prevalent advertising approach involves collaborating with popular bloggers and celebrities, commonly referred to as key opinion leaders, who possess a substantial fan base and followers who trust their opinions. This form of advertising is widespread on social media platforms, such as bloggers’/stars’ pages, LiveJournal, and personal websites. Typically, companies initiate partnerships with bloggers/stars once they have amassed an audience of over 30 thousand individuals. Instagram, notably Kim Kardashian’s account, stands as one of the most influential advertising platforms, boasting over 36 million users. In Russia, bloggers and stars have an audience reach of approximately 3 million members, providing significant exposure.
- The most challenging path to progress lies in prioritizing it from the start. However, due to the multitude of advertising options, app creators often neglect this crucial aspect. Developing an application requires crafting a simple, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly interface that captures attention. It should offer intriguing and valuable content while ensuring a bug-free experience. Bugs not only frustrate users but also diminish their trust in the product. The ideal application is organically promoted by its audience, as users eagerly share a useful and innovative tool with friends and family, effectively advertising your product through personal recommendations, which is both confident and impactful, and completely free.
The mobile applications market is relatively young but already vast and varied. Forecasts indicate that it will continue to expand and grow annually, with even greater potential by 2017. Companies with mobile apps can showcase their level and status in the industry. As smartphones become more accessible, the audience becomes more informed and eager for new, convenient, and interesting products. Mobile apps and their users are continuously evolving, leading to the development of new advertising formats and methods of product presentation. It is likely that in the coming year, we will witness the introduction of innovative advertising approaches and novel ways to present products.
In the meantime, you have the opportunity to captivate your users by implementing the practical strategies outlined in this article. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in navigating the various methods of mobile app advertising, conducting individual app analyses, and recommending the most effective promotion strategies for your product. We guarantee that by working with us, you will be thrilled to see your app climb to the top of the most downloaded list.