The Power of An App Icon

ASO 5-Part Series: Part 3 – Icon 

If a picture is worth a thousand words then your app icon is worth more than any other asset for you mobile application. Your app icon is the most evident element of your branding both on the home screen of the users device and in the app store where they make the decision to download.

Users are making app purchase decisions based on icons similar to how they often judge a book by its cover. With mobile download behavior being very impulsive it is extremely important to be able to stand out from the crowd and convey as much about your app as possible in an instant.

How compelling and clear your app icon is for a user will help with conversion to download and may also play into the decision making process for a user to consider which app to open from the device home screen – impacting then both your downloads and usage.

It’s for this reason that App Store Optimization exercises tackle the quality and effectiveness of your app icon.

The first step is to look to your competitors. Go to the App Store and search for other apps similar to yours in the App Store. Take note of the colors, the design, the style and the characters or icons that they are using and make a list of these to inspire your deisgn.

It’s best to keep your app iconic. Avoid being overly wordy. In fact avoid words at all. Using objects, symbols or letters is best to achieve a clear and easy to digest icon. Consumers should see your icon and be able to identify the imagery you are illustrating. But beyond recognition, they should get a sense as to what your app is all about or what type of app you are providing from your icon.

Keep your design simple. Clean, high quality icons will present your brand and product as a professional offering in the marketplace. As real estate in an icon is at a minimum you want to avoid cluttering your icon that will only confuse or frustrate consumers.

Don’t be afraid to be different or bold, remember you want to draw attention to your app amongst a sea of applications in the storefront. Use strong colors. Choose imagery that conveys a mood, tone or emotion indicative to your app’s purpose.

Give yourself choices by creating a couple of concepts for your icon before selecting the one that you will go forward with. Socialize your concepts with colleagues, business partners, family and friends and get their honest feedback. Getting an outside opinion is extremely important seeing that this icon is being created for your audience’s attention and not your own, so be sure not to skip this step.

Be open to any feedback you may receive regarding your app design – good or bad. Being overly committed to your app icon too early on could blind you to some much needed opportunities to make your app better. It’s never too late to make changes or start over. Since icons are what users will look for to identify their app on their home screen, icons are rarely changed, so you will want to make sure you get it right the first time.

If you are not a designer and have the budget, seek professional help. Find a graphic designer who can help walk you through their process. A good graphic designer will meet with you to discover what your business is all about, who you are, what your app’s objectives are and what existing ideas or brand elements you may have already accomplished. Be sure to select a designer you trust. You will want to rely on them completely as your counsel in this field and in some instances you may not see eye-to-eye so someone you know is an expert in their field will be necessary.

Regardless of what you do when it comes to your optimizing your app icon, make sure it is not an after thought. It may be small, but this icon could make or break the success of your app in the marketplace.

TIP: Switch Up Your Facebook Ads to Keep Interaction High

Facebook ads are a great way to reach your demographic but they are thought to have a quick shelf life of 3-5 days before they drop in interaction. If you plan on running ads longer than this period, consider switching up the creative and your messaging. This should help increase your chance of interaction for another cycle.

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Every Tuesday App Promo will be providing tips on app marketing and promoting applications based on their experience leading marketing campaigns for applications across platform. These tips are like regular marketing vitamins aimed to boost discovery and visibility for app publishers to better succeed in the business of their apps.

TIP: Set-up Ads to Convert Users

When purchasing any paid media it is extremely important to have a converting landing page to send the user to. Avoid linking ads to the homepage of your marketing or company site. Send them directly to a call to action, which in this case will most likely be to download the app.

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Every Tuesday App Promo will be providing tips on app marketing and promoting applications based on their experience leading marketing campaigns for applications across platform. These tips are like regular marketing vitamins aimed to boost discovery and visibility for app publishers to better succeed in the business of their apps.

Meet the new Canadian Family – The Mobile Hockey Mom, The Digital Dad and The Young and Wireless.

MobilePersonas

Insights on Key Mobile Consumer Segments in Canada to be discussed at launch event of research report in Toronto on July 25th, 2013 at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Toronto, Ontario (July 8, 2013)- As mobile becomes an increasingly important part of everyday life for Canadians, there is a much greater need for advertisers, publishers and brands to gain Canadian specific insights into those who use mobile.  In response to this need, App-Promo, BrandSpark International and Tapped Mobile have partnered to conduct a detailed research study on the mobile habits of three key Canadian personas: Mobile Moms-The Hockey Mom, Digital Dudes-The Digital Dad, and Millennials-The Young and Wireless. The research looks at how these demographics use their devices and which channels are the most effective for reaching them. The study also provides key insights on how these demographics can be accurately targeted by brands and agencies.

“Through the Canadian Mobile Persona study, marketers, brands, publishers and agencies will be able to better understand how mobile is used as a media channel and how to use it as a platform to reach and engage with their target audience(s)” agreed Gary Yentin, CEO of App-Promo, Mark Baltazar, Vice President of BrandSpark International, and Jed Schneiderman, President of Tapped Mobile, the three partners behind this research report.

The complete study is available in a comprehensive report that will be available July 25th, 2013 covering insights for each key segment:

◦    How these Canadian personas use their mobile devices and why it matters to marketers

◦    The behavioral and attitudinal differences between smartphone and tablet usage

◦    The key differences between iOS and Android users that will impact your marketing plan

◦    The type of apps you should be advertising on to reach your target market

◦    The role of mobile for shopping along the path to purchase

Insights from this study will be presented at a launch in Toronto on July 25th, 2013 at TIFF Bell Lightbox from 9:30am-11:30am. The event is by invitation only and limited to the to the first 150 participants.  More information can be found at the website www. mobilepersonas.com

For Further information and all other media contacts:

Gary Yentin
gary@app-promo.com
@Apppromo

 

TIP: Target Your Audience with Paid Media

Be sure that you understand who your demographic is and use this to position your paid media spends. AdWords, Facebook ads and similar all allow you to focus in on gender, age, education and even interests. Use the analytics you have gathered to determine who your audience is and leverage this knowledge to better target your ads so that you increase their effectiveness.

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Every Tuesday App Promo will be providing tips on app marketing and promoting applications based on their experience leading marketing campaigns for applications across platform. These tips are like regular marketing vitamins aimed to boost discovery and visibility for app publishers to better succeed in the business of their apps.

App-Promo selected by DMR Partners to participate in Advertising Week 2013-NYC

Screen Shot 2013-07-04 at 1.14.58 PM

 

@Apppromo is proud to be selected by DMR partners as an exhibitor during Advertising Week 10th Anniversary.  This is an unique opportunity to present our platform and services to the world’s premier gathering of marketing and communications leaders.

Day/Track:  Mobile Track on Monday Sept 23rd
Time: Exhibit will be up for the entire day from 8:30am to 7:00 pm
Location: The Hall at The Times Center-242 West 41st Street, New York, New York, 10036

Looking forward to meeting friends, clients old and new :) at the event.  Tweet us @Appromo to meet us !

 

TIP: Get More Bang For Your Buck With Mobile Ads

Invest in paid media on mobile devices to maximize the cost per download. Ads on mobile provide one click to download and will be more likely to click on an ad featuring a mobile app while on their smartphone.  Mobile click through rates are nearly 3 times what you can expect from online ads.

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Every Tuesday App Promo will be providing tips on app marketing and promoting applications based on their experience leading marketing campaigns for applications across platform. These tips are like regular marketing vitamins aimed to boost discovery and visibility for app publishers to better succeed in the business of their apps.

Are you COPPA Compliant?

Are your apps targeted at kids, or do they have features that might attract a kid’s attention (such as a cartoon element?) Read the App Developers Alliance COPPA FAQ  to see if your app falls under the updated COPPA regulations, which go into effect July 1. For a quick run-through, click to watch our videobelow.

You can read the guidelines released by the FTC here.

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