You’ve finally developed a nice app based on a great (and unique) idea that you know will attract many users.
What next?
How do you plan to bring customers to your app?
This is where mobile app branding comes in. Promoting a mobile app should not be just about promoting a service or a product, it should be focused on establishing and promoting a brand, your brand.
The branding is all about adding a personal touch, human element, and meaning to the app. Your mobile app should be able to tell the users who are the force behind the particular service. It’s you, by the way.
Top Mobile App Branding Strategy
Here are some of the best mobile app branding strategies that you can use for effective branding of your new (or existing) apps.
Keep it user-centric
I am here considering that you are developing or have developed an app for the user and not for yourself. And when the app is about the user, it should be made for the user only.
You should start accepting the fact that it’s not about what you like, but what your target customers like and want. This is what you app design should be based on.
Do some research and idea testing to find out what your target audience is looking for and then, focus on building a brand that complies with these user demands. Once you have a pretty good idea of what your user wants, you’ll be better able to create a brand accordingly.
Check Out the Competition
No matter how unique your idea is, there’s a possibility that someone else is already working or may have previously tried that concept. Look into that and find out what mistakes they made and why their app failed if it did.
Also, check out your competitor apps in the same industry to get some design and functioning suggestions from them.
Do some research on the apps which are providing the same or similar services as you, and note down the things that you like and not like about them.
This is not so that you can build a brand like theirs but to make sure that you create a unique app or an app that has something unique to offer. This mobile app branding strategy even works for the off-page promotion of your apps.
Also, know why is it important to go on mobile if you are a small business owner.
Avoid the Usual
The design is an important part of your app. Make sure to keep it unique, fresh and modern. Avoid using the same old cliches like bulbs for ideas, letters for email, etc.
If you are offering something different through your app, it should reflect in the app design as well. Spend some time doing research or hire a good designer to get some designs that stick.
It is equally important for your brand logo and images to be relevant, but that shouldn’t stop you from making experiments. After all, users are more than welcoming to new ideas and designs. The image designs should also be clean, simple and interesting.
The App Icon
One mistake most app businesses do is using their existing business logo, as it is, for the app icon as well. This is, even though, not wrong, is not recommended. One should understand that an app icon is not the same as a website logo, the major difference being that the logos are scalable. They can be of any shape or dimension.
An app icon, on the other hand, should be created specifically for every possible resolution. Icon design should be made according to the systems that are going to display them.
Also, it should work fine at any size or dimension. This is why most apps avoid using text in their icons, as they do not respond well to changes in resolution.
Go Slow
Instead of rushing your designer to create the design fast, you should rather go slow to be able to properly focus on every aspect of the app development process.
Each stage in the development process is way too important to be skipped or half-arsed. It is crucial to give your design process enough time and effort if you do not want your app to fail. The things you skip now may trouble you in the long-term.
First Impressions Do Matter
No matter what you think, many users will still judge your app by its cover (or the front page/screen). Even if they don’t, it is recommended to design a perfect outward appearance for your mobile app.
After all, it is the very first thing that a user will see when they open your app and you wouldn’t want them to get a bad impression or anything.
Mobile apps have a benefit in this regard, as they get an additional splash screen before the homepage, through which you can instantly tell your users what the app is about and convince them why they should be using it. It is therefore important to give enough time and effort to build a product-centric splash screen, homepage and login page.
Simple is beautiful
The best way to make a user-friendly app is to keep it simple. An idea or design that seems simple to you might not make sense to the user. Any new app idea is usually complex, confusing and irrelevant and doesn’t work in the real world.
When you are planning to develop your new mobile app, the first thing you should do is refine the idea in a simple, applicable and unforgettable design and then only you can start considering to put in front of the user.
Hire an Influencer to Promote your app
Currently, the most effective way to promote your app is advertising through an influencer. An influencer is someone who has a million followers on social media and this would become the source of promotion of your app. With the help of an influencer, the promotion of your app reaches out millions of people in no time.
Most of these things are pretty simple and even obvious but often ignored by designers and developers when creating their mobile apps. Follow these mobile app branding strategies to improve the versatility and user-friendliness of your app and to create a better brand awareness among your target audience.
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