How To Build The Ultimate Go-To-Market Strategy For Your App

How To Build The Ultimate Go-To-Market Strategy For Your App

SUCCESS IN THE APP MARKET

Whether you’re the founder of a startup or part of a large enterprise, a great app idea will only take you so far. The reality is that most apps fail...

THE CHALLENGE

<1% of consumer mobile apps will be considered a financial success by their developers through 2018

Source: Gartner

THE CHALLENGE

• 19% of mobile apps don’t generateany revenue whatsoever

...

• More than half of mobile apps arebelow the “app poverty line,”

generating less than $500/month...

Source: VisionMobile

THE CHALLENGE

Even apps that aren’t meant to be a main source

of revenue generation often fall short of their

goals, particularly from a user adoption standpoint

WHY DO SO MANY APPS FAIL?

Lack of product definition & direction

Weak marketing & user acquisition plans

Poor business & monetization strategies

Improper product release strategy

KEY TAKEAWAYSHow can you avoid the common pitfalls that cause apps to fail and build a killer go-to-market-strategy?

Product definition: Define your product, users, market viability

Monetization & business strategy: What works for the type of product your are release & aligns with your goals and

objectives?

Marketing & user acquisition: How will you generate interest & drive downloads?

Launch strategy: What is the best fit for your product & market?

Avoid common failures to launch and best set yourself up for success in the highly competitive app market.

GET YOUR COPY >>

http://info.clearbridgemobile.com/go-to-market-strategy

PRODUCT DISCOVERY & DEFINITION


Product discovery doesn’t guarantee app success, but it does set the basis for the product to be impactful. It tackles essential questions including the why, the what, the how, and the when.





Is there an opportunity in the market?

Are you addressing a pain point for a set of potential users? If there is no need or desire, there is no market opportunity.

Why are you building the product?

What is the purpose/goal of your app? What problems are you trying to fix? What is the value you are adding? What are your short and long term goals?





Who are you building the product for?

Products are built for users; therefore, product direction should be driven by understanding their needs and motivations.

Who are your competitors?

What have they done right? What are their weaknesses? How will your solution add value beyond what is available in the market?

DEFINING A MONETIZATION & BUSINESS PLAN

DEFINING A BUSINESS & MONETIZATION PLAN

The approach to monetization/business strategy varies on the type of app and whether it is meant to be a main source of revenue generation, or meant to support or facilitate another service or product.


If the product is a standalone revenue generation source, you need a solid app monetization strategy. The most common models include...

Advertising Based

Works best when:

● You don’t plan to monetize directly from users● In-app purchases would interrupt user

experience or not fit organically within theapp

● The nature of your app results in frequentvisits, long sessions

● You collect demographic & behavioral data

IF the app is a main revenue generation source




Paid Download

Works best when:

● You have a strong marketing & PR presence● The app offers added value over free, similar

options● Value is commensurate with price● You want to tie revenue directly to downloads





In-App Purchases

Works best when:

● You have a retail, gaming, or services app● Can profit despite app store fees● In-app purchases add real value to users● User experience is good enough to encourage

repeat use even without purchases





Freemium

Works best when:

● You want mixed revenue from ads and users● Premium features add notable value to users● Free version is enticing enough to attract

users and encourage purchase of extrafeatures

● Large user base/long app sessions





Subscription

Works best when:

● Your app is content driven (news, music,video, etc.)

● The nature of the app encourages frequent,repeat use




IF the product is meant to support another product or facilitate a service rather than generate revenue, your approach will be vastly different.

In this type of situation, you are going to focus on aligning your app with business objectives rather than monetization of the app itself. Namely, how does the application fit within your larger business plan or organizational objectives? The purpose is not to directly generate revenue, but rather to support key revenue generation activities.

MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION


Much like your monetization/business plan, your user acquisition strategy is going to differ based on the nature of your application, your target market, and many other factors.

Early Outreach

Have a plan in place to engage your core group of users, potential partners, and press early on

● Create a media list● Create a segmented user list● Work to develop early partnerships


Some of the areas you need to consider when creating a marketing and user acquisition strategy include...

Teasers & Early Access

Offer teasers or early access to beta versions to generate excitement and anticipation

● Reach out to people and potential users tooffer exclusive access to a closed beta list

● Create early sign up pages using tools likeLaunchrock



Press Kits & Collateral

Have press kits and other necessary collateral prepared prior to the launch of your product

● Include screenshots, review guides,promotional videos, press releases, etc.

● Have all assets available in a centralized placeto make discovery easier




Product Sites

Get your product listed on sites that curate new products and startups to help you create hype and attract new users.

● Product Hunt● Beta List● Hacker News - Y Combinator● CrunchBase● Launching Next, etc.



App Store Optimization & Discovery

Despite many marketing tactics, most users still discover apps by searching on the app store. App Store Optimization helps your app rank higher in search results via:

● Keyword research and optimization● Title optimization● Optimized app descriptions● Icons and screenshots● Categorization & more



LAUNCH STRATEGY

LAUNCH STRATEGY

Once you have all the pieces in place, you will need to focus on going to market in a way that will best set up your product for success. This means making decisions about launching with a MVP or more mature product, and choosing a hard or soft launch strategy.

MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT (MVP)

Launching a MVP with a core set of features allows you to test and validate key concepts early so you can improve your product with each iteration, while also reducing time to launch and development costs.

LAUNCH STRATEGY

● Validated learning● Early testing of key business

concepts● Strengthen business cases● Iterative process allows

product evolution● Cost efficiency & faster

time-to-market

SOFT LAUNCH

A soft launch is when you release your product to a restricted audience or market prior to launching it fully. Soft launches are often limited to a particular area or a small segment of ideal users and customers.

LAUNCH STRATEGY

● Identify bugs & featureimprovements early in asmaller market

● User feedback gained toapply to future iterations

● Marketing acceptance● Better preparation for a hard

launch

HARD LAUNCH

A hard launch is when you release your product fully to the market, with the corresponding marketing push to match. Hard launches are more expensive and typically used by larger companies with the necessary budgets or more mature products.

LAUNCH STRATEGY

● Competitive advantage(harder to replicateideas/keep up)

● More feature-rich, developedproduct

● Hard marketing push formore rapid user adoption

Avoid common failures to launch and best set yourself up for success in the highly competitive app market.

GET YOUR COPY >>

http://info.clearbridgemobile.com/go-to-market-strategy