App marketing involves a set of strategies and activities aimed at promoting a mobile application (app) to its target audience. Effective app marketing uses a combination of pre-launch and post-launch efforts. Whatever the type of marketing, it’s all about attracting users, driving brand loyalty, increasing downloads, sustaining retention, and ultimately achieving your app’s financial and impact goals.

The bedrock of app income generation is this: the more users an app has, the more financially sustainable it tends to be — given the app is built with solid technical foundations and sound business strategies.

Marketing is all about deepening and broadening the user pool to the maximum extent possible. Whether you’re attracting new app users or keeping current ones happy, implementing the right app marketing method is essential.

Main app marketing methods

There are two main methods you can leverage to market your app: digital marketing and traditional marketing.

Digital marketing

Digital marketing involves using electronic and digital devices to promote messages about your app and track their impact on potential and actual users. Put simply, it refers to marketing on computers, phones, tablets, and similar devices.

Digital marketing tends to be quicker, more far-reaching, and more scalable than traditional methods. Hence, app marketers who use digital channels can easily promote their apps without spending too much time and money on physical materials or on-site venues.

Among the many forms of digital marketing are app store optimization, social media marketing, search engine marketing, and search engine optimization. For more information on these methods, see our glossary page for digital marketing.

Traditional marketing

Even in the digital age, traditional marketing methods can be powerful tools for promoting mobile apps.

Many people belonging to older generations tend to prefer reading newspapers or watching TV to using their phones. Traditional app marketing also enables people to learn more about new apps, even in places where digital or broadcast channels are either inaccessible or unavailable.

Ultimately, traditional marketing is most effective when integrated with a broader digital marketing strategy to ensure apps reach as wide an audience as possible.

Here’s a breakdown of some conventional methods for marketing apps:

• Print & broadcast ads. Magazine and newspaper placements, targeted TV commercials, or radio spots can create awareness about new mobile apps, especially for demographics less active on social media and other digital channels.
• Outdoor advertising. Strategic billboard placements can pique curiosity with a captivating image or tagline that compels viewers to search for the app’s name or scan a QR code. This is especially effective for drivers because many countries ban the use of digital devices while driving. Outdoor advertising lets motorists recall new apps without needing to look at ads on their tablets or phones.
• Event marketing. Interactive booths or installations at trade shows and other similar events can be effective channels for promoting apps’ functionality and benefits. This allows for direct engagement and demonstrations, increasing the rate of installation or usage of the apps in question.
• Strategic partnerships. Partnering with related businesses is another effective way to promote apps conventionally. This method can involve in-store displays with QR codes or co-branded marketing materials.