You have worked tirelessly to produce something wonderful. First and foremost, congrats! It was definitely not easy. You only need an audience now, right? However, the issue lies there. Finding the coveted audience can be challenging. In fact, very difficult. It’s easy for your app to get lost in the shuffle of self-published markets, dismissed as not worth the effort, or worse: completely ignored! This guide to free marketing will undoubtedly be of some assistance if you are certain that your only issue is a lack of customers and that your product is excellent.
The clones that occupy the mobile game marketplaces (Google Play, App Store, and Windows Store) are obvious to anyone who has ever taken more than a cursory look at them. Each title either includes a bird or other animal or is a synonym for Clash, Legend, or Runner; The icons are typically a shrieking individual, a food close-up, or a rehash of a classic in neon colours. While avoiding these cliches would be prudent, the lesson here is that it will be difficult to stand out. Therefore, your marketing campaign should begin locally. There, make a base; then broaden it.
Naturally, inform your friends and family. After that, print flyers that have rip tabs at the bottom. The URL of your app ought to be printed on each tab. Interested customers can remove these tabs to help them remember to download it later. You can post your flyers on free bulletin boards at most Laundromats and many grocery stores. Additionally, university campuses typically contain numerous bulletin boards. Consider each tab pulled as a new speaker, who will then tell friends all over the world, who might in turn spread the word even further. Word of mouth is a good place to start. In addition, customers are more likely to be helpful and to leave a positive review if they believe it will benefit someone in their circle, even if that circle is the entire town. Teamwork pays off in sports; It may be useful for your app.
Make business cards to hand out whenever someone mentions your app. A good way to turn every trip you take on the road into an advertisement excursion is to use car magnets or custom bumper stickers. Flyers are more likely to irritate people than to pique their interest, so you should avoid putting them under the wipers. Another effective method for passively advertising while walking around major local events (such as balloon races, rib cook-offs, and farmer’s markets) is to wear a custom-made T-shirt that features your app’s name, images, and a link to download it.
Move on to online marketing after local marketing. Obviously, you’ll find a much larger audience here. Start by writing blog posts about your app or game on your own website(s). Additionally, to showcase your work, make a video trailer and gameplay video for YouTube. Also, since you’re going to be sending emails, make an automatic signature that includes your name and links to your app or game.
Finding an audience is easy in forums. You can post updates and information about your game on SlideDB, ModDB, IndieDB, and Penny Arcade. Subreddits, or smaller groups of particular interest, welcome posts about indie games on the hugely popular website Reddit. Two of these subreddits that have a lot of followers are /r/IndieGaming and /r/freegames, but a simple search can lead you to many more. You can share your game in the company forums that are associated with the game development software. Utilize social media in addition. Use hashtags like #indiedev and #gamedev, as well as ones that are more specific to your app or game, when you post to Twitter to get views beyond your followers. Tweet with information about your app to independent game reviewers. Use Facebook to stay in touch with loved ones and keep them informed; and Pinterest, utilizing tags once more to reach new markets. You can either create a press release and send it to websites that post press releases in the hope that journalists will use it to write a story, or you can send the press release directly to local magazines or newspapers.
Think about publishing to platforms that aren’t as common, like Google Play. Other options for publishing include: GameJolt, SlideME, and NewGrounds Additionally, video reviewers are a good idea for generating buzz. Arcade is one of these promoters; however, you can find a lot of others by searching for “gameplay videos” and following the game reviewers back to their account pages, where you can find them and send an email to them asking for a review.
Websites that post free app reviews are another way to get noticed. If your game or app is of high quality, you should submit it to all of the app reviewers you can find. Most of them should accept it. Reviewers of apps include Super Game Droid, the Great Apps, Indie Game Dev, AppsZoom, AppBrain, and AppZoom.
It is a lot of work if all of this sounds like it. The battle is far from over once your app or game is completed. Finding an audience that is interested is the other half. putting in the effort and contacting these reviewers, forums, and the community in your area; whereas doing nothing will help guarantee that you receive more attention.