In the digital age, there is always a mobile app for anything. Whether it is a business with decades of successful experience or a rising startup, having an online presence is a must.
As app stores are filled with millions of mobile apps, it is essential to have clear, practical marketing strategies to promote your products and services and engage with a broader audience. One of the most popular and effective methods of marketing is cross-promotion.
Cross-promotion allows other mobile apps to promote their services on your app. In return, they do the same for your business.
Three main types of cross promotion
Direct cross-promotion
Direct cross-promotion is when different mobile apps agree to direct traffic to each other’s platforms. For direct cross-promotion, it’s crucial to consider the interests and demographic peculiarities of your collaborator’s audience. It can take time to conduct thorough research and find a partner with similar objectives. However, it is vital to ensure the efficiency of your marketing strategy.
App Network Exchanges
App Network Exchanges is perhaps one of the most cost-effective and time-efficient of cross-promotion ideas. Several networks such as Tap for Tap and Taptica utilize the credit system to set up exchanges. So when your app encourages a user to download an app, you will earn a credit. This will then be used for showing your ads on other platforms.
The primary difference between this option and the direct cross-promotion described earlier is that it will give you less control over where your advertisements will appear. On the other hand, you don’t have to spend time negotiating with businesses or developers.
Internal cross promotion
If you already have a mobile application with a large targeted audience, you may use it as a platform to market your new apps. Internal cross-promotion is an effective alternative if you already have a consistent, loyal user base and are offering something new.
Benefits of Cross Promotion
The essence of cross-promotion ideas is the collaboration and partnership between different businesses to promote and benefit one another mutually. This practice can bring various benefits to both established brands and growing companies that require more exposure.
Below find some of the benefits of cross-promotion.
Cost-efficiency
One of the main benefits of cross-promotion is that it will not require huge investments and resources. Most cross-promotional marketing strategies are based on a credit system earned by collaborating with other businesses and driving traffic to their mobile apps. Then, with all of the credits earned, the ads of your services and products will be showcased on other platforms to a wider user audience.Cross-promotion is a perfect alternative if you are planning a minimum budget for your marketing strategies.
Working with an established user base
It can be quite challenging to build a user base from scratch. With cross-promotion, you will be able to present your mobile app to an audience who already has an interest in similar products and services. Moreover, if you already have another mobile application with a similar style and objectives, you may also take advantage of it. For instance, if you already have an app that focuses on fitness and a healthy lifestyle, you may offer your user base your other app that focuses on a healthy diet. This way, you will be able to attract users to your new app with higher return-than-average rates since you’re reaching an audience that already loves to use lifestyle apps.
Boosting brand awareness
Collaborating with established or popular brands will affect your brand exposure significantly. Many users will start to associate your brand with the trustworthy, reputable brands you partner with. It will also help you to increase your brand reach and will forward more leads to your services and products than you could ever achieve on your own.
Switching to monetization
Cross-promotion is a practical tactic to engage with a new audience and establish your brand’s status while spending zero or minimum resources. Moreover, it can become a stable source of income. Once your business starts to expand, you can complement your cross-promotion tactics with monetization. This way, you will not only market your products and services but also generate profit for your business.
How to cross promote your app?
Now that you already know about the types and significant benefits of cross-promotion, all you need to know is how to make it all work for your business.
Choose your partners wisely
One of the crucial steps of cross-promotion is choosing a partner. It is essential to make sure that you collaborate with brands and businesses that are professional, reliable, compatible, and have a good reputation. Keep in mind that your mobile app will be associated with the brand that you are partnering with. So, it is crucial to choose a brand that shares the same values as you. Also, when collaborating with other brands, make sure that the services and products you offer are not in competition or overly similar to one another.
Take advantage of social media platforms.
One of the most powerful cross-promotion ideas is social media. Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and other influential social media platforms will allow you to target and engage with a massive user audience. You may also want to reach out to social media influencers who have a large audience. They can bring exposure to your brand through cross-promotional posts, including competitions, giveaways, contests in exchange for your services.
Giveaways will allow you to exhibit your products, actively engage users, and attract leads. Other than that, it is a beautiful gesture for the interested user audience to show your genuine care and appreciation. Another way to cross-promote your mobile app is by collaborating with bloggers, vloggers, and other content creators. For instance, many Youtube channels focus on a variety of product reviews for their audience. You may consider sponsoring one of the episodes to review your products relevant to the needs of their audience.
Do not forget about E-mail marketing
Do not miss the chance of providing your audience with valuable content endorsing your partner companies through e-mail marketing. This channel will allow you to engage with your audience. It will let them know about the recent updates and hot offers tailored to their needs.
