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Creating Buzz for Your iPhone App with Social Media

Guest post by: Scott Lorenz

Article Overview: Any iPhone app developer who want to market their iPhone App must spend some time on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Linked-In, iTunes and similar social networks to spread the word and generate sales. Here are some tips to help focus and inspire iPhone app developers and marketers.

Creating Buzz for Your iPhone App with Social Media

iPhone users, almost by definition, are technology savvy individuals who are ready to embrace new technology and to embrace much of what the technological world has to offer. For that reason alone iPhone users are very likely to be heavily involved in social networking.

So any iPhone app developer who want to market their iPhone App must spend some time on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Linked-In, iTunes and similar social networks to spread the word and generate sales.

And before reaching out to consumers at social networks a must-do task is to insure that the description you write for the iPhone Store captures interest and conveys the value of your App. Keep refining the description as conditions change and keep adding testimonials and sales rankings.

Social networking is free so your only investment is the time and effort you put into it. Invest wisely! In the pre-launch stage, make sure your App uses search-rich words in its title and make sure you already have a blog or website in place.

One Westwind Communications client capitalized on what he foresaw as the fervor that was to ensue for the use of those dreaded Vuvuzelas during World Cup Soccer. He anticipated the turmoil weeks and months in advance and created an iPhone app game called Vuvuzaga to play into this interest. The day after the games started the word 'Vuvuzelas' was surging on Google and Twitter and people were talking about this game. Few people outside South Africa had ever heard of Vuvuzelas but this developer clearly had the foresight and acted upon it. Can you?

For any social network, invest time and effort into your profile. Create a profile that is robust, enticing, and complete. Networking is all about being personable so add some of your personality. Include the link where you want others to view or download your App.

Twitter is a highly-effective network to use for messaging your product, service and brand. But before you reach for the consumer's wallet you must give your followers something that interests them. Mike Vallez, of CrazyMikesapps, says the rule of thumb for successfully using social networking for promotion is that 80 percent of the time you offer free information that will benefit someone else and the other 20 percent to promote your app.

Twitter allows you to add photos and links, so take advantage of this powerful option. There are numerous tools online that automatically Tweet your content onto Twitter which will reduce your busy work. The major goal when using Twitter is to grow your base of followers as large as you can so you can increase your App's exposure.

LinkedIn is the Number One business social networking site and is a community where real deals are made. Want to be known for a particular keyword? Place the key words in your profile, in the profile title, and summary. In growing your user base, take full advantage of the work and education suggested contacts on LinkedIn. Join as many relevant groups as you can so you can add members of these groups as contacts.

YouTube is the absolutely best networking tool to use to have the best chance of your iPhone App going viral, causing sales to skyrocket. To have a crack at this kind of success it is important to: make your videos short, interesting, entertaining and explanatory; don't make them boring or tedious to watch; avoid a monotone voice; humor, properly used, can dramatically increase a video's popularity. One of our recent iPhone app promotions was for 'IcePics' a shoot and send iPhone app. Our YouTube views increased by 13,500 overnight from 11pm to 6am after an interview on Wall Street Journal Radio and a couple of highly trafficked review sites.

On Facebook you must establish a Fan Page because there is no limit to the number of followers on a Fan Page. Never set up a profile as a business because Facebook may disable your profile since it violates terms of use. Remember your family members and friends are on Facebook also so don't be overly aggressive in pushing your App.

And, finally, create links on your App's website or blog to all social networks where you have a presence. The more social networks the better because more exposure generates more sales.

These efforts are intended as illustrations of how a public relations professional, especially one with Internet marketing savvy, can move an App developer high above the clutter into the niche market arena that will place him in the middle of shoppers, buyers, and highly curious end users.

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Article Tags: app developers, iphone, iphone app marketing, promotion, social networks



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