Last updated on 15 December 2022
Creating a Shopify application is an excellent way for programmers to stretch their skills. It also happens to be a terrific way to make money. Because you need money for food, you need to make sure that your development efforts aren’t vain. If you need help with Shopify app marketing, we’ve got some tips you can take home.
Ten Tips You Can Steal for Your Shopify App Marketing Project
Tip One: Optimize Your App Page
When you list your application on the Shopify store, your first area of concern should be your app page. The app page has the following features:
- A title
- Icon
- Short description
- Video (optional)
- Detailed description (as you scroll down)
Your description page is your platform to help merchants understand why they need what you offer. However, this section isn’t about writing copy; it’s about optimization.
Shopify SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of ensuring merchants search a specific keyword to find your page. Without optimizing for keywords, you won’t get any recognition.
The Google Keyword Planner is a great place to start. Shopify SEO is built on using keywords and their variants. A variant is a slightly different version of the same keyword: (ex. beach towel vs. large beach towel). You should find natural places to insert your keywords, including headers.
Tip Two: Create and Manage Your Off-Site Presence
Shopify app marketing efforts cannot be limited to a single platform. Doing so severely limits your ability to draw attention. It causes situations where you don’t have a backup to maintain earnings if someone overtakes you on that one platform.
It’s essential to diversify your marketing efforts to go beyond the Shopify platform. Here are a few examples:
- Create a social media account to advertise your app
- Create a website where you can link people to talk about your app(s)
- Talk about your apps in Reddit groups
- Join online communities regarding your topic (Facebook Groups, forums, etc.)
You must also have a budget for paid traffic.
Tip Three: Use PPC Campaigns
Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns allow you to pay sites like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, to gain exposure for your target. For example, if you have an email marketing app for Shopify, you can pay for the keyword “Shopify Email Marketing App” to show up on top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
Depending on your budget, you’ll want to be very picky with what keywords to target. Competitive keywords require you to pay more for each click. Be sure you think from a long-term perspective when creating a PPC campaign.
You also have the option of email marketing campaigns.
Tip Four: Use an Email Marketing Platform
The most powerful of marketing tools go back to the classic approach of email marketing. Email campaigns allow you to target people where they check every day: their inbox. Being in someone’s inbox regularly means you don’t have to rely on other platforms that require payment.
Some people tell you that this old-fashioned marketing channel is your grandpa’s version of persuasion. However, they are likely to include that sentiment with some link to a social media boosting campaign. While social media boosts can be effective, people still use email. It’s best not to write off this to gain potential customers.
A great email marketing platform for people new to the area is MailChimp. Below are a few other options:
- Klaviyo
- Sendgrid
- Constant Contact
- Sendinblue
- Drip
- AWeber
- ConvertKit
Tip Five: Write Compelling Copy
Once you’ve decided on your Shopify app marketing mix, you can move onto something equally important: the copy.
Marketing copy refers to the writings you produce to convince others to subscribe to your product. In this case, you need to create some pretty compelling reasons for people to put effort into your application.
- To address this, you need to answer a few questions:
- How can my app improve a merchant’s process?
- Why should people not download my app?
- How does my app solve their problems?
That third one always throws people off, but it’s essential. It would be best if you answered all of these questions with incredibly long lists. Think of ten answers and add another ten answers after that.
Add another ten answers to each question for good measure.
Once you’ve exhausted the topic thoroughly, your job is to write in all the benefits and address any potential rejections in your app description.
If you address all potential problems before they come up and insert Calls To Action (CTAs) in the right places, you increase your chances of them downloading your product.
Tip Six: Automate Your Marketing Efforts
Once you’ve established a series of emails, social media posts, and other things to encourage a sale, you can start posting on a regular schedule. The problem with following this regular schedule is that it’s a small-time task that draws you away from doing something more substantial.
You could hire a virtual assistant (which could be great for emails), but they can be expensive if you don’t have a large budget. So instead, automation is the way to go with your marketing efforts.
Both social media and email marketing automation are a great way to take your content and schedule it over a long period. Utilizing platforms like HootSuite or later.com are great at organizing social media posts.
Going back to MailChimp, they automated marketing tools as part of their software. It would be best if you tried out different software until you find the right fit.
Tip Seven: Gather Testimonials
The most powerful Shopify app marketing campaigns lead to word-of-mouth advertising. Word of Mouth (WOM) is a form of instant quality recognition. It doesn’t come from influencers; it comes between friends who help each other out.
A form of WOM leads back to reviews and testimonials. While revies fulfill that role to some degree, part of your description can come back to people’s experience with your product. Storytelling is essential here, as you want to be sure that the testimonial describes a believable process.
Much like “keyword stuffing”, try not to overload your description with too much. One or two should be acceptable for a website, social media post, or other platforms.
Tip Eight: Create a Value Proposition
The human attention span is sometimes comparable to that of a goldfish or ham sandwich. With that in mind, the “engaging copy” heavily delves into the value proposition.
A value proposition is a short statement that informs your prospective downloader of your app’s purpose. Specifically, it’s your app’s purpose when compared to other apps that offer the same thing.
There are more than six thousand apps on the Shopify App Store. Some of those apps likely offer something very similar (if not exactly) to what you offer.
If you are new to the game, don’t be afraid to make bold claims. Just make sure your app has the quality to back it up.
Tip Nine: Have an Icon that Stands Out
The icon is that small square image just below the title of your product. The icon is pretty tiny, but it’s a big deal. Having a visually engaging and professional-looking logo is crucial to remain competitive.
Take a look at the icons of your competitors. Find out what appeals to you and use that as inspiration for your icon. If needed, you can hire a graphic designer on freelance websites like Fiverr or Upwork.
Also, don’t be married to your first logo design. It’s OK to see many different versions of your logo to find out what looks the best for the feeling you are trying to create. Quality images always improve your Shopify app marketing efforts.
Tip Ten: Make Your App User-Centric
Whether you create a mobile app, Shopify app, or another program, many of the tips above still apply. With that in mind, all of these tips are ineffective if your application isn’t fun to use.
User experience is critical when retaining repeat customers. Those who stick around and pay for your app’s premium offerings aren’t going to do that if it’s hidden underneath 17 sub-menus.
Make sure your app has a good User Interface (UI), and it is easy to use. Test your app with people who are willing to be critical of your design.
If something is wrong, be responsive to your downloader’s needs. Even if you don’t have an answer they like, most angry customers lack understanding. Be willing to educate them and perform updates when necessary.
Also, a 14 or 30-day free trial gives prospective buyers the potential to take advantage of your premium services. It’s standard practice for apps, so be sure to include some form to encourage its use.
Conclusion
Shopify app marketing is a bit of a tricky business. Thankfully, many of the same marketing channels from other platforms can still apply here. Just don’t forget to create an engaging app description page in the process of running through your favorite marketing platforms.
For more tips, check out our article on how you can break into selling digital products on Shopify or the best digital downloads apps for Shopify. If you found this article to be helpful, please share it with your friends. Thanks for reading.
You can also visit Shopify’s article to learn how to convert free users into paying customers.
