5 Tips for Making Your Game Stand Out in A Crowded App Marketplace
It seems like every-single-day someone comes along with “5 more tips” on how to get your app to stand out. Fact of the matter is, there are countless things you can do to make your app stand out amongst the competition. Today we’re going to focus on some new ideas that haven’t been covered in the past, some that will hopefully get you to think about your over-all strategy before your app hits the store.
Let’s get into it.
1) Be different
Sure there’s a ton of games that are basically clones of other games, but you know the really, really, really successful ones like Minecraft, CSR Racing, Infinity Blade, etc.. all drew from inspiration but inevitably brought something new to the table which allowed them to cut through the massive competition and succeed.
2) Decide on a monetization model early
Because, to be quite honest, premiums, free games, and freemiums are all entirely different. Many arcade-style games for instance don’t fit the freemium model well as user retention is a huge challenge, few users want to pay for power ups or access to additional content. If your game doesn’t suite the free-to-play model focus on the quality and work towards building a loving fan base where you can monetize as a premium.
3) Make paying for stuff fun
Brilliantly designed games all have a way of making taking money out of your wallet seem like the funnest thing in the world. Focus on making this part of the experience an enjoyable one vs a frustratiing one.
4) Design for the device
This one is absolutely critical. Remember when you’re making your games that you’re designing for a device that has many features, the more you can utilize (in a good way) is not only going to help you boost your rankings in the App Stores (by virtue of featuring new device features to show them off) but also will aid in leaving a lasting impression amongst a yet again, crowded marketplace. Even if the time period for the experience isn’t going to be that long, you should strive to make it memorable.
5) Don’t confuse people
In a society that cultivates ADD you should realize people’s attention spans now adays’ are shorter than ever. With 1,000’s of competitors don’t give them a reason to leave your app, delete it, and find another one. If your game seems confusing to users from the start and you notice unusual bounce rates than that should be an obvious hint that you need to fix something that’s causing them to exit the app almost immediately.
Lastly..
It’s not just about making an app.
Not even about making a good app at that.
It’s about making an app that is truly remarkable. Remarkable means people are making remarks about it. Remarkable means that people are telling their friends about it. Remarkable things attract press. Remarkable apps attract users. Keep all of the above in mind, and you should be on your way.
Kevin is an Online and Mobile Marketing Strategist who has worked with companies of all sizes over the last 6 years. You can follow Kevin on any of the social platforms below.
