At this point, there are currently 8.93 million apps that exist across various platforms, with the bulk of them spread across Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
You might really have the next big thing or a revolutionary app like TikTok – but if potential users are not seeing it, your success can be derailed right from the start.
But with the clever use of video content, you can build your app’s superpower for marketing and promotional materials.
Let’s take a look at a few ways of implementing video content to market your mobile app promotional video.
Why Video? The Data Doesn’t Lie
Before diving into any strategies, let’s check in with some numbers. When it comes to mobile apps, real-world use cases and usage videos can increase download intentions by an astonishing 85 percent.
With this stat on the table, if you are ignoring video content, you are essentially burning money for your business.
Strategy 1: Dominate App Stores with Videos
Here’s the deal – you can increase your discoverability by using the right video content across the right platforms. And the best thing is: you can embed the video directly on the pages on your App Store and Google Play
Some important points to keep in mind:
Showcase Key Features
Keep the video short and sweet – that helps to keep the engagement high across the whole duration of the video. Up to 30 seconds, demonstrating some of the app’s main and stand out features is the way to go. This will be your app’s movie trailer, so make sure it’s not boring and long.
Hook in the First 5 Seconds
Think about the person discovering your app: they might give it at least a few minutes if their friend recommended it, but most likely, they are hearing about it for the first time, and you have only a few seconds to engage them.
You can do that by including snappy motion graphics, attractive visuals and a catchy hook.
Platform-Specific Optimization: Remember, there are platform specific quirks, and also Android and iOS users are apriori different when it comes to what ads or content they enjoy – so make sure you match that expectation and design preferences.
This example from Blinkist goes to show the raw power a video like this can have. In just 15 seconds they managed to create an amazing hook, show the utility – and add call to action. Packing so much audio and visual information can sometimes make your video too cluttered and overwhelming – but in this case, they are doing a brilliant work of combining everything into a great top of the funnel video, to build brand awareness.
Strategy 2: UGC — The Power of People
There’s nothing more powerful and influential than the dreaded FOMO – the fear of missing out. But that’s exactly how you can make sure your app rises to the top, by leveraging social proof.
Collaborate with Micro-Influencers
Collaborate with influencers that match the criteria with their audience – for example, finding a TikTok creator that reviews games, would be a good match for promotion of game or app.
Encourage Sharing
Create video promotions, and use in-game banners and slots to showcase videos that promote the app.
Highlight Fun Moments
Highlight the frustrating and fun moments of people struggling to use the app, or solve their problems using it – which creates a real fear of missing out, encouraging them to download the app themselves. This is the power of UGC.
Here’s an amazing example from Yousician – and only God knows how much they had to pay to bring a huge star like Billie Eilish on board! But putting her name behind the app allows it to get more “clout” – especially among younger audiences and loyal Billie Eilish fans – that will definitely check out the app and learn how to play one of their more famous songs!
Strategy 3: Spread Brand Awareness Across Social Media
Social platforms tend to spread apps like wildfire, if they are promoted correctly , so your mobile app promotion campaign should have the following:
Create Short Snippets
The shorter your videos – the better, so keep them within the sweet spot of 15-30 seconds.
Tailor Content Per Platform
Make sure you are not marketing your B2B app as you would a B2C app – as witty, quirky and high pace B2C style videos might yield amazing results on platforms like TikTok, but might be overlooked and ignored on LinkedIn.
Post Consistently
A single, perfect and polished video is not usually the way to go, when you are looking to build continuous awareness.
Instead, you are better off posting consistent, small content pieces helping you build momentum.
You can also track the performance of this video content, and fine tune your messaging and approach on a weekly basis.
Strategy 4: Ads that Stick (and Click)
Video Ads are a great way to funnel more people to start considering or looking into your offering, if not download it right away. Some of the best practices include:
Interactive Storytelling
- You can create branching videos, when users can travel and follow different paths and watch different content, tailored specifically to their choices.
Targeted Placement
- Post your mobile app promotional content across advertising networks, who can reach and help you convert your target audience. You can also run your ads within other apps that can help you gather some of their audience and funnel to use your app as well.
A/B Testing
It’s best to hedge your bets and not use all of your resources on one video.
It’s better to create a few catchy brand awareness videos to engage the audience, and track which message resonates with them the most.
The audience itself will tell you what messaging works best for them.
Strategy 5: Real-World Use Cases — Bring Your App to Life
Users want to know how your app fits into their lives. Show them!
Day-in-the-Life Videos
Show how your target actually uses the app in action – as it’s easier for the viewer to relate and see how they would personally use the app.
Don’t hesitate to use stock footage, as that humanizes your content a lot, and allows for instant recognition for those use cases.
Industry-Specific Content
If your app has multiple use cases, don’t hesitate to create more tutorials or showcase videos, as that will help you catch wider audiences. This can be industry specific content, covering different groups of users starting from students managing their assignments via the or app, or even professionals using the app with their workflows.
This video for Android safety – is a real life example of “they didn’t have to cook this hard!”. Indeed, to show their real world safety features – they’ve built in this super smart, behind-the-scenes system that keeps your apps safe 24/7.
What’s more – they’ve built an amazing, highly stylized Explainer video explaining that process, paired with great animation. The result is an engaging video that makes you watch this until the end – even though it’s slightly longer than your classic 60 second Explainer video.
Strategy 6: Incorporate Micro-Animations
What else can rub our brains the right way, if not the little animations, which serve as payoffs throughout the video content we are watching.
Feature Teasers
Use subtle motion graphics and animations as pointers, to divert the viewers attention at the right moments in the video.
Animated CTAs
As CTAs are the actual money makers, make sure they are among the elements that would be animated throughout the video – so make sure the “Download Now” buttons you use are animated and stand out within the content.
Want to watch masters at work? Look at how Duolingo – the world’s #1 language learning app does the job. Every second of this 30 second masterpiece is non stop microinteractions. From every character, to even the final CTA with a classic Duolingo sound on top of it – you can’t help but watch until the end. Who knows, if it were just static content – if it could draw and keep as much attention as it does.
Strategy 7: Gamify Your Videos
People remember better, and are more engaged when they are presented with something they can interact with.
Progressive Reveals
Mobile apps are famous for their interactive videos, where a part of it is a video, and the other part is playable or interactive content. It’s almost like they have already tried out and used the app itself!
Challenges
You can also add rewards unique to the viewers of the video – like premium access for a month, or more lives (if it’s an arcade game).
Strategy 8: Social Proof — Your Secret Sauce
People trust people. Use this to your advantage.
What people trust more than any polished ad or video – is people. People trust real people. So for your next video you are releasing, make sure you include people from your team, or influencers.
Celebrate Milestones
Make sure your audience celebrates important milestones with you – create awareness with short content talking about your achievements – like reaching 1 Million Downloads or being featured in a magazine.
Testimonial Videos
Case studies and testimonial videos, while not as widespread as with mobile app promotional materials, can be a powerful change of pace. For example, showing developers, or even highlighting happy users would be attractive for any of your promotional causes.
Don’t judge us – in terms of mobile apps, we do extremely like what Duolingo is doing. And here they are again sharing the Super Duolingo feature. Millions of people are already on board with Duolingo, which they put front and center in this video.
Closing Thoughts
As with almost every other product or service out there, video in mobile app marketing is the cornerstone of a winning strategy.
From anything starting with increasing your downloads across app stores, creating cutdowns to be shared all over social media, or even creating your own adventure style of interactive ads – with video marketing, your options are infinite.
Zelios is a one-stop shop for all your video needs. Contact us to discuss your project, pricing and timelines!
Select the video type that aligns with your marketing objectives, and receive an immediate high-level estimate of the production cost.
