UK Marketing How to successfully expand your app Internationally

 

Smartphone adoption is on the rise, and by 2019, there will be an estimated 2.5 billion smartphone users worldwide. The U.S. will constitute a mere 10 percent of this overall figure, with much of the growth coming from the developing world, including China and India.

For forward-thinking app developers, scaling internationally is the best way to drive growth. International expansion offers access to an increasingly lucrative market, an edge over the competition and an opportunity to be perceived as a “global” brand.

If you're like many U.S. based startups, the prospect of marketing your app in countries that don't even speak the same language may be daunting, so here are five ways to get started.

Many developers create innovative mobile apps that have near-universal appeal but find themselves unsure of how to reach users in global markets. The first thing to know is that mobile app promotion in a locale outside of your home country will require you to devote of research and time to determine target personas and markets, as well as which languages to translate to. We suggest looking at all the data you've collected about your app or your competitors to help with the decision making process.

For mobile app developers, this translates to global app expansion; a great way to drive growth is by expanding into international markets. The advantages of marketing your app internationally include greater brand awareness, entry into lucrative markets, an upper edge over competitors, and the opportunity to be portrayed as a global brand.



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The market research at the first

Not all apps are suitable for international expansion, so it's important to choose the target geographies where you can really make a difference. Create a list of potential target markets to penetrate and be sure that the app is culturally acceptable. You need to be certain your concept can realistically resonate before trying your hand internationally.

There's a reason Tinder hasn't made its way to Saudi Arabia. Not all apps are suitable for international expansion, so it's important to choose the target geographies where you can really make a difference. Create a list of potential target markets to penetrate and be sure that the app is culturally acceptable. You need to be certain your concept can realistically resonate before trying your hand internationally.

Different regions have different needs and taboos that might be unfamiliar to you. Make sure you know exactly what you're getting into. Small adjustments to your app might be critical for its success. Regardless of what field your app is into, you have to check a couple of things. Are there any similar apps in that market? How are they doing? What are their strengths and their weaknesses? Does your app offer any added value when compared to what is already available?
 
These questions will help you determine if pursuing a certain market is viable or not. If the situation is favorable, carry on with the next step.

Identify potential and utilize it

Now that you have a theoretical idea whether or not your app is viable, it's time to test the waters. You want to identify which markets have real potential but you don't want to go all-in and risk a lot by spending too much. How do you start?

Translating the app description in the local language can be something that takes literally 20 minutes with the right knowledge, but can drive sales up a lot. A lot of users search for new apps or products in their own language. So chances are, if your app description is not translated, people won't even realize it exists.

Tips for marketing your app internationally

Succeed globally by optimizing locally

Now that you have a theoretical idea whether or not your app is viable, it's time to test the waters. You want to identify which markets have real potential but you don't want to go all-in and risk a lot by spending too much. How do you start?

Translating the app description in the local language can be something that takes literally 20 minutes with the right knowledge, but can drive sales up a lot. A lot of users search for new apps or products in their own language. So chances are, if your app description is not translated, people won't even realize it exists.

 

Have the right distribution channels

Promote your app in local markets. Google Play is unavailable in China, so savvy app developers turn to Baidu, which just surpassed Apple to become the world's second-largest app distributor. Many countries have several popular local app distribution platforms that can be used for disseminating your app locally and, ultimatel,y drive more downloads.

Distribution channels are not the same everywhere. Baidu, for example, might be lesser known in Europe, but it is actually the world second largest app distributor. If you want to market your app in China, utilizing that distribution channel can well be the difference between success and failure. People are not going to start using some new channel just because of your app, it is your job to make it as convenient to get as possible.

Social media integration

Make sure your app integrates with popular social media platform logins. That eases data collection and allows users to register with the app without additional hassle. The social media platforms should, of course, be localized as well. That is the important part. Typically, apps have a Facebook and Twitter login integration, but these platforms don't work in all countries.

While scaling your app internationally can be a challenge, it's a great way to build your business, monetize and grow the userbase. Smartphone usage and adoption continues to grow abroad, making the opportunity quite attractive for startups.

 

Similarly, social integration doesn't always equal Twitter and Facebook. Whether it is MXit in South Africa or V Kontakte in Russia, different markets are dominated by social networks which, while unfamiliar, can be crucial for the success of your app. You don't want to put social media buttons into your app which nobody is going to use, just cluttering it and making it more cumbersome instead.

Succeed globally by optimizing locally

Customers are downloading more than 800 apps per second at a rate of over two billion apps per month on the App Store, The revolutionary App Store offers more than 850,000 apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 350,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 23 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness and travel.

Once you have identified the appropriate countries or geographies, start localizing your app in terms of design, UI and even name to fit the local culture. When Evernote entered China in 2012 it named itself based on the app's actual function rather than directly translating the name from English. This resonated with the Chinese and within a year Evernote reached 4 million users in the market, shattering analyst predictions.

Separately, when entering a multi-lingual country such as India, make your sure app platform supports all possible languages in the region. Hint: If your app supports English, Chinese and Spanish, then you're already covering more than 45 percent of users globally.  Also don't forget to localize the metadata of the app for different geographies.

Keywords are your buoys to survive in an ocean of apps. Users can't find an app without entering keywords in the search field. To get your app into the spotlight it needs to appear on the first pages. Localizing keywords, including the app name, will take you far -- further towards the top of the listings.

Use cloud services for content delivery

Whether you're creating a game, digital magazine or e-commerce app, all transactions should be done using a cloud services such as Amazon, Akamai, Microsoft Azure, etc. This will ensure the transactions are fast without any latency issues and that users enjoy the best possible experience with your app. A cloud-driven business model also allows you to scale more easily abroad and drives greater adoption.

App Store listing

When someone stumbles upon your app store listing, chances are that they already have a need. They might have read about your mobile app while using your competitors' app and decided to try your app. Or they were browsing the app store. Clicking on your listing is an indication that they're interested to learn more about your offerings.

In-app content

Along with creating content outside of your app, give equal attention to create in-app content to increase your odds of user success. If the new user has to figure out the app on their own, it might result in confusion. Content in the form of push notifications, in-app messaging, and onboarding tutorials can help new users get a hang of the program quickly to become a part of their routine.

 

Happy customers become brand ambassadors. They are more likely to recommend your app to their network and give positive reviews on the app store listing.

Authority-building content

Authority-building content includes social media posts, white papers, blogs, case studies, and guest posts. This content gains the trust of the user thereby builds relations with them.

A statistic which supports this is: 82% of customers feel more positive about a company after reading their custom content. This kind of content builds a positive brand sentiment necessary for app producers to stand out in the crowded app marketplace.

Different companies will require different kind of content at different intervals to influence the consumers' buying and engagement decisions.

The right country to target

Ideally, countries with a high percentage of smartphone penetration and app usage and the ones growing at a quick pace should be your choice.

To further narrow down the search, look at the category of your app. If your app falls in the news category, target countries whose users have a high consumption of news through smartphones.

The degree of localization is directly proportional to the resources available. You can start with translating your app's keywords and app store description with Google Translate, which can help translate keywords for ASO, or localize your app with app localizers and translators such as Translate by Humans, which professionally localizes every aspect of your app, from the icons to the app content and offer post translation testing.