The Life Cycles of Apps
Much like a living entity, apps have an expiration date for success, or what I like to refer to as a life cycle. No two apps have the same life cycle. With all the information presented to this point, it should be easy for you to predict where you app is in terms of its life cycle. A flawed assumption some people make is that if you create a popular app, it will sell at the top forever. This is not true even with the top-selling games. Angry Birds serves as an excellent example. When this app is trending downward, the experienced developers make a new iteration of the game or launch a major update to counteract the downward trend. If they did not make these changes, in all likelihood, the game wouldn’t even be in the top 200 today. Not all apps have the same time frame when it comes to cycles, but they all generally trend the same. Understanding trends requires that you be aware of the App Store’s three distinct seasons: pre–holiday (September–November); holiday, or peak (December-February); and slow (March–August). An unwise appreneur will only look at sales numbers (the amount of money he or she is making) to determine trends and cycles, but it is imperative that you consider all the information at hand to make the best decisions for your app.
The only effective way to track your app’s trends and life cycle is by App Store ranking. The reason is that during the different app seasons, the volume of apps varies greatly. For example, if you have a top 200 app during the holiday season, you will see approximately 750 paid downloads. Conversely, during the slow season this number can be as low as 500. If you were tracking your app purely on revenue, you might logically assume your app is trending down; however, it is not. Keeping a close eye on ranking provides the most accurate data when tracking an app’s cycles.
When you first release your app, you will likely trend upward that entire week. Your app is automatically featured in the App Store’s “New” category for the first few days. In addition, many third-party sites will scrape (pull data) from the App Store for apps to showcase; therefore, your app will likely show up in some Google searches as well. Statistically, your new release trend will reach an apex four to five days after your app has been released. What you do next will determine if you continue to stay at the top or plummet to the bottom.
If you have applied all the strategies covered thus far, your app is doing well. You are reading your reviews and tracking rankings and other important data. To remain viable in the app market, it is now time to start thinking about how you can add or improve features. Leonardo da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” This is my favorite quote for underlining the mistake amateur appreneurs habitually make with their first few apps: they abandon them. They think that just because the app is launched in the App Store and is doing well, they can rest on their proverbial laurels, getting paid forever. Unfortunately, the notion of the App Store as an easy, get-rich-quick road to riches is a misconception that has been perpetuated by many authors and bloggers. The truth is quite the opposite; being an appreneur is a job like any other. If you start a successful soft drink company and never go to work after the first day, how long do you think the company will keep making a profit? I tested this theory with an app not long ago. A few days after the app ranked among the App Store’s top 200 overall, I decided to see how long I could ride the wave. In January 2012 the app was generating more than $1,000 a day. I didn’t maintain contact with my community of users or add any updates. Not surprisingly, I was correct in my hypothesis. After only two months, sales plummeted. In the summer of 2012, the app, which is still in version one, made a paltry $8. Simply put, if you do not continue to work with your apps and customers, you will eventually trend down into the dirt. To avoid this scenario, take note of the secrets and tips I have learned.
Updating Apps to Keep Users Engaged
Users love updates (this should be imprinted into your brain by now). Updates are the single-best way of keeping your application from trending downward. Types of updates can vary from huge new features to simple bug fixes. As long as you are doing your best to keep your users happy, they will continue to download and use the app. If you let your app become stagnant and boring, your users will leave and never come back. Usually, when users become bored with an app, they delete it. To avoid deletion disaster, you must keep your current users using the app. There are a few ways to do this:
- Push notifications : Push notifications are messages sent to your users from the app. The cool thing about push notifications is that they have close to a 100 percent open rate. Because they pop up on the main screen of a user’s phone, they are difficult to ignore. Use these sparingly; the last thing you want to do is spam your users. I generally send these notifications when I add a new update.
- E-mail notifications : If you have a good e-mail list for your users, you can send the same types of notifications via e-mail. Unlike push notifications, e-mails are not opened as often; in addition, you may anger some users, who view these notifications as junk mail. I only use this method if I don’t have an app with push notifications.
- Social network pages : Make sure to chime in on your social network pages. Let your users know you are listening and working on the app. Feel free to use your own app and post some of your own content. Users love to see the developer using the app.
- Facebook/Twitter posts : Be sure to use the social media outlets associated with your app. These are fantastic ways to interact with your users. I usually make posts when a new feature has gone into development, when it is submitted to the App Store, and when the update is live for download. This will keep your users up-to-date and, in a sense, include them in the development process.
In addition to maintaining your current user base, any wise business plan will also include new customer generation. To generate new sales, you should continue to advertise (see Chapter 6). Advertising is not a one-time deal; to keep your app business fresh, make sure you always have ads, videos, and promotions going live. Most of these ads will run for an allotted time, so make sure you don’t let them all expire at once. Inexperienced appreneurs typically make the mistake of only running one ad campaign. Can you imagine what would happen if major companies did this? My guess is that they wouldn’t be major companies for long. Continue to find new and innovative ways to advertise your application, and you will always be ahead of your competition. As the App Store continues to grow, those who can effectively advertise and market will come out on top.
Seasonal iterations of apps can be a huge sales boost. Observe the App Store around Christmastime; often, the most popular apps have a Christmas version. Typically, only the big companies do this, but more independent appreneurs need to be informed. Adding a new version of your app with a Christmas or Halloween theme to it can drive up your sales exponentially. Angry Birds did this with its Angry Birds seasonal game. It is the same game, with a few new levels and a Christmas theme. The seasonal version also turned a considerable profit; users did not mind paying again for basically the same app.
Partnering with affiliates can also be a good way to make a new version of the app. Imangi Studios, the creators of Temple Run, provides an excellent example to follow. Imagini created a similar version of the game that featured characters from the movie Brave. The original game had been trending down for the past few months; however, as soon as the Brave movie version hit the store, Temple Run was back at the top.
Sometimes, you need to think creatively to prevent your apps from trending down. There is no one way to accomplish this, but by using all these tricks, you will have made a great effort. Remember, if you abandon your app, your users will abandon you.