Yes, the holidays for many of us are over and it’s back to figuring out how to promote your show or make money from your mobile apps. In order to do this, I recommend plotting your holiday strategy well in advance. Like, now.
The Santa at my local mall said the most popular request from kids was a tablet – specifically the iPad (to which he cleverly mentioned that Apple won’t give his elves the details on how to make them in Santa’s workshop, so stock is low). For those lucky kids (and adults) who got their handheld device over the holidays, many rushed to the app store on Christmas day to start buying.
According to a post from eMarketer, apps tracked by the Flurry service were downloaded 91% more on Christmas day than on any other day in December. And another report shows 49% of those apps downloaded were games, followed by music apps at 43%.
This uptick in app downloads on Christmas day isn’t new – it’s been the trend for a few years now with gift buyers flocking towards devices and gift cards.
So, how can you plan for this next year?
1. Get ready to offer a discount on your app or a sale on your virtual merch by Christmas Day, and keep the promotion going to the New Year. We all like a sale, and the 10-year-old who got a $20 gift card for the app store will be looking for the biggest bang for his or her buck.
2. Consider a contest on social media to give away app store gift cards or free app downloads over the holidays so parents can help kids fill their devices. Just make sure your contest is legit so you don’t get punished. Here’s a quick guide for Facebook contests.
3. Plan now to spend some money on digital ads (for both mobile and desktop devices) to promote your app, or contest, or discount. Check out this Hey, Digital Geek post for more ideas.
In the coming weeks, I’ll have a post about digital advertising to help you plan even more.
While it’s still early, putting the wheels in motion now for December 2014 can help you weather the storm as other app creators looking to do the same thing next holiday season. Good luck!
Lianne Stewart is a digital consultant for the kids entertainment industry. Reach out to her at LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/
Newsletter
