作者：ANDY CROFFORD

游戏邦注：本文发稿于2010年12月7日，所涉时间、事件和数据均以当时为准。

曾有不少开发者困惑需采用何种方式才能使应用获得更多曝光度，从而为自己创造更多收益。Marketing Your App（游戏邦注：该网站为iPhone应用开发商提供资源和服务，让他们的应用获得新顾客和盈利）创始人Matthew Palmer针对此类问题发表了自己的看法。以下是游戏邦编译的访谈内容：

App marketing(from iphonesavior.com)

难道优良的应用无法自销吗？

尽管应用质量非常重要，但即便是世界上最好的应用也无法自销。现在App Store中应用数超过30万个，从大军中脱颖而出变得格外艰难。为使应用得以销售，你需要克服两大挑战：让人们知道应用的存在；说服人们你的应用值得下载或购买。懂得如何成功营销应用可以帮助你解决这两个挑战，促使销售额大幅提升。

应用营销过程中一般会出现哪些问题？

许多开发商很容易陷入关注应用特征的泥潭中。我知道他们花了无数个小时才将应用调整至最佳状态，但我所见到的普遍问题是应用销售只关注应用本身而并非目标用户。开发商应该尝试换位思考，也就是说，想的问题不是“我要如何销售应用？”，而是“为何人们想要购买我的应用？”只有当顾客了解到应用给他们带来的好处，比如节省资金和时间或带来乐趣等，他们才会心甘情愿付费购买应用。

在应用营销资金不足的情况下，对于应用免费营销你有何建议？

在线推广iPhone应用的优势之一在于，许多最佳策略无需花费资金，比如社交媒体。人们每时每刻都在Twitter、Facebook和其他社交媒体上讨论应用。那么为何不吸引他们讨论你的应用呢？你可以在这些站点上建立个人页面，尝试接触那些已在讨论应用内容（游戏邦注：如酒类或运动等）或应用目标群体（游戏邦注：如母亲或学生等）的社群。

如果应用已经在App Store上发布数月但还从未进行过营销，现在开始做是否会浪费时间和金钱？

我确信，任何时候开始应用营销都不会为时过晚。原因如下：或许应用发布之初的确能获得众人关注，但现在它已经在App Store上有些时日，应该开始向外界展现它的资历。顾客喜欢寻找最新的应用，也常常会忽略已经存在的优秀应用。你可以将应用更新，通过某些营销行为来重新让销售恢复元气。应用的独特之处在哪里？它为原来的用户提供何种帮助？这些都可以成为推广的切入点。

该如何找到高质量网站为游戏提供评论？

在Google中搜索“iphone应用评论”会得出好多结果，所以决定从何处开始尤为困难。如果是款新应用，或许你可以从较小的评论网站开始，通过某些行为来激起网站评论员的兴趣。评论网站每天会收到大量的请求，所以让应用显得突出实为一大挑战。首先将目标定位于小型评论网站，这样就可以在进军大型流行站点之前做好准备。接下来，你可以选择某些流行站点，如148Apps、MacWorld、AppSafari和TUAW等等。

免费版对应用付费版的销售有帮助吗？

提供免费“精简版”的应用确实可以帮助提升应用的关注度，从而增加销售量。无论是数字世界还是现实世界，人们都喜欢免费的产品，所以“精简版”很容易吸引用户进行尝试。随后当他们想得到游戏中更多关卡或实用应用的更多功能时，人们可以付费进行升级。然而，确定免费版应用需要经过深思熟虑。相对付费版而言，免费版中需要提供哪些功能？精简版应用有其实用价值，抑或只是个广告而已？精简版应用中提供的内容是否过多？付费版中的其他功能是否值得用户花钱进行升级？这些问题都需要考虑。

从应用网站、应用描述到应用图标等，哪些重点通常为开发商所忽视？

App Store中的每款应用都会提供截图，但许多开发商忽略了视频对应用销售的功效。你可以制作应用的视频来展现其最主要的特色，迅速向顾客传达为何他们必须使用这款应用的信息。不幸的是，App Store上无法播放视频，但我推荐将其放在应用网站和YouTube上。简短的视频可以帮助应用从竞争者中脱颖而出，迅速说服顾客购买应用。

能否推荐些可帮助制定推广营销计划的书籍？

当然可以，现在有许多资源可为应用营销提供帮助。《iPhone & iPad Apps Marketing》和《Get Rich with Apps》这两本书都很好地概述了应用的推广策略。许多好书关注的是营销普遍策略，但这两本书中提供的技巧专用于销售iPhone或iPad应用。

是否应该将应用定价为0.99美元然后再进行调整？还是有更好的定价策略？

决定应用价格是应用开发商面临的首要问题之一。最初定价99美分可能带来的问题是往后提升价格将变得很困难。顾客已经认同应用99美分的价格，涨价可能令其难以接受。在制定价格之前，先看看同类应用的售价。想想应用是否拥有比它们更多的功能以制定更高的售价，以及低价优势能否提高应用竞争力。如果在两个价格间犹豫不决，你可以先采用较高的售价，随后再以低价进行促销。限时打折能促使更多用户购买应用。反之，如果刚开始便定价为99美分，可能很难再提升价格，也没有促销的空间。

应用营销有什么技巧？

如果我只能提供一个建议的话，那就是大胆尝试！对应用和在线营销来说，纸上谈兵没有任何作用。你可以尝试在应用中加入新功能，或修改App Store中的描述。没有投放到App Store中的应用不会带来任何盈利，但如果应用已经发布，你就可以开始进行销售来获得新顾客。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Interview with app marketing guru, Matthew Palmer, of Marketing Your App

ANDY CROFFORD

We asked for your top questions about promoting your mobile apps, and many of you wrote in asking about the best ways to get more publicity for your app and turn it into a money maker. We sent your questions to Matthew Palmer, founder of the website Marketing Your App, which offers iPhone developers resources and services to get new customers and profit from their apps. He is an experienced online marketer for the technology industry, having created successful marketing campaigns for companies such as IBM and Intel.

Mobile Orchard: Won’t great apps market themselves?

Matthew Palmer: While it’s very important to have a quality app, even the world’s best app can’t sell itself. There are over 300,000 apps in the App Store today, making it difficult for you to stand out. To generate sales of your app, you need to overcome two challenges: getting people to find you and, once they know about you, convincing them that your app is worth downloading or paying for. Knowing how to successfully market your app can help you boost your sales by tackling both challenges.

MO: What are common mistakes made in app marketing?

MP: For many developers, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the great features you added to your app. After all, I’m sure you’ve spent untold hours getting your app just right. But a common mistake I’ve seen when selling your app is focusing on the app itself and not the person who will buy it. Try putting yourself in your customer’s shoes… so, instead of thinking “how can I sell my app?”, think “why would someone want to buy my app?” Customers will gladly pay for your app, but only when they understand what benefit they’ll get out of it, such as saving money, saving time, or just having fun.

MO: I have no money for marketing my app, do you have any suggestions to market my app for free?

MP: One of the advantages of promoting your iPhone app online is that many of the best strategies also happen to be free. Social media, for example. Every minute of every day, people are talking about apps on Twitter, Facebook, and more. So why shouldn’t they be talking about yours? In addition to making your own profile on these sites, try to reach out with communities that already exist around what your app is about (such as wine or sports) or who your app is for (like moms or students).

MO: My app has been in the App Store for several months and I have never marketed it. Would it be a waste of time and money for me to start now?

MP: I’m a firm believer that it’s never too late (or too early!) to start marketing your app. Here’s why: there was probably a lot of excitement around your app when it was brand new. But now that it’s been in the App Store for a while, it might start to be showing its age. Shoppers love to find the latest apps, and often overlook wonderful apps that have been around for a while. You can freshen things up and revitalize your sales with some marketing. What’s unique about your app? How has it helped people who used it? These could all be perfect jumping off points for some promotion.

MO: What is the best way to find quality sites to review my app?

MP: Searching for “iphone app reviews” in Google brings up pages of results, so it can be tough to know where to start. If your app is new, you might want to start with smaller review sites to get some practice at sparking the interest of a site reviewer. Review sites receive a large number of requests every day, so making yours stand out can be a challenge. By targeting smaller review sites first, you can perfect your pitch before approaching the most popular sites. Then, you can seek out some of the most popular sites such as 148Apps, MacWorld, AppSafari, TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog), or others.

MO: Does having a free version really help me sell more of my app’s paid version?

MP: Offering a free “lite” version of your app can certainly help you boost awareness of your app and increase your sales. It is really the best of both worlds: people love free apps (who doesn’t?), so your “lite” version makes it extremely easy for them to try it out at no charge. Then, when they want additional levels in your game or extra features in your utility app, they can pay to upgrade. However, deciding to offer a free version of your app should be something you carefully think out. What features will you offer in the free vs. the paid version? Does the lite app offer real value or is it just an empty advertisement? Are you giving too much away in the lite app? Are the extra features in the paid app worth the money upgrade?

MO: What areas, from the app website to its description to the app icon, are important but commonly overlooked by developers?

MP: Every app in the App Store shows off their screenshots, but what many developers overlook is the power of video to sell their app. You can make a video of your app in action to show off its best features and quickly show customers why it’s a “must have”. Unfortunately, you can’t play your video in the App Store, but I’d recommend featuring it on your app’s website and YouTube. A short video can help your app stand out from your competition and quickly convince shoppers to buy your app.

MO: Can you recommend any books on marketing that will help me with my promotion plans?

MP: Yes, there are many helpful resources online and offline to give you ideas on marketing your app. Two books that give a good overview of app promotion are “iPhone & iPad Apps Marketing” and “Get Rich with Apps”. While there are many excellent books on marketing in general, these two books can give you strategies just for selling your iPhone or iPad app.

MO: Should I introduce my app at .99 and adjust from there or is there a better pricing strategy?

MP: Figuring out what to charge for your app is a top question app developers have. One trouble with starting out charging just 99 cents is that it is difficult to raise your price later. Customers start expecting that your app will be 99 cents and an increase may be harder for them to accept. Before you decide on a price, take a look at what other apps like yours are selling for. Does your app have additional features you can charge more for? Or, can you undercut your competition with a lower price? If you are deciding between two possible prices, you might want to start with the higher one and offer a sale later on. The limited-time discount can drive more people to buy your app now. However, with a 99 cent price tag, you are somewhat locked in: it may be difficult to raise your price and you are not able to offer a sale (unless you make it free).

MO: What is your best app marketing tip?

MP: If I could offer just one piece of advice, it’s just do it! Give it a try. Especially with apps and marketing online, nothing is written in stone. You can try new features in your app or revise your description in the App Store. An app that isn’t in the App Store will make you nothing, but if you’re out there and spreading the word, you can start building up sales and getting new customers. (Source: Mobile Orchard)