Developers: Preparing for the New Year holidays. Latest tips

New Year is just around the corner, and the developer goes back in thought about the stabilization and improvement of earnings in the period of holidays. Despite the widespread belief that the prolonged holidays buyer goes into hibernation, the reality tells us something quite different. These days, millions of people in Russia and around the world receive as gifts brand new iPhone, iPad or iPod. What to do with freshly bought handheld device? Correctly! Clog its applications. It turns out that people are active during the holidays is not only not declining, but at least remain at the same level. In general, it is necessary to catch the moment. We bring you a selection of 6 actual tactics that will help maximize sales performance applications in these wonderful holidays.

1. Forget about "hovering» App Store

In recent years, developers have played with one aspect App Store - a temporary stop in the dynamics of the charts. A week before Christmas you wildly to reduce the price on your application. This increases the number of purchases, and as a consequence of growing position in the top chart. All that you will lose because of the reduced price, will return with a vengeance during the festive hang App Store statistics. The main thing - to have time to climb higher, and you are guaranteed not to throw out the whole week.

In 2010, Electronic Arts has demonstrated one of the first performance of this tactic in practice. On the eve of the holidays all the games from this publisher suddenly were worth $ 0.99, which made the top section of games for iOS in the section EA games for iOS.

But... all that was then, and now such tactics not only failed to pull the app, but will play at the expense of the developer. The fact is that at the moment there is a certain difference between the look of the chart to the user, and how he shortchanged machine. In fact, this is the "freeze" can be seen only visitors App Store. Server-side definition of continuing positions, and when the front end, "let go", then your application will fall sharply if during holiday shopping was not enough.

You can not just take and continue to hold the application in the TOP due to pre-holiday discounts. If you pause in marketing in the New Year period, then read the paragraph above.

2. Do not forget about prevention iTunes Connect

Every year Apple iTunes Connect suspend work for a period of 5 to 6 days. This year the beginning of the maintenance assigned Saturday, December 21 (tomorrow!). You must be prepared to this not very pleasant for the developer event. The latest release is rolled out? Screenshots on the page of the application the ideal and actual? Whether all is well with the description? If something is missing, then up to December 27 nothing will change.

Last year, one developer has happened cautionary tale. All autumn it actively sawed version 2.0 of its application. And while he has simply forgotten about prevention. As a result, he had to wait a whole week to roll out an updated application. Gains and new users attracted major update of the product known enough to have been overlooked.

3. Treat the application description as if it were the entrance exam to the university of your dreams

There are many developers who use the time to prevention for a detailed analysis of the current description of their product in the App Store. This is an excellent practice, and such things should be done as often as possible.

Often the developer of so much passionate about the code that is completely oblivious to the fact that the user sees the potential in getting acquainted with the product description. Yes, most buyers decide to take / not take based on the screenshots, icons, and reviews, but the description is also very important!

It should be understood that the description must be attractive, and in the case of no water. No one will read the text size is comparable to a small book. Let it painted in great detail every function and feature, but this work is still not mastered. Only the most important and concisely. A pair of paragraphs, and more.

In this description does not stop licking. The text you need to you arrange and build. It must be pleasing to the eye. Bulleted lists - it's gorgeous, but do not forget to save the logical sense from item to item.

Choose the most-most positive feedback about the product and place it in the form of quotes after the first paragraph in the description. But without fanaticism. Nobody wants to read 30 positive reviews.

Never forget: the person who has got your application, it may be too busy, he has a lot to do and little time. He's on the move, literally at a glance to understand the essence and meaning of the product.

4. Give your application a festive look

Magical holiday atmosphere can melt the heart of even the most stale person. Observations show that regardless of the specific goods sold, whether it's a lawn mower or a cheeseburger, people prefer to take holidays in the product having the attributes of this holiday.

In the case of application a lot of variants. For example, an ordinary change icons. You may notice that even in the game in the style of "Alien vs. Predator," both of monster could suddenly get on the hood in the pre-New Year period. It looks stupid? Yes, of course, but not in the New Year! During the festival the effect is quite the opposite. Magic everywhere :)

If you are targeting a particular market, then consider the peculiarities of New Year holidays in this country. In the case of the US, everything is simple: there is Santa, deer and typical candies. Making the application in the "Productivity" category? Replace the pen of the most candy. Travels? Instead, the aircraft are the same sleigh with reindeer. All these seasonal modifications can be displayed in the screen shots, giving the application even more atmospheric.

The beauty is that these temporary changes do not affect the functionality of the application, but do you closer to users. In their eyes, you are no longer an abstract developer who wants to get their money, and real live people who, like them, is pleased a great holiday.

5. Pull baker with activity in social networks

Once iTunes Connect is not available, then you need to use other ways to move your application. And here again comes the turn to social networks. Do not need to remind you 365 days a year, must actively be there, but now we must try even more. Holidays - it's like to visit, parties and so on. Computer at hand is not, and most people are on the web from your mobile. And what we do in their smart phones and tablets? That's right: the game, and surf the social sphere. Be active, respond to their community, thanking him back holiday atmosphere, you can even arrange some actions and the like.

Remember, if the user has found the time to write something to you personally, you should show mutual respect and spend a modicum of time to respond. At the appropriate level of loyalty users themselves become a part of your marketing power.

6. Please contact technical journalists

You know, the end of the year in any information publications - it is always a summing up, the choice of the most significant, the most interesting and memorable of all that has happened over the past year, the composition of all kinds of TOPs. In general, this is the announcement of the best. If you have a reasonable developer, you probably have long been in good relations with the relevant publications that have written about you. Perhaps your product is really worthy of getting into the top? Remind about themselves, show how you have evolved as the prettier your application.

Perhaps, in the pre-holiday fuss they will not have time to write about you, but in my community Retweet news on the ongoing action by you - completely.

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