Apparently, vibe coding is the latest and greatest thing in software development, or so I hear from the younger generation. It seems like it’s all about using AI tools to generate code based on natural language prompts. You tell the AI what you want to build, and it spits out the code. No more late nights wrestling with syntax errors, no more meticulously planning out every class and function. You just… vibe it into existence.

The Origin Story

The term gained traction thanks to Andrej Karpathy, a prominent figure in AI (OpenAI, Tesla). He described ‘vibe coding’ as fully embracing AI generation, iterating based on natural language, and potentially minimizing direct code interaction or even deep review. This idea – letting the ‘vibe’ of the requirement guide the AI, potentially bypassing meticulous human coding – is where the conversation gets really interesting, and perhaps, a little unsettling for seasoned developers.

How It Works (Supposedly)

From what I gather, the process involves describing your desired outcome in plain English (even voice commands are suggested), letting AI generate the code. You then refine through further prompts. The most discussed and debated aspect? The suggestion by proponents that deep, line-by-line understanding of the generated code might become less critical than iterating on the high-level ‘vibe’.

My (Slightly Jaded) Take

Look, progress is essential, and making development more accessible is a worthy goal. We see this with low-code/no-code platforms and the genuine utility of AI assistants. However, as someone who values robust, understandable, and maintainable code, principles that are core to Xojo’s design philosophy, the notion of accepting code without fully grasping its mechanics raises serious questions.

We’ve spent years learning that the devil is in the details: edge cases, security vulnerabilities, performance bottlenecks. Can a ‘vibe’ truly account for all that?

As one Reddit user aptly put it, ‘Coding is easy, testing and maintaining is hard.’ That deep understanding is crucial for the hard parts.

The Potential Upsides (Maybe)

Okay, I’ll admit, there might be some potential benefits to this “vibe coding” thing.

• Rapid Prototyping: It could be useful for quickly creating prototypes and experimenting with new ideas.
• Lower Barrier to Entry: It might allow non-developers to build simple applications and bring their ideas to life.
• Increased Productivity: It could free up developers to focus on higher-level tasks like architecture and problem-solving.

The Concerns (Definitely)

But here are the things that keep me up at night:

• Lack of Understanding: If you don’t understand the code, how can you possibly debug it or fix it when things go wrong?
• Hidden Risks (Security & Quality): Could relying heavily on AI without rigorous review introduce subtle bugs or security flaws that aren’t immediately apparent?
• The Maintainability Maze: What happens to long-term maintainability when the original ‘author’ (the AI) has no memory, and the human overseer lacks deep understanding of the implementation?
• Erosion of Craftsmanship?: Does over-reliance risk deskilling developers or devaluing the rigorous problem-solving at the heart of good engineering?

My Verdict

So, is ‘vibe coding’ poised to take over software development? For complex, critical applications, it seems unlikely in its purest form. The risks associated with a lack of deep understanding are simply too high. However, dismissing the power of AI in coding would be equally misguided.

These tools are becoming powerful assistants. The key isn’t choosing between ‘vibes’ and traditional coding; it’s about intelligent integration. Use AI to accelerate development, handle boilerplate, and explore ideas. But never relinquish the crucial step of understanding, testing, and refining the output.

Fundamentals matter. Clarity, solid architecture, and maintainability, the very things Xojo is built to facilitate, become more important, not less, in an AI-assisted world. We need to leverage these tools wisely, as co-pilots, not as autopilots flying blind.

But, what do you think? Am I simply being a traditionalist coder, or do you share some of my concerns regarding “vibe coding”? Let’s discuss it in the Xojo forums. Share your experiences and perspectives. Navigating this evolution is something we should do together as a community.

Gabriel is a digital marketing enthusiast who loves coding with Xojo to create cool software tools for any platform. He is always eager to learn and share new ideas!

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1. Use Social Media to Reach More People

Social media is a powerful tool for app promotion. You can connect with your audience on platforms like X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and others. These platforms allow you to share information about your app and show how it can help users.

Create posts that are interesting and useful. For example, if your app helps with productivity, share tips and success stories. Share short videos or images that explain how your app works. People like content that teaches them something or makes them smile.

You can also join online communities where your audience spends time. Reddit, Facebook Groups, and LinkedIn Groups are good examples. Participate in conversations and share your knowledge. When the time is right, you can introduce your app to these communities.

For example, a developer of a fitness app could join a fitness subreddit. They could share workout tips and then explain how their app helps people stay fit. This approach feels natural and not too promotional.

Tips for Success:

• Post regularly to keep your audience engaged.
• Use popular hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts.
• Reply to comments and messages to build trust with your audience.

2. Improve Your App Store Listing

If people cannot find your app, they cannot download it. App Store Optimization (ASO) helps users discover your app in app stores. You can think of ASO as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for apps.

Start with your app’s title and description. Include keywords that users are likely to search for. For example, if your app tracks habits, use words like “habit tracker” or “daily planner” in the description.

Visuals are also very important. A good app icon and clear screenshots can make your app stand out. You can also create a short video that shows how your app works. Encourage users to leave reviews and ratings. Apps with higher ratings appear higher in search results.

Updating your app listing regularly also helps. Add new features and respond to user feedback to keep your app fresh. A flexible app development tool, like Xojo, can make this updating process easier by helping you quickly adapt to user needs and marketplace trends.

Tips for Success:

• Use Google Keyword Planner to find the best keywords for your app. This free tool helps you identify terms that people search for.
• Offer small rewards in your app to encourage users to leave reviews.
• Monitor your app’s performance and make improvements based on data.

3. Work with Influencers to Promote Your App

Influencers can help more people learn about your app. You do not need to work with influencers who have millions of followers. Micro-influencers with smaller audiences are often more affordable and effective.

Find influencers whose audience matches your app’s target users. For example, if you have a cooking app, look for food bloggers or Instagram chefs. Offer them free access to your app in exchange for a review or a social media post.

Personalized messages work best when reaching out to influencers. Explain how your app can benefit their audience. Show them that you care about their work and are not just looking for free promotion.

Tips for Success:

• Focus on influencers with engaged audiences, not just large follower numbers.
• Give influencers resources like videos or promo codes to make promotion easier.
• Build long-term relationships with influencers to keep your app in the spotlight.

Conclusion

Promoting your app does not have to be expensive. By using social media, improving your app store listing, and working with influencers, you can increase your app’s visibility for free. These strategies require time and effort, but they can deliver great results.

Which strategy will you try first? Start promoting your app today and track your progress. With creativity and persistence, you can attract more users and make your app successful!

Gabriel is a digital marketing enthusiast who loves coding with Xojo to create cool software tools for any platform. He is always eager to learn and share new ideas!

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In this article, we’ll explore actionable, real-world design principles tailored to the unique needs of solo developers. Whether you’re building your first app or looking to improve your design skills, this guide will give you the tools and confidence to create apps that stand out in today’s crowded market.

Why Design Matters for Solo Developers

Before diving into specific principles, let’s address a fundamental question: Why is design so crucial for solo developers? The answer is simple—Users judge your app within seconds, forming quick impressions that impact their decision to continue using it. A poorly designed app drives users away, no matter how powerful its functionality is. Good design, on the other hand, builds trust, enhances usability, and keeps users coming back.

For solo developers, good design is also a strategic advantage. With limited resources, you can’t compete with big teams on the number of features. But you can compete on delivering a streamlined, delightful user experience (UX).

Core Design Principles for Mobile App Developers

Let’s break down effective mobile app design into manageable, actionable principles. These are specifically geared toward solo developers who need to maximize their impact without burning out.

1. Start with User-Centered Design (UCD)

The foundation of great design is understanding your users. Who are they? What problems are they trying to solve? What do they expect from your app?

Action Steps:

• Create user personas: Develop simple profiles of your target users, outlining their goals, challenges, and preferences. For example, if you’re building a productivity app, your persona might be a busy freelancer who values speed and simplicity.
• Map user journeys: Sketch the step-by-step flow of how users interact with your app. Identify any potential friction points and eliminate them.

Example:

Imagine you’re building a budgeting app. Your user persona might be a young professional who wants to track expenses quickly. A user-centered approach prioritizes features like one-tap expense logging and clear, visual summaries of spending.

2. Keep It Simple and Intuitive

Users shouldn’t need a manual to figure out how to use your app. Simplicity doesn’t just mean fewer features; it means making the most important features easy to find and use.

Action Steps:

• Follow established patterns: Use common design conventions, such as a bottom navigation bar for key actions. Users are already familiar with these patterns, so don’t reinvent the wheel.
• Limit choices: Avoid overwhelming users with too many options or settings. Focus on the core functionality that solves their problem.
• Prioritize clarity: Use simple, descriptive labels for buttons and menus. Avoid jargon or ambiguous terms.

Example:

Take inspiration from apps like Instagram. Its clean design makes it instantly clear how to post a photo, view stories, or explore content. Even as a solo developer, you can achieve a similar level of clarity by focusing on simplicity.

3. Optimize for Mobile First

Mobile screens are small, so every pixel counts. Designing for mobile-first means giving priority to usability on smaller screens before addressing larger screens.

Action Steps:

• Use responsive design: Ensure your app looks and works great on a wide range of screen sizes, from small phones to large tablets.
• Design for touch: Make buttons and interactive elements easy to tap with a finger. Aim for a minimum touch target size of 48×48 pixels.
• Focus on readability: Use legible font sizes (at least 16px for body text) and maintain sufficient contrast between text and background colors.

Example:

Consider a to-do list app. A mobile-first approach designs a clean, vertical layout with large, tappable checkboxes, ensuring users can quickly mark tasks as complete on the go.

4. Embrace Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy refers to the arrangement of elements to guide users’ attention. When done well, users understand what’s most important at a glance.

Action Steps:

• Use size and color strategically: Make primary actions (e.g., “Submit” buttons) larger and more visually distinct than secondary actions.
• Group related elements: Use spacing to visually group related items, such as form fields or menu options.
• Leverage typography: Use different font sizes and weights to create contrast between headings, subheadings, and body text.

Example:

In a fitness app, display the user’s daily step count in a bold, colorful header, while less critical information (e.g., weekly trends) appears in smaller, subdued text below.

5. Focus on Performance and Speed

No one likes a slow app. Performance is a key part of the user experience, and it’s especially important for mobile apps, where users expect instant responsiveness.

Action Steps:

• Optimize assets: Compress images and use vector graphics where possible to reduce load times.
• Minimize animations: While animations can enhance UX, overusing them slows down your app. Use them sparingly and purposefully.
• Test on real devices: Don’t rely solely on simulators. Test your app on actual devices to ensure smooth performance.

Example:

If you’re building a weather app, users expect the current weather to load quickly. Preload data where possible and optimize your API calls for speed.

6. Iterate and Test Continuously

Design is an iterative process. Even the best initial design can be enhanced through user feedback and continuous refinement.

Action Steps:

• Start with a minimum viable product (MVP): Focus on the core functionality and get it into users hands quickly.
• Gather feedback: Use surveys, app store reviews, or in-app feedback tools to understand what users like and dislike.
• Refine based on data: Analyze user behavior (e.g., which features are most used) and improve accordingly.

Example:

When developing a language learning app, you might discover that users struggle with navigation. Based on feedback, simplify the menu structure or add tooltips to guide new users.

Tools to Simplify Design for Solo Developers

As a solo developer, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Leverage tools that streamline the design process:

• Figma: A powerful design tool for creating wireframes and prototypes.
• Xojo: Xojo’s drag-and-drop interface, combined with its easy-to-learn language, makes creating mobile apps across different form factors straightforward.
• Canva: Great for creating simple, clean graphics for your app.

Conclusion: You’ve Got This!

Designing a mobile app as a solo developer is no small feat, but by following these principles, you can create apps that are both functional and enjoyable to use. Remember to start with your users in mind, focus on simplicity and clarity, and continuously refine your work based on feedback.

Your Next Step: Take a look at your current project (or start a new one!) and apply at least one of the principles discussed in this article. Need a mobile app development platform? Check out Xojo for an intuitive, developer-friendly way to bring your app ideas to life.

1. One-Time Purchase

Implement a one-time purchase model where users pay a single fee to download and use your desktop application. This approach provides instant revenue and offers several advantages:

• Simple, straightforward pricing
• Immediate revenue generation
• No ongoing costs or commitments for users

However, this model has potential drawbacks:

• Limited ongoing revenue, as users only pay once
• Requires continuous updates and improvements to maintain user satisfaction
• Relies heavily on new customer acquisition for sustained growth

Example: A one-time purchase model is ideal for specialized tools or applications with a specific, well-defined purpose. For example, a desktop application that converts file formats or performs complex calculations for a niche industry would be well-suited for this model. Users typically expect such tools to work reliably without the need for frequent updates or ongoing subscription costs.

2. Subscription Model

Implement a subscription model where users pay a recurring fee to access and use your desktop application. This approach generates ongoing revenue and encourages customer retention.

Benefits:

• Predictable, recurring revenue streams
• Increased customer retention and loyalty
• Ability to continually update and improve the application

Potential drawbacks:

• Users may be deterred by ongoing costs, especially for one-time tasks
• Requires ongoing development and support, which can be resource-intensive

Example: Successful subscription-based desktop applications offer regular updates, new features, and premium support to justify the recurring fees. Productivity software suites and antivirus programs commonly use subscription models to provide ongoing value to customers.

3. Freemium Model

Implement a freemium model where a basic version of your desktop application is offered for free, with the possibility to upgrade to a premium version with added features or support. This approach attracts users with a free version and encourages upgrades to a paid version.

Benefits:

• Attracts a large user base with the free version
• Provides opportunities to upsell premium features or support
• Allows users to try before buying, reducing purchase risk

Successful implementation:

• Clearly define features and limitations of the free version
• Offer significant value in the premium version to encourage upgrades
• Make the upgrade process easy and seamless for users

Example: A photo editing software might offer a free version with basic editing tools, and a premium version with advanced features like HDR support or batch editing.

4. In-App Purchases

Implement in-app purchases to allow users to buy additional features, content, or services within your desktop application. This approach enhances the user experience and increases revenue.

Types of in-app purchases:

• More features or functionality
• Premium content (exclusive data or expert advice)
• Virtual goods or currency
• Ad-free experience or premium support

Successful implementation:

• Clearly communicate the value of in-app purchases to users
• Make the purchasing process easy and seamless
• Ensure in-app purchases are relevant and useful
• Avoid aggressive or deceptive monetization tactics

Examples: Productivity applications can use in-app purchases to offer advanced features. For instance, a project management tool might provide basic task tracking for free, but offer in-app purchases for advanced reporting, time tracking, or integration with other popular business tools. This allows users to customize their experience based on their specific needs and budget.

Games often use in-app purchases to enhance player engagement and monetization. A strategy game might offer a base game for free, but include in-app purchases for special units, resource packs, or cosmetic items. This model allows players to enjoy the game without spending money, while providing options for those who want to progress faster or customize their experience.

5. Advertising

Integrate advertising into your desktop application to generate revenue. This approach can be effective but requires careful consideration to keep a positive user experience.

Types of advertising:

• Display ads (banner ads or pop-up ads)
• Sponsored content (sponsored articles or product placements)
• Affiliate marketing (promote other partner products or services)

Successful implementation:

• Choose relevant and non-intrusive ad formats
• Clearly mark ads to avoid confusing users
• Use targeting options to deliver relevant ads based on users’ interests
• Monitor user feedback and adjust ad strategy accordingly

Balance revenue generation with user experience when integrating advertising. Overly aggressive or intrusive advertising can drive users away, while insufficient advertising may not generate adequate revenue. Carefully check user engagement and satisfaction to find the right balance for your application.

Conclusion

Monetizing a desktop application requires careful consideration of target audience, application type, and revenue goals. Understanding different monetization strategies allows developers to choose the best approach and maximize revenue.

Each strategy, discussed in this article, offers unique advantages and disadvantages. The right choice depends on the specific application and target audience.

To succeed in monetizing a desktop application:

• Understand target audience needs
• Choose a monetization strategy aligned with application type and revenue goals
• Continuously check and adjust strategy to improve revenue and user experience

By following these guidelines and selecting the right monetization strategy, developers can create successful, profitable desktop applications that meet user needs.

Gabriel is a digital marketing enthusiast who loves coding with Xojo to create cool software tools for any platform. He is always eager to learn and share new ideas!

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One project that was just shared with me was from Tim Dietrich, a Xojo user who has spoken at our user conferences (see 2018 presentation and 2019 panel). Late last year Tim shared that he was working on a project that could get Xojo in front of a new audience and he’s blogged with some updates along the way. Yesterday he released SuiteTransmit, which is an application for NetSuite developers to monitor files they are working on and when a file is changed, it is automatically uploaded to the File Cabinet.

About the project and development process, Tim commented:

I developed SuiteTransmit so that my NetSuite development work would be more efficient, and so that I could use my preferred development tool (BBEdit). When I started working on the app, I had a basic idea of what I wanted it to do and how I wanted it to work, but I wasn’t sure what it would take to build it. 

The first version of the app (which was essentially a proof-of-concept) was a Xojo console app. It monitored files in a specific directory, and when a change was detected, the updated file was uploaded to NetSuite via a custom API. It worked, and I immediately felt more efficient. That was encouraging, and the development process was very fast. That’s one of the things I like about Xojo: You can go from a concept to a working solution in no time at all.

Then I realized that the console app approach wasn’t ideal, especially when it came to launching the app, passing parameters via the command line, and so on. So I took some of the code I had developed in the console app, and repurposed it in a Xojo desktop app. That was extremely easy to do. I then improved the interface a little, and added support for configuration files (so that I could use the app when working on multiple projects). It quickly started to feel like a “real app.” And I have to admit, as geeky as it sounds, it was cool to see my app’s icon in the macOS toolbar.

That was all back in November of last year, and I’ve been using the app ever since then. It has absolutely been a game changer for me. My NetSuite development work is now much more like the Web development work that I’ve been doing for years. SuiteTransmit empowers me to use a development approach and workflow that I’m familiar with. And because I can now make changes to my apps more quickly and efficiently, I’m much more likely to experiment and try new development techniques.

At that point, I decided that I’d make SuiteTransmit available to other NetSuite developers. I figured that if the app was helping me that much, then it might help others, too. But before releasing it, I needed to test it on Windows, and ensure that it worked properly. That was important because, based on what I know about the NetSuite development community, most developers use Windows-based PCs. During testing, there were some weird differences that I found, and they seemed to be with Windows itself (and not anything that Xojo was doing). Regardless, I was impressed by how easy Xojo made it to get the app working on both platforms. 

A lot of people ask me why I give so many of my development tools away for free. I do it for a number of reasons, but the main one is that I figure that if someone else can benefit from them, and if they make another developer’s work even a little easier, then that’s great. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” as the saying goes.

Also, I don’t feel the need to monetize these things. It’s not what I do, or what I want to do, or what I’m good at. I develop custom software. Period. That’s where I’ve found joy and success.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, we love to share what Xojo users are making! We always encourage you to add your projects to the Showcase or reach out to hello@xojo.com anytime to talk about writing a blog post about your app!

Leisurely scroll through the alphabetically listed apps in the Showcase to see what can be made with Xojo. From AcaStat, an easy to use data analysis tool for Windows and Mac, to VersionTracker, a tool to help developers maintain and create version history logs, the Showcase includes apps of all kinds. Search by Category or Platform for something specific. Spend some time in Galactic Quizmaster, pack for your next trip with Packr, perfect your next project with Joint Angle or learn to surf with Sally’s Surf School, all Xojo-made Mobile apps you can find in the Showcase. It’s no surprise the largest group is Desktop apps- from ClaroRead, a simple, flexible and easy to use text-to-speech app for dyslexia, to Lifeboat, to help you deploy and manage Xojo Web apps on Linux servers, to UHMMM, which will auto-play elevator music when online meetings go silent, there are too many to list – good thing there’s a Showcase for them!

The purpose of the Showcase is twofold, to exhibit what can be done with Xojo and to promote what you have done with Xojo! We regularly share apps from the Showcase on Xojo’s Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages as well as in occasional Xojo Newsletters. There isn’t a quicker way to introduce your app to a new audience!

I look forward to seeing your newest Xojo-made app in the Xojo Showcase!

There are several key aspects to App Store Optimization. One must assess all of them to fully understand what ASO is and why it’s important.

What is ASO?

App Store Optimization is the process of improving the entire marketing funnel of an app. This includes optimizing metadata to increase organic search impressions, running creative A/B testing to improve conversion across all marketing channels and aligning organic and paid campaigns to improve the overall cost per install (CPI) of a campaign. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg; the optimization process is an in-depth analysis of all aspects of the app and user behavior on the app stores.

ASO is critical to any app marketing program as it sets the foundation for success. This can help apps get off the ground or provide new vitality for existing apps. The process includes optimizing keywords, designing an app listing to maximize conversions, retaining users and running researched and efficient paid marketing campaigns.

Keyword Optimization

One of the first aspects of the App Store Optimization process is optimizing your product page and the keywords you want the app to appear in searches for. The goal here is to improve your app’s discovery in search results. This is important since the majority of app discovery happens in search results, making it a vital channel for an app to reach new users.

Users typically search for terms focused on functionality, features or specific brands. With that in mind, the app metadata should include terms related to the functionality, demographics and branding. A photo editing app will want to focus on editing and photography terms, a streaming app on live stream and video terms, an app related to a popular brand will want to leverage its name recognition and so forth.

At the same time, not all terms are equally valuable. It is important to identify what terms have the highest relevance and search volume. Doing so requires accurate data sets using mobile search volume. Using web search volume, which only has a 20% overlap with mobile search, risks targeting terms with little to no value.

After the metadata is updated, it may take some time for the store to index the app. On average, this takes up to 30 days on the App Store and 45 days on Google Play. After this point, it is recommended to update again in order to continue helping the app index for keywords.

Conversion Optimization

Conversion optimization is another aspect of ASO that will help your app gain installs. One goal of conversion optimization is to improve your click-through rate (CTR). This signals to the stores that users are finding your app relevant for its keywords, thus increasing organic ranking and providing further visibility. Apps compete for clicks on a keyword-by-keyword basis, so the amount of clicks an app receives for each keyword plays a big role in how it ranks compared to the competition.

While keyword optimization focuses on organic search visibility, conversion optimization can help increasing app installs across all channels, including paid.

Conversion optimization takes place in both search results and product page. It requires designing all aspects of the app listing and testing to create variants that result in the maximum number of installs. This includes anything visible to the user that may impact conversion, such as the icon, title, screenshots, video and description.

When users see an app in the Apple App Store’s search results, they will see the icon, title, subtitle and first one-to-three screenshots. If the app uses portrait mode videos and screenshots, it will display the first three; if it uses landscape mode creatives, it will display the first one. On Google Play, users will see the icon and title, although for mobile games, Google has begun displaying screenshots and videos in the search results as well. The differences between how the platforms display search results and product pages is an important factor to consider when testing creatives.

Conversion optimization requires research into the app market to identify common trends and designs that could be contributing to high conversion rates. After identifying these elements, developers can run A/B tests on their own app listings to determine which variants result in the most installs. Continually testing new iterations helps developers create optimized listings that have a high CTR and conversion rate.

Paid Marketing

In addition to the benefits from advertising, paid marketing is an effective way to supplement your organic visibility. Beyond additional users to your app, paid marketing helps galvanize the store’s algorithms, which can help accelerate your organic indexation.

Apple Search Ads and Google Ads can have a direct impact on how an app ranks for keywords in the respective stores, whereas third party channels such as Facebook or ad network traffic impact how fast you can index for keywords. In both instances, the paid marketing traffic has a positive effect on your organic rankings as well.

The clicks gained from paid marketing helps improve organic rankings, so your traffic can improve even outside of the paid campaigns. The additional organic installs gained from this can potentially lower the overall cost per install.

Ultimately, paid app marketing plays an important role in a mobile marketing strategy. This is why many companies and developers run paid marketing as part of their ASO campaigns.

In-App Retention

Getting installs is an important part of the App Store Optimization process, but it does not end there. The next step is keeping users engaged.

It is key to monitor your in-app retention, including tracking how users are interacting with the app and for how long. These metrics will help you understand your audience’s behavior and where the drop offs are. This can help you retain new users you acquire and bring back users you may have lost.

Additionally, understanding your in-app metrics can help identify any areas where users are encountering hurdles or user retention begins to drop. These are pain points that you can address in updates to improve retention. Uninstalls are factored into app ranking algorithms, so low retention can negatively impact how your app ranks.

Using these metrics as part of the optimization process can help lead to overall improvements to your users’ experiences. That in turn can lead to a higher return on investment (ROI) and positive reviews as the campaigns produce more loyal users.

To Conclude

App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of developing and improving all aspects of an app and its listing to maximize visibility, downloads and retention, making it critical for any mobile app marketing program. ASO best practices are designed to create the foundation for organic discovery and improve the efficiency of traffic leading to the app.

In order to properly implement an App Store Optimization strategy, it is critical that developers optimize for visibility, conversions and retention, as well as invest in paid marketing. Employing the right data and methodology can help lead to the highest quality users at the lowest cost and provide an app with the growth and visibility it needs to thrive. App Store Optimization can make the difference between an unknown app and the next success story.

When I was researching questions to use in my dietitian study guide apps, I came across this topic called the Menu Engineering Grid.  This is a tool used by restaurant managers to evaluate foods in a specific category, the appetizers category for example. They look to see how each item does in comparison with others in the group in terms of its popularity and profitability. Depending on where an item falls on the grid, there are several recommendations on how to improve upon the item’s popularity and/or profitability. As the name says, this is a tool commonly used in the food industry, but I’ll show you how you might be able to incorporate this tool into your business practices.  The menu engineering grid looks like this below:

The x-axis shows the profitability, and the y-axis is the popularity.  You see there are 4 quadrants to the grid.

• Stars (upper-right):  Items that are very profitable and very popular. Goal:  Maintain the quality of the item since it is selling well and bringing in good revenue. Recommendations: No change to the item or maybe experiment with slight price increases.
• Horses (upper-left): Items that are very popular but not very profitable. Goal: Find ways to increase the profit margin. Recommendations: Try a price increase and/or using less expensive materials.  Now, digital goods really don’t use materials, per se. However, maybe a plugin could be considered a material for an app. If you purchase a plugin, you can look at using less expensive plugins that perform the functions you need, you can write the plugin yourself, or you can renew the plugin every other year instead of annually.  For me, I wouldn’t mess with the plugins. They’re working and hopefully are being updated to meet the needs of current Xojo releases and the latest operating systems. Plus, you’re helping out other small business developers by buying their products. Instead, I would recommend slight price increases for this category. People are already buying your app and haven’t been complaining about the price.
• Puzzles (lower-right): Items that are highly profitable but not very popular. Goal: Find ways to increase the popularity of the items without sacrificing the profitability too drastically. Recommendations: See if a slight decrease in the selling price brings in more sales. Other strategies include finding a new focus area of the app or maybe marketing it better on your website and social media.
• Dogs (lower-left): These items are not profitable and not popular. Recommendations: Don’t waste your time or money with improving these items and consider removing them from sale.

Next in the image, take note to the vertical and horizontal lines that separate the quadrants. These are not arbitrarily added. They’re calculated. Without getting into too much detail, the horizontal line separating the upper and lower quadrants is known as the popularity line and is calculated as 70% of the expected popularity:

Popularity line = 100% / total number of items X 70%

The vertical line separating the left and right quadrants is known as the average contribution margin, which is simply the sum of all item contribution margins divided by the total number of items.

The plot points utilize the popularity index (y-coordinate) and contribution margin (x-coordinate).

Popularity index = number of an item sold / total number of all items sold X 100

Contribution margin = selling price – item costs

Technically, the item costs of digital goods are essentially low. What are you actually buying for each item sold? Probably nothing, unless you are distributing on a removable media source. Maybe you are selling on your website and use a credit card processor. For example, I use PayPal, and for each sale made on my website, PayPal collects 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. You might also count the salary you pay yourself towards the item cost. There can be a lot of work to determine the item cost of apps since the costs associated are not as cut and dry as the food industry, for example.

So how can you, as an independent developer, utilize this tool? Allow me to share a real-world example. An example of my own business. I’ll show you how I utilized the menu engineering grid in some of my apps with actual before and after data.

I have three standalone study guide apps for students to prepare for the registered dietitian exam:

• Study Suite: By far my most popular product, accounting for over 85% of revenue. This product contains multiple study modules, providing students with different forms of studying and keeping them engaged in an interactive format.
• Flash Cards: An electronic version of flash cards. This product sells for $150.  The year prior to any changes, I sold 37 units, resulting in $5,550 for the year.
• Hanging with Nutrition: A hangman style game. This sells for $150. Year prior to changes had a whopping 13 units sold, resulting in $1,950 for the year.

Analysis: Study Suite is a star. While each of the three apps did bring in a profit, Flash Cards and Hanging run quite low on the popularity scale, falling into the puzzle category. Students understand Flash Cards is a method of studying, but maybe this is priced too high. Students may not understand Hanging with Nutrition is meant for study purposes, plus, this is priced too high.

Changes: Keep Study Suite as is since this is very popular and profitable. With both Flash Cards and Hanging with Nutrition, I decreased the prices of each to $100 and $50, respectively. In addition, I incorporated both products into Study Suite as separate add-on products. Now students continue to purchase Study Suite as their main study app. They can trial the two add-on products and see the value of the products and if these are something they want to include. The reduced price also entices students to make a purchase.

Post-change evaluation: The year after the price decrease plus incorporation of the apps as add-ons returned the following:

• Flash cards sold 113 units at $100 each for a total of $11,300 for the year.  More than 3 times the number of units and just over double the revenue from the previous year!
• Hanging with Nutrition sold 64 units at $50 each for a total of $3,200 for the year.  About one and a half times the revenue, plus over 300% increase in the popularity!
• I think the changes were quite successful with increasing the popularity of both apps.  Plus, I not only maintained the profitability, but actually increased it in both, even with a selling price decrease.

In terms of profitability, all apps should be considered profitable as long as they have helped bring in adequate revenue to cover your costs to develop the apps, such as your Xojo license and other licenses you may need to make your awesome apps. If you cover your costs and don’t even sell one more app during the year, you can essentially sit back and just let the app remain without any updates, maybe even for the unforeseeable future. But this isn’t ideal. Operating systems change, bugs are always being discovered, and let’s face it, as you grow, so does your knowledge in developing. In order to maintain the high quality of your apps and improve them, it must be worthwhile to you to continue working on them.  If I hadn’t changed up the way I market Hanging with Nutrition, I wouldn’t see 13 users per year on that product worth the time and effort to maintain it, at least regularly. Though when the number of students who are buying the product annually increases five-fold, it makes my decision of investing my time in keeping these apps up to date much easier.

Take this lesson as you will. Many of you probably have dozens of apps or more. How well are your apps selling? How are they priced for the market? Priced compared to the competition, if any? Do any of these serve a similar purpose and may benefit as an add-on or as an in-app purchase to another app? While we have some downtime in the world today, take a moment and evaluate your apps. Come up with a marketing plan, implement it, and see what happens. Don’t be afraid of change. Some small tweaks can have a big impact on your small business.  

Good luck, and stay safe and healthy.

Ryan Hartz has been a Xojo user for over 10 years. He is a registered dietitian with no formal education in software development, illustrating that anyone can learn development in Xojo with its ease of use and understandable language. In 2005, Ryan started his company, Visual Veggies Software, which offers software study guides to young nutrition students preparing to become registered dietitians.

Even a marketing team of 1 needs a second set of eyes. There’s not much worse than the facepalm when a customer points out a typo in something I just posted to our social accounts! Dana and I are always on Slack editing each other’s language and sharing images to make sure the message is clear and the links are working. Even if it’s just you, send it to a friend to proofread – especially important longer documents like press releases and blog posts.

At Xojo we use Sprout for scheduling posts across all our social networks. Sprout lets me manage all our social networks and our team members in one place. We find it a great fit for our team but without a free plan, Sprout might be “overkill” for a team of 1 or 2. There are quite a few social aggregates that are free though. Just last week, I was helping a friend who is a custom furniture maker get started on social media and I did some research to see what the latest free options were for social aggregates. Though I found some tools that were new to me, I still ended up recommending Hootsuite. Hootsuite is actually what Xojo used when we got more serious about social media over 10 years ago and it has evolved into a solid tool that still offers a free plan for managing 3 networks, 2 RSS feeds and a help center. Whichever tool you choose needs to be able to schedule posts and notify you of any mentions of your profile, chosen hashtags and brand.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that social posts with images or videos garner far more clicks than simple text since you read this earlier post on visual marketing tools. To make images for social and our blog we use (and love) Canva. Even members of our team who used Photoshop in the past, find that Canva can be a simpler and quicker way to create and edit images. A paid plan gives you access to stock images, the ability to share designs with team members and the ability to resize images for different networks (this feature alone was enough to add Canva to our marketing budget). Plus they offer a blog and “Design School” to help you with designs.

The other side of the social “coin” is analyzing your performance in order to make improvements. Whether that is finding the best time of the day to post or learning what sort of posts your audience responds to. Twitter Analytics is very handy and Facebook Insights is at your disposal. And of course the tool you choose (like Sprout or Hootsuite) will include analytics and reporting too.

A few other special mentions: I love Linktr.ee, it lets you optimize your Instagram traffic by managing multiple links on your page. IFTTT, which you may already be familiar with, will let you automatically share your Instagram posts to Twitter and include the image by default!

Think about planning your social posts ahead of time. You can set aside an hour each week to write and schedule your posts. I do Xojo’s scheduling on Thursday mornings and then I review specific metrics every Friday. A little bit of effort, planning and some help from these tools and you can raise awareness of your apps and increase sales.

Don’t worry devs and friends with more questions, click the “Social Media Marketing” or “App Marketing” tags at the end of this post for more tips and tricks!

Perhaps you don’t use Photoshop or have time to come up with eye-catching images. Maybe you don’t have a lot of training in design elements. There is a tool that another marketer recommended to me several years ago and we now use it almost exclusively here at Xojo, that tool is Canva. Using Canva, which has a very usable free (web-based) version, you can design images for anything from social media to online ads, business cards, presentations, basically any marketing collateral.

They have over 20,000 templates for you to pick from, with also a large bank of stock images – some free, some paid – and you can upload your own. They even offer free videos (aka Design School) to give you an introduction to graphic design.

Did you know that tweets with images have an 18% higher click through rate, 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets? Those statistics really are amazing – I am not suggesting you include an image with every tweet, but adding it to your general rotation could really improve your social media performance. So if you are struggling with how to have better creative on social media or, more importantly, on your website – check out Canva!

For more tips and tricks aimed at marketing your app or small business, click the “App Marketing” or “Social Media Marketing” tags at the bottom of this post!

In marketing, we drive traffic, conversions and brand awareness with content. Blogs can be great for communicating about your product when it is in development, like if you have a huge project in the works that your customers are really excited about. They can also be venues for you to comment on happenings in your industry. Establish your product and yourself as a subject matter expert, your blog will then be a great vehicle to build trust with prospects through your content.

Don’t start a blog if you’re not committed. You are going to need to maintain it regularly, but it’s up to you to commit to the schedule that is reasonable for you to maintain. Start small, one to two posts a month. Set a schedule for yourself so you have plenty of time to take a break from coding and focus on writing a valuable piece of marketing content. Go a step further (and make it easy on yourself) by writing up several blog posts before you launch so you can draw from your bank when it’s time to post.

For your first post, start simple and write a launch post to boast about the features of your product/service, showcase screenshots, videos, and a link to download or purchase. This post will be a great piece of content that you can repurpose. Because when you have all of this great content – why only put it in one place? Use it in your other marketing channels, like on social media, email blasts, presentations (remember, I said before that I was going to talk about this in my presentation!), etc. Also, once you have created your content you can also post it on third-party sites, like Medium, LinkedIn, or you could even turn it into a slideshow if that makes sense. From those other places, you can link directly to your landing page, bringing it full circle. Your content about your app made it out to the world and brought some prospects in – sweet!

When blogging, take things into consideration that can help your SEO, like your target keywords, making sure the content you create is quality and try to put it into places where you can gain some quality backlinks.

One great thing to remember about blogging (and on your landing page or website in general) is that you always want to offer a call to action. For a blog post about your newest release with a video, end your post by saying, “Check out our new video now!” Or if you just announced your company conference, make sure to offer – “Learn more about the 2020 conference!” (shameless XOJO.CONNECT plug – you really should be there). You always want to offer more content to keep people on your site.

Did you know that B2C companies that blog generate 88% more leads per month than those who do not? Given that fact – why not try it out and see how it works for you? Prospects need to see your messages 7 times in order for them to resonate or take action, so don’t let your beautiful content go to waste – repurpose, share and enjoy a bump in your traffic and hopefully, downloads!

Here’s an overview of Twitter’s search capabilities and some tips to get the most out of using the platform to promote your apps.

First, Twitter’s Advanced Search page is a simple and quick way to narrow your search results.

Most of the time that’s all you need. But if you are looking for an audience, a thought influencer or want catch the eye of a new community, you’re going to need more control. Use filters, Boolean search operators and a few other tips to earn your Twitter search wizard badge.

Filters:

Use filters to narrow your search. One filter I use a lot is “filter:follows”. For example, searching “xojo filter:follows” to get tweets including the word “xojo” but only from accounts that follow @xojo. A great way to find out what people in your community are talking about. Click over to People to see everyone who has the word “xojo” in their profile who also follows @xojo.

Move along the top bar to  further limit the results by Photos, Videos, News…etc.

Other helpful filters include:

filter:verified – Results include only Twitter verified users

filter:media – Results include only tweets with images or video

filter:images – Results include only tweets with images

filter:links – Results include only tweets with links

filter:replies – Results include only reply tweets

filter:retweets – Results include only retweets

Searching:

Finding a tweet from a specific account – from:mbsplugins

Finding a tweet to a specific account – to:xojoes

Finding a tweet from one person to another – from:geoffperlman to:xojo

Note: Leave off the @ when using from and to.

Of course you can add keywords to filter results, for example “xojo from:tdietrich” will show you our tweets that include the keyword xojo.

Operators:

“Thankfully time travel doesn’t exist” will bring up that exact phrase. Try it!

“Xojo -XDC” finds tweets with Xojo, excluding XDC

min_retweets:10 or max_retweets:700

min_faves:4 or max_faves:12000

Since:date or Until:date

lang:de for tweets in German (es, fr, ect.)

Want to really drill down? Start using them together. Search “WWDC filter:links” to find actual links and filter out common chatter. Want to get someone to notice you? Find out what they tend to retweet with “filter:retweets from:xojo”. What are some of your most liked tweets? Try “#xojo min_faves:5”

Do you have common combinations you use? Or helpful filters or operators I didn’t list? Share them with us @xojo.

If you are interested in learning more about using using social media to promote your app or brand, check out these posts: 3 Things Developers Need To Release Their App Right, App How To: Packaging, Selling & Marketing, and Free Marketing! 4 Practical Tips For Developers New To Twitter . You can also click the “Social Media Marketing” or “App Marketing” tags at the bottom of this post for more.

Making sure everyone knows about your new app or latest update is really important. I have been in PR/Marketing for many years and have seen it all! The biggest mistake I see is developers forgetting to put a link back to their website or sitelet when talking about their app. In announcements and on social media it’s so important to make sure people can find you easily! Here are the 3 most essential steps you should take when announcing your app (or release) to the world.

Step 1: Generate Buzz

If your release has something interesting in it that customers or prospects might like or talk about, do what you can to generate buzz. The best thing to do is to create a preview trailer that can be shared on your website and social media. This can be done easily with inexpensive tools like iMovie’s trailer feature.

Don’t keep it a secret, people like to be informed – blog about the development process on your website if possible. Don’t start too early though, make sure you are at a point where you are fairly certain it will be shipped within the next few weeks.

Step 2: Spread the Word

Writing a good announcement is really important. It should communicate four primary things:

1. Your name (or your company’s name)
2. The app’s name
3. The URL to find your app
4. The main point of your app

All of these items should appear in in the first paragraph. If you have an announcement that goes into features, benefits and more, great. But keep in mind that the majority of your readers will not make it past the first paragraph. Get your main idea across early.

Know your audience: who is reading this announcement? Customize it to them and their goals. Are they your prospective users? Are they members of the media? Are they other developers? Speak their language. Keep it fun and have a sense of humor (if applicable), showcase your brand’s voice. People are generally more inclined to give you their attention if you keep it interesting.

Another thing to consider is where the announcement will be posted. It is good to have a list at the ready for when you are going to ship a release. It is important that you collected email addresses of people on your website and your customers so you can email them about the update, you can send it to bloggers, post it on complimentary forums, like the Xojo forum. See “How To Get Your Announcement Posted.” If you send it to me, it might make its way onto our social media feed or the Xojo newsletter.

Step 3: Write A Press Release

Press Releases should always be written in third person. A good model we like to follow is:

1. Summary of your announcement (main idea) in the first paragraph, callout main new features and number of fixes/improvements.
2. Next paragraph should be an overview of your app itself. What is the value proposition? How is your app useful and to whom? What does your app make easier?
3. Quote from a CEO/developer/employee or customer (or both) are great things to include here. They can showcase how the important new features are useful or innovative and give real life examples to support your main idea.
4. Include bulleted list of important features of the release
5. Contact information – how to find your app and yourself.

What to do with it? We recommend compiling your own media list of writers who have written about your subject before. You can submit news on tons of websites. Also, you can submit your press release on relevant newswires, like PR Newswire or prMac. Don’t forget to post it on your own website!

The marketing work is never done. It involves a lot of trial and error. But announcing your app is the first step – if people don’t know about it, then what is the point? Hopefully these tips will help you write better announcements and develop your own process for announcing releases.

Check the points in bold under each podcast to see what its focus is.

Syntax – Tasty Web Development Treats

Web Dev * Tips & Tricks

Syntax is a fun — and sometimes funny — podcast for web developers hosted by Wes Bos and Scott Tolinkski, two independent full stack developers who create online training courses. In each episode Scott and Wes break down topics to provide applicable tips and nuggets of information to help Web Developers in their careers.

Under the Radar

Indie App Development * Marketing * Design

From development and design to marketing and support, Under the Radar is all about independent app development. It’s never longer than 30 minutes and is hosted by David Smith and Macro Arment.

Learn to Code With Me

Learning * Citizen Developers * Newbies * General Coding

The Learn to Code With Me podcast, created by Laurence Bradford, is for aspiring techies and self-taught coders looking to transition into the tech industry.

CodeNewbie

Newbie * Dev Stories * Citizen Developers

Stories from people on their coding journey. New episodes featuring stories from CTOs to indie developers, published every Monday.

Coding Blocks – Patterns, Architecture, Best Practices, Tips

Tips & Tricks * General Coding 

A podcast for software developers and computer programmers to educate on-the-go. It’s presented by Allen Underwood, Joe Zach and Michael Outlaw, professional programmers who were frustrated by the lack of quality programming podcasts.

Core Intuition

Indie App Development * Apple

A podcast about indie software development for the Mac, iOS and other Apple technologies hosted by Daniel Jalkut and Manton Reece.

XojoTalk Podcast

App Development * Dev Stories * Citizen Developers * Newbies

Paul Lefebvre talks with members of the Xojo community about how they use Xojo, technology in general and so much more.

What are your favorite tech-related podcasts?

When we changed our name from Real Studio to Xojo, we wanted to make sure we could find a name that we could own. Not only was Xojo a pretty wide open space in terms of search, but it also stands for something that describes what Xojo is – X is for Cross-platform and “OJO” is for Object-Oriented.

Be Your Own App Name Generator

It’s never too early to start the process. Your name might morph or change several times during the process, so the more time you have to think about it, the better. All you need is pencil & paper (or a notes app) and some time to start brainstorming. Start your list by answering the following questions.

1. What is the main purpose of your app?
2. Who is the target audience?
3. What’s the value proposition?

Write down every word that comes to mind. When you’re done, you have a great bank of words to brainstorm with.

First Impressions Really Do Matter

They say don’t judge a book by the cover, but … we do. We are more attracted to things that catch our eye. The name of your app and the icon are the first interaction a prospect user has with your app, it’s sort of like its book cover, it’s what makes people stop and think, “Oooh this is nice… Is this app right for me?”

While reviewing your list of words, start thinking about images and emotions that will resonate with your audience. Conduct some research to find descriptive words and imagery that correlate to your app, ask your friends, get input from potential users.

Pro tip: Make sure you research the meanings and different connotations of your words to make sure they make sense for your intended audience. Avoid words that evoke negative emotions.

Make It Recognizable

Try to find a name that might reveal the literal purpose of your app. In general, when a user can understand the point of your app just by the icon and name, they’re more successful. Names like Evernote and GrubHub are good examples of this. They are short and catchy, but also describe exactly what the app is or does. If your app can’t really be summarized, make sure the icon clearly and visually describes its purpose so they work together to catch the prospective user. Instagram is a good example of this – the name does not necessarily describe what it does, but coupled with it’s camera icon, it conveys the purpose of the app, that it has something to do with photos. App stores also give preference to names that are not totally arbitrary and appropriately describe the apps purpose.

Pro tip: If you are trying to put two words together that need to be pronounced separately (example – Instagram vs. GrubHub), it is recommended to use camel case, rather than all caps.

Though you do want to use words that describe your app, make sure you aren’t keyword stuffing. Picking applicable, even high traffic keywords, to go in your title is a good thing, but too many or too much repetition actually detracts from your preference and ranking. Google Keyword Planner is a great free tool to start your keyword search.

Its common for consumers to download an app just because it sounds interesting or fun, so try to find a name and design to make your app stand out.

Do Market Research

Don’t forget to check out your competition. See what others are doing, without duplicating their name or icon, of course. Identify what emotions their name and icon emote, are the words you use to describe them the same as what is on your list? Is there something you missed that you might want to add? Maybe you might see something that really works you want to try to incorporate into yours, maybe you’ll see some things that really don’t work, like a specific icon, word or color palette. But, make sure to differentiate your app from the rest. Your app could be outright rejected from an App Store if the name is too similar to other apps that are already there.

Pro tip: Make sure the name you choose is not trademarked by anyone else.

Other Considerations

In searching for your name, take a look to see if you can also get a reasonable domain and and social media account. If the name of your app is not available as a domain, don’t discount it, there are variations you can consider for your name (like GoXojo.com or XojoApp.com). 

There’s a lot of thought that goes into picking the best name for your app. These strategies only just scratch the surface. The ideal name sets the right tone, clarifies the purpose, and makes it easy to rank and market your app.

Good luck with your name-storming!

In this #longread blog post, we’ll walk you through preparing your app for distribution, offering your app on your website and in app marketplaces for sale, as well as first steps to marketing your app.

When designing a commercial app for sale, an important thing you need to consider is how you will get the app to people who buy it.

Packaging Your App for Distribution

Desktop and mobile apps will need to be distributed, whereas a web app usually requires the user set up a log in and sign up for a subscription and is not distributed separately.

Mobile Apps

To package your iOS app you’ll need an Apple Developer account to generate the certificates and provisioning profiles required by Apple. After that is set up, go to the iOS Build Settings and turn on the switch for Build For App Store and Build your app. This creates a special ipa file that can be submitted to the App Store using App Connect. You can read the steps in more detail here: Submitting to the App Store

You can also read this earlier post on how deploy iOS apps to your devices without an Apple Developer Membership.

Desktop Installers

You’ll definitely want to use an installer to distribute your Windows apps. We’ve previously blogged before about free and paid options for Windows installers in detail.

On macOS, many apps are distributed as simple ZIP files that you can create from the Finder. Or you can use Disk Utility (or another utility such as DMG Canvas) to create a DMG (disk image). If you need an installer on macOS, which is not often the case, try Packages or PackageMaker (included with Xcode).

On Linux, you can also distribute your apps as ZIP files or you can take the more complicated route of creating a specific distribution file (deb or rpm) for the versions of Linux you target.

Demo Mode or Limited Free Trial

People like to download and try out software before purchasing. We highly recommend that you offer some features of your app for free or for a limited free trial to entice people to give your app a shot.

For iOS apps, the App Store does not have great support for demo or trial apps. One option is to make two versions of your app: one that is a free demo and one that is a paid app. Another option is to make your app a free download and to use in-app purchase to unlock the full version.

Desktop and web apps offer more options regarding demos and trials so think about what will work best for your app. Do you want a free demo version? Will you limit the demo by time (14 and 30 days are common) or by number of uses (4 free uses)? Another common option is to limit the app to running with some feature limitations if no license key is entered. You can even combine the two so that a trial reverts to a demo after the trial expires.

Regardless of what you choose, you’ll need to make sure this is all designed into your app before you release it.

License Keys & Serial Numbers

Often, an essential part of commercial software is generating license keys or serial numbers. When a customer purchases your app, you can provide a license key to unlock the full features of your app or stop the timer on a time-limited trial. You can build your own license key generation and verification functions into your app. This is relatively simple to do by creating a web service with a Xojo web app. Two solutions that can help you get started are AquaticPrime and RegCode.

If you are need to save time, look into developed solutions offered in the Xojo Add-Ons Store such as the GuancheMOS Plugin, a cross-platform serial number creation and validation engine, for Windows check out Quick License Manager for licensing trials for perpetual or subscription licenses.

Selling Your App

Once you have your app packaged to distribute, you’ll need places to sell it and ways to get paid.

Selling on your Website

You should definitely have a Web site with a specific landing page that talks about the product and shows the price.  This makes is easier for your page to be found when searching the web. A landing page is a stand-alone page that includes highlights of what your app offers, your demo video and a call to action. (Learn more about landing pages.) Make the page’s focus your “call to action”, whether that is to watch the demo video, download or purchase the app, or to create an account.

Even if you only have an iOS app that is sold via the App Store, a landing page is useful, some say essential, making it easier for people to find your app and for you to share it on social media.

Selling at a Marketplace

In addition to selling on your website, you may want to investigate getting your app into an appropriate app store. App stores are often where people look first for apps, plus most app stores make it really simple for users to install and upgrade apps. And they make getting paid a lot simpler. However, App Stores can take a percentage of the sale (commonly 30%) and may have significant restrictions and a lengthy approval process before your app can be ready for sale.

If you are selling a macOS app, you might want to make it available in the Apple’s Mac Store. Here are some examples of Xojo apps in the Mac Store. For iOS apps the only option is the App Store and we’ve blogged about how to get your Xojo iOS apps in the App Store.

To sell something in either the App Store or Mac App Store you need to be a member of the $99 Apple Developer Program. You also have give Apple 30% of each sale, wait for them to approve your app for sale and wait for approvals for any app updates. The App Wrapper tool can help make it easier to package your Mac apps to sell in the Mac App Store.

Of course there is the Windows Store for your Windows apps. If you use Advanced Installer, the Desktop Bridge Setup Converter can be used to convert an installer to one that is compatible with the Windows Store. More information is available in this article: Build an AppX Installer for Microsoft Store with Xojo.

If you are selling a Xojo-related tool, library or plugin, another option is to sell it in the Xojo Store in the Add-On Product section. There is no charge for this and you get to keep 70% of the sale. Contact us if you are interested.

Getting Paid

With apps sold in the app stores you’ll get paid by the store guidelines, usually once a month for the previous month’s sales, though some store may set a minimum payment before they pay up.

For desktop apps or web apps that have subscriptions you’ll need a way to handle payments. Rather than setting up your own merchant account and dealing with that, it’s increasingly common to use an existing payment processing service like PayPal or FastSpring.

If you are not already familiar with how PayPal works, you can learn more here. FastSpring lets you create a “store” with your products, pricing, a shopping cart, currency conversion and will take payments from credit cards and other means. FastSpring takes 8.9% per transaction with a minimum order fee of $0.75 or 5.9% + $0.95 per transaction; PayPal is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (rates from July 2018).

Regardless of the service you use, you will need to hook it up to an account to receive payment. Typically you hook it up to a checking account or PayPal. Other services you might want to check out include: Gumroad, Stripe, Paddle, and 2CheckOut.

Marketing Your App

Now your app is packaged and available for sale on your website and an app marketplace or two. How do you get the word out? Here are 3 musts when it comes to app marketing:

Press Release

You’ll need a Press Release that announces your app, explains what your app does and why people should buy it – here’s a template and example.

For a small fee, services like PR Newswire will send out your press release to a wide variety of websites for you. We also want to help promote your #XojoMade app! Email your press release to pr@xojo.com and we’ll post it on the Announcements channel in the forum and share it on Twitter.

Demo Video

Yes, you should definitely have a demo video! Either more of a traditional software demonstration, a commercial that lists your app’s top selling points or some combination of the two. Keep it short and sweet – feel free to follow up with a longer, more in-depth video, but to grab perspective users you’ll want something less than a minute. Video is much more digestible and easy to share than the written word and you can create a good one on your own.

Outside Listings & Reviews

Get your product listed on app download services, such as MacUpdate or Download.com. Once listed, you’ll want reviews because one of the most trusted forms of marketing is word of mouth. You believe the word of a colleague over that of a commercial, right? Ask your users to post honest reviews of your app in app marketplaces and on third party sites. If your app is new, or just needs the reviews, think about offering a discount or swag for a review.

Now What? More Marketing Tips from Dana and Alyssa

Here are some great posts to explore simple and often free options for marketing your apps:

I’ve shared some tips on using Twitter to market you apps, and Dana has talked about other ways to market your app for free. These efforts do not live in a vacuum. Let’s discuss ways to integrate all these forms of marketing to make the greatest impact…let’s talk about Networking.

Delicious business cards aside, networking is simply the building of business relationships. For some of us, extroverts I’m looking at you, this may come naturally and you may genuinely enjoy it; but for others, networking can be a true effort, a constant struggle to get out there and be authentic in every interaction.

Regardless of how you feel, networking is necessary. From independent developers, citizen developers, small business owners and CEOs, networking leads “to more job and business opportunities, broader and deeper knowledge, improved capacity to innovate, faster advancement, and greater status and authority” as discussed in HBR’s article Learn to Love Networking.

Love it or not, here are 5 ways to network, IRL and online.

1. Cross-posting sometimes gets a bad, spam-y reputation but used responsibly it can be a simple solution to promote your app to different audiences. The key, both to reaching more people and to avoid being considered spam, is to tailor each message for the individual network and only post to the networks you are active in. For example, I have a blog post, “A Modern Alternative to Visual Basic” and I want to post it across all our networks. On Twitter I might tweet a question hoping to start a conversation: Even with 280 characters, I tend limit the hashtags on Twitter more than I would on other networks. On Facebook and Google+ I would expand the post to include more details, multiple images and additional hashtags: On LinkedIn I will tailor the post more toward to specific audience, ie Visual Basic developers: And that’s how you cross-post the same content, even the same image, to different networks while still tailoring the message to each audience.
2. Use your signature block. Your signature block is simple, silent networking (so appealing to us introverts). Share a little about yourself and your app in your signature block. Make sure to link to your website and the social network you are most active on. Don’t write your life story, don’t include 7 inspirational quotes, do keep it short and do include a direct link.
3. Attend events and show your strengths. You’ve developed this app, your input is valuable and you are likely more knowledgable than you think. Know what your strengths are and work out how you will talk about them and how you can use them to help others. Shameless Plug: Each year I’m reminded by developers at the Xojo Developer Conference that networking is the greatest benefit in attending.
4. Share and listen- don’t make it all about you and your project. Offer your expertise but don’t forget to listen to what others have to say. Your next great idea or that missing piece to your project could be a conversation away! Keep in mind, you’re probably not the only one in the room who isn’t 100% comfortable networking.
5. Be nice, you aren’t the only “expert” in the room. Your goal is conversations and engagement. People will remember and share generous and kind interactions. Ask actual questions, not statements showing off your experience. It may seem like a silly or obvious list, but these 10 conversation starters for introverts can really help break the ice. Keep the list handy on your phone and check it right before you enter the room.

To learn even more about using social media and other app marketing topics, come to XDC or email me at social@xojo.com with questions or suggestions on app marketing topics you would find helpful!

Here’s a list of 8 additional ways your marketing team of 1 can promote your app at no cost:

1. Build a small website

Don’t compare your app or your website to the big fish in the market. You don’t need to have a big, fancy site to get started. Create a simple website (just 1-2 pages to showcase your app) or even use a pre-made template or website builder like Everweb, which is made with Xojo, to pre-announce your app. Launch your website about a month or two before you plan on releasing your app and collect email addresses of people who might be interested in hearing from you when your app launches. Keywords are important for search engines, so make sure that you play up keywords about your app when writing your text.

2. Have a blog

Blogs can be a great way to to attract readers and draw them into your website. Start a blog and update it often with content that relates to your audience. Do make a schedule for the month with the blog posts you think you can put together. Don’t fill your blog with filler content that has nothing to do with why your your readers visit your blog. Think about what they’d want to learn more about, or comment on industry news, talk about your app development progress or anything relevant.

3. Share your content

Use your social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn to promote your app, blog posts, product updates, etc. at least several times a week.

4. Create a product video

Become your own video editor! Make a short, creative video to showcase your app and what it can do. Shoot for a funny or thought-provoking theme for your video. Share your video on YouTube and link to it via other social media channels.

5. Contact bloggers

Find bloggers who write about topics that relate in some way to your app or who are interested in app development, technology, etc. For example, if your app has something to do with music recording, contact bloggers that cater to musicians.

6. Always be collecting emails

An email list of people who have opted in (given their express permission to hear from you) can be a powerful marketing tool. Gather potential customer emails through social media sites and your website. You can use tools like Mail Chimp or Constant Contact to email your audience.

7. Use your email signature

This is often a missed opportunity, but your email signature is something that everyone you talk to sees and a great way to make sure you share a message with everyone. Provide a catchy short description of your app with a download link below your signature block to help your contacts know what you’re up to and get them to visit your website. All of your contacts could be potential customers!

8. Run a contest or promotion

Encourage people to tweet and share content on their social networks promoting your app. A random person each week can win a coupon to download your app for free, for example. Alternatively, run a contest to win a discount coupon for people who opt into your mailing list and build up your email database. Another idea is to offer a code to people who like your Facebook page or follow your Twitter account to grow your online community.

You don’t need a huge budget to get the word out about your app. There are so many things you can do to market your app for free, with a little creativity and will to invest some of your time into promoting your app! Join us at the Xojo Developer Conference for more tips and information on how to market your Xojo app.

For some apps, you can just record the iPhone or iPad screen with another camera especially if you feel you need to show an actual finger doing the tapping. In most cases, however, that’s not necessary and a actual screenshot video would be more effective.

The easist way to record your iOS device for a demo is with the Quicktime Player on macOS. This feature was added in macOS Yosemite.

1. Plug your iOS device into your Mac.
2. Launch QuickTime Player.
3. Choose New Movie Recording from the File menu.
4. When the Movie Recording window opens, you will see the Record button (a red circle). Next to it is a popup menu icon shaped like a small v. Click that.
5. Choose your iOS. You’ll see your device’s screen appear in the Movie Recording window.
6. If you’re going to record your voice while doing the demo, make sure you choose Internal Microphone or use an external one if you have one. Otherwise, the QuickTime Player will default to using the iPhone itself which won’t sound as good.
7. You have two choices for the quality level. I suggest using the default choice (High) unless that turns out to be unsatisfactory. For most uses it will be fine and produces much smaller files.
8. Click Record to record your iOS screen.
9. Do all the steps for your demo.
10. When you’re finished, click the Stop button.
11. Save your recording and later you can use File -> Export to save in various formats and sizes based upon how you’re going to use the demo video you’ve made.

Note: The name of the iOS device can be found on the device in Settings -> General -> About -> Name.

The QuickTime Player has some decent functions for clipping and trimming your video as well. If you need titles and more sophisticated features for your demo video, iMovie or Final Cut are great solutions.

Here are 5 basics to consider when localizing your app:

1. Different Word Lengths
Some languages, such as German, have longer words than other languages like English. When designing your UI controls, you’ll need to account for this. A common way is to make the buttons large enough to accommodate the longest text.

You could also add code to the UI controls to have it resize itself if the localized text would not fit. But resized controls can also affect other controls on your layout, so a system like auto-layout can also help greatly to ensure that your UI adjusts itself appropriately when the text changes.

2. Don’t use Google Translate
Find someone that natively speaks both languages to do your translation. Obviously, you will need more than one person if you are translating to many languages.

Google Translate has its uses, but it’s translations often have unusual (or wrong) words and phrasing. So even though the text will be in the localized language, it could still remain difficult for native speakers to understand.

You don’t want your translations to say “Throw me down the stairs my shoes.” when it should say “Toss my shoes down the stairs to me.”

3. Don’t forget about dates
Date formats vary, so be sure to consider how they are displayed. What is the date for 3/7/14? Is it March 7th, 2014 or July 3rd, 2014? For internal dates that are not displayed to the user, you should use a standard format, such as SQL Date: YYYY-MM-DD.

When displaying dates, you should always use the user’s OS settings. This applies to both short dates with just the numbers and long dates where the month and day are spelled out.

And remember the position of each date component. Some places might use “March 7th, 2014”, but others would use “7 march 2014”.

4. Numbers
As with dates, numbers are also displayed differently. Not all countries use a “.” as the decimal separator. Not all countries use “,” as the thousands separator. The display of 3456.78 could be “3,456.78” is one location, but “3 456,78” in another.

Ask the operating system for the values specific to the user’s system settings.

And as with dates, when using numbers internally always use a standard and consistent format so that you can read them correctly regardless of the localization.

5. Currency
This trend continues with currency. Don’t presume that “$” is the currency symbol. As above, you should ask the OS for the specific currency symbol. And when storing currency values, do not include the currency symbol as that could make doing math on the values more difficult.

You’ve opened your Twitter account using a Twitter handle that defines and promotes your brand and your app, check. You’ve added a close-up headshot of yourself or a clear, simple logo, check. Now, how do you get the followers and engagement you need to successfully promote your app?

For those of you, like me, who didn’t grow up with social media, it can seem like an arbitrary and daunting undertaking. But dip your toe in and you’ll find Twitter can be fun, informative and rewarding.

Here are 4 tested and simplified tips to get you started marketing your app on Twitter.

1. Learn the Language
You’re a developer so you get it, you need to learn the ins and outs of the Twitter language.

#hashtags: Using hashtags makes your tweets more searchable, helping you connect to people with similar interests, i.e. potential customers. Research and identify the hashtags that apply to your app and use them, an average of 2 hashtags per tweet is a good start. For example, if you make a web app development tool you might want to use #programming and #webapps.

140: You only get 140 characters so make your words count. Think of each tweet as a headline, use your words to draw people in- asking a question is great way to do this!

2. Be Social
Remember this is *social* media. It’s OK, even preferable, to be less formal than you would be in a professional email or even a phone conversation. Light, friendly and even off-topic is a great way to start a conversation and gain followers. But keep in mind what you say is public and can be retweeted by anyone.

Engage #FF (Follow Friday) and #TBT (Throwback Thursday) to help you reach a broader audience. Also, keep an eye on trending hashtags; they are a great way to promote to people you may not otherwise reach.

3. Be Consistent
Tweet consistently throughout the day and the week. Tools like Hootsuite and TweetDeck are free and allow you to easily schedule future tweets.

Check out Twitter’s analytic tool to find out which of your tweets perform best and when. Tweet the same information multiple times but with different angles, hashtags and images. Remember after a few hours, that first tweet isn’t likely to be seen again.

On the flip side, you’ll want to respond to tweets quickly. Where it may be acceptable to take a day or two days to respond to an email, people on Twitter expect almost immediate responses. If you haven’t already, load up your Twitter client on your phone and respond to tweets whenever possible- it’s 140 characters and shouldn’t take you long!

4. Be Engaging
Start conversations with your followers and those accounts you follow. Find, tweet and comment on original content. And share more than just your app: images, blog posts and videos will receive more attention than a simple homepage link. Don’t feel limited to talking only about your app or even technology, remember you are being social! Your Tweet profile should be a colorful, visual mix of images, videos, your tweets and retweets.

Tip: Twitter offers the ability to create lists to help you keep your feed organized. Create categories that help you engage with your existing users, popular accounts and potential new customers. Tweeting with and retweeting tweets from popular people or companies is a great way to grow your audience and build your brand.

Don’t let Twitter overwhelm you, start tweeting and you’ll see it can be really fun and rewarding!