This post is part of a series for our customers on easy ways to promote your app.

Have you ever read the “Eat This, Not That” books? They’re fun books that not only tell you what’s bad for you, but they give you a healthier alternative.

I hope this post will give you similar “healthy” tips for promoting our app (or any app) via your social media and get you more downloads.

A Typical Mobile Reader

I’d like to caption the above photo: My husband reading e-mail while holding toddler and doing dishes.  The truth is that your typical “mobile reader” is a multitasking alum with a short attention span and a tiny screen.

The below tips will help get your typical mobile reader to quickly download your app.

Tip #1: Keep it simple.

Link directly to the app (using our smart link, see Tip #2). If you send users to another page describing the app with more instructions for downloading the app, they’ll give up.

Tip #2: Make your links tappable. 

If the “http://” prefix is in your link, it will usually be tappable (otherwise, it may just be text). In the above example, our smart link recognizes the reader’s device, and gets them to the right app store to download the app.

Tip #3: Use your actual app name.

Some readers will search for your app in an app store. If you supply extra words, their search results might be empty.

Tip #4: Give specific reasons to download the app.

Tell them it’s FREE, available on iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and any computer. It’s full of news from you and useful life tips.

Tip #5: Don’t use QR codes in social media.

QR codes are cool, but they’re best used in print ads. A QR code is scanned by a phone. If users read your post on their phones, they would need to set up a complicated set of mirrors to scan your QR code.

Here’s an ideal post (from a fictional college):

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The “Faber Alumni Crib Sheet” is live! Search for our FREE app in any app store with timely news from us and humorous life 101 tips for you. It’s available on iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and any computer. Learn more at http://www.mycribsheet.com/faber.

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And if your creative juices are running low, we’ve got monthly post suggestions for you. Or, feel free to run a post by me at nicole@capandcompass.com.

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