And, just because you develop great apps, that doesn’t mean anyone is necessarily ever going to find them – thus, the need for marketing your apps is more important than ever.
The mobile industry in general has been taken by surprise by the sudden impact of mass market app usage. Yet, mobile apps are really still in their infancy. Apple launched the App Store in 2008 and priced apps followed suit on Google’s Android Market in 2009 – ironically, in Internet years that’s a long time ago. However, mass adoption and usage of apps has only recently begun in earnest. As such, there’s prime opportunity for smart app developers to not only develop and market killer apps, but also to do app search correctly — regardless of the platform they’re focusing on.
The Hunt for Free Apps
At the opposite end of the app development scene, are the end users. And the user experience part of discovering apps is often a painful and arduous process. You know exactly what I mean, don’t you? Even search giant Google seems to be stumbling through creating an app store that’s effective for Android users. Wading through millions of apps and finding the right one for you can often be like trying to drink out of a fire hose. There are far too many apps and far too little time to discover just the right app without significant trial and error.
To help iPhone users discover quality apps that can be had for free, I’ve rounded up some of the leading app discovery services currently available at the App Store. (Android users, I’ve even tossed one in here for you.)
FreeAppADay The brand new FreeAppADay Store comes with an advanced UI and the brand new FreeAppADay Apps section for non-game apps. FAAD works with the leading iPhone developers to make the some of the best paid apps free for 24 hours every day.
Appolicous The Appolicious app (for iPhone and Android) delivers app recommendations based on categories that match your criteria. App recommendations are based on ratings, reviews, comments and ownership of the thousands of REAL people in the Appolicious.com community. Always a bonus.
FreeAppKing FreeAppKing is your home for all apps that have recently gone free, discounted or have suddenly become popular. Opening the app, you’ll find four sections: Now Free, Sale, Free and Paid. The ‘Now Free’ tab showcases apps which have become free in the last few minutes.
AppFreeway
Last, but certainly not least, AppFreeway rocks. I’ll admit to a slight bias here, because AppFreeway is part of the AppsMarketing.mobi group – and that’s me! And our mission is to make consumers’ lives easier when it comes to discovering apps. The AppFreeway team does it all for you so you don’t have to waste time. You can discover five awesome apps every week and download them for free! Have an app you’d like to receive for free? Suggest it in the Wish List and the AppFreeway team goes to work to deliver your dream apps.
In conclusion, we’re sure to see the world of app search and discovery evolve in the years to come. In the meantime, you’re good to go with any of the free apps presented above. Give them a download and share your thoughts on the service you like best in the comments of this post. And if you’d like to connect with me directly, find me on Twitter @OrenTodoros.
This is a guest post written by my smart friend, Oren Todoros, the CEO and Co-Founder of AppsMarketing.mobi – A marketing firm that specializes in working with independent app developers and development firms, as well as established brands from the ground up, to introduce their apps to the web’s most active audience. And you know we geeks at V3 not only love discovering great apps, we also enjoy working with people who know how to develop and market them in ways that make sense. Oren and his team have that process down to an art!