Avoid iPhone Game Obscurity

There is no shortage of iPhone developers. There is no shortage of iPhone applications. With more than 100,000 applications, there is no shortage of additional functions. I wonder how I could live without my iPhone. Can I use Google Maps for navigation. I think, to share moments with the perfect use of Facebook. I use an application subway map to move to New York. I use a little elf Shazam librarians tell me the name of the song. I use Chase Mobile App for checking account balances.

Regardless, there is an application for this. During the year, regardless, and any statements that, and ten things that you do not think.

That all owners Iphones enjoy conveniences. I took these services are provided. Do not worry about where everything is, I can not find it on Google Maps. All this is very convenient for consumers trying to sell their applications on the iPhone is much harder to define.

The most competitive category of games. There are several categories, as popular as the Games in App Store. There are more games than any other category. In the dark over 20,000 strong, to avoid problems.

Moreover, you must have a lasting impression. Perhaps you've created a hot iPhone game to date, but what will stop those who can get $ 99 clone? How can I make cheap clone is not going to destroy its sales and market share?

Take your time, iShoot popular. He earned $ 800,000 in five months, and he asks his creator, Ethan Nicholas, quit my job at Sun Microsystems. iShoot then buried competitors and imitators. Nicholas says it is "scary" and that the success iShoot was "pure coincidence".

Luck will not work on the business of selling games in the App Store. Building on the success of the business is the surest way to land a business-to-be. And I'm not sure that all companies go to heaven.

Fortunately, the solution is as old as world: marketing. Why buy instead of Tide Acme brand? You can have exactly the same quality and combat power, but the spots, Acme brand will not flog a dead tide.

There was a time when only a few games were on the App Store. Best games sold well in prehistoric times. In those days are long gone. You can quit the game in the App Store, and tomorrow will be in the company of hundreds of other games. Only a small part of all iPhone users will know, the game came out. People can buy what you do not know!

This is logical, but not all on board. In an interview with Wired, Austin Sarner, executive director of design knife, said:

"Basically, all at the same level as they provide iPhone application. Unlike traditional marketing, no advertising: the user sees only what he sees in the iPhone store, and type of applications that are sold so far."

Sarner philosophy, drives great success content App Store, but not marketing. Sarner is a designer by profession, so that this point of view clear. Sarner confuse advertising with marketing and do not realize that development is a great product is one of the key functions of marketing.

It is true that no advertising for the iPhone games. EA did not come to the party without his advertising muscle. And hundreds of games that will be added to the App Store every week breach in itself makes you invisible, no matter how well you play.

Is it suicide to release the application and hope that she found by magic. Only 7% of iPhone users download via Itunes, 62% knew what they wanted, 60% look at the list above, while 46% were from word of mouth, according to AdMob. 62% of those who know what they want to hear anywhere else. There came to him in a dream.

If you believe that making iPhone the best game in the world, freeing the App Store, and then pray it will sell a viable strategy, I have two words for you: good luck. You will need.

However, if you want a viable business, there is a better way.

The game developers worldwide will be disagreements, and I hate it, but marketing should be part of the development process from day one. You can not create a game, and then sprinkle a little pixie dust on the market, how about that later. This is leading blindfolded turning a couple of times, and then tries to hit the piñata. You have no idea where the goals. You'll lose.

The development process begins with the audience. It should be pointed at someone. You do not need to go for the same audience as everyone else, but you have a hearing. Who will buy your game? You need to make a game for them. You can make a game for you, but it is not business - is a hobby. Doing things this way means that it will always be a hobby.

Your game should be characteristic for the brand of your company - your company has the right to a trademark? There's a reason why EA various trademarks. Each brand has its own image, and their games reflect this. Electronic Arts serves more traditional audience, EA Sports is developing a game for the spectators and sports games EA is focused exclusively on the informal market.

Interaction with the community. If your hearing is there has to be there to attract them: blogs, forums, videos from YouTube, LinkedIn Groups, Facebook groups, etc. If your hearing is to be there. Being engaged does not mean spam. Join the conversation and use of your company as a contact name or at the end of each comment, stating your business. Not unpleasant. Be informative, helpful and useful speech.

Marketing your game is full employment. People who work only on the development of this is difficult. In their world, they do the hard work. According to him, not without merit. Without them, would not produce at all.

Worse, it is difficult to accurately assess the effectiveness of marketing in their business. You never know how or if someone is working with the marketing end up buying your product. In fact, I could not buy their products at all. They can talk with ten other impressions about your company, and then one or more during the decade, could lead to the purchase. You can not accurately measure.

For those who are accustomed to concrete and visual models, marketing can be voodoo. Nevertheless, this does not make marketing less important. This means that marketing requires a different mindset to development.

Social media has allowed us to control the thoughts of our audience, interests and sentiments in real time. This allows you to adjust our marketing efforts on the fly, if not working or have a negative effect. You must constantly monitor your audience. It is not just about marketing, during the release - the final result will be as iShoot. Grow your audience and build community.

Infinity Ward, creators of the Call Of Duty, understands the importance of a strong community. They are community manager, Robert Bowling, whose only function is to monitor the Call Duty hearing. Without it, the Modern Warfare 2 can not be to become the highest grossing entertainment of all time. The game will be a good thing no matter what. Call Of Duty has a history, the first Modern Warfare has been excellent, publicity surrounding the Modern Warfare 2 has been spectacular, was of high quality products, and Call Of Duty-known organization - the brand. But that would have done so without marketing? Of course, we can never be measured, but I'm willing to bet, marketing made the difference between the highest and the biggest box office gross.