How you promote your Ovi app?

[radeknati]

Hello,
Could you tell me the best way to promote my app? There are so many apps at Ovi Store that potential customers don't want view hundreds of pages with apps...

[jetrix74]

Thanks radeknati for bringing this up. I would also like to know. One popular way seems to be to make your app/game appear over and over again in the "new" listing. My latest game got published 36 hours ago and now it has fallen to page 15 on the "new" list, due to the old games that keeps reappearing on the "new" list.

[radeknati]

Thanks radeknati for bringing this up. I would also like to know. One popular way seems to be to make your app/game appear over and over again in the "new" listing. My latest game got published 36 hours ago and now it has fallen to page 15 on the "new" list, due to the old games that keeps reappearing on the "new" list.

could you tell me how to "refresh" app in the new lising?

I tried promoted my app in youtube, facebook and that's all - aha, and I created blog for my app - but it's not enough

[jetrix74]

I don't know how to do that, and even if I did, I wouldn't do that. I consider it to be a very lame way and it makes justified reappearances drown to the masses (ie. updated version with more levels, etc)

I also have facebook pages for my games..

[vladest]

There is another problem with Ovi and negative reviews. For example if someone wrote an issue in your application, when you'll fix the issue and upload new application review still there

[radeknati]

There is another problem with Ovi and negative reviews. For example if someone wrote an issue in your application, when you'll fix the issue and upload new application review still there

Yes, this is bad. Author of application should have a possibility to put contra-review (add comment to review - some of them are untrue or unfair). It's really cut your wings (I don't know if that expression exists in English, I'm from Poland) when you see review like that: junk. beware this app And I cannot do nothing with this...

[jetrix74]

I just lost one 5 star review probably because there was no sensible text in the field only "lkdfw" text was written.

[Jon Heron]

Good points and questions... I too wonder the best way to promote.
I notice the other app stores I sell my wares on have a rotation for the apps on the front page, that way everybody gets a shot at some exposure... My favorite app store mobiHand has a "deal of the day" promotion where they put up a sale every day on a variety of apps, if your lucky enough to get selected for the deal of the day the sales go through the roof, even though its at a reduced price the volume more than makes up for it. Also the sales seem to be higher at full price for a day or two after, I assume do to word of mouth... My partner and I hit the deal of the day last Saturday and we enjoyed an over 400% increase in sales that day!
Good discussion!
Jon

[radeknati]

Jon Heron, could you tell me more about mobiHand? Should I sign my app at Symbian on my own to sell it on mobiHand? Or they have free signing?

[Jon Heron]

Should I sign my app at Symbian on my own to sell it on mobiHand?

I would if I were you! Mobi doesnt have free signing though, but Handango does...
I used to get more sales on mobiHand and Handango then on Ovi, now that Ovi supports more devices for Qt the sales are abit higher on Ovi.
On the other app stores anyone with a symbian phone can buy your apps too, not just Nokia folks shop at the other stores...
Cheers,
Jon

[proberts]

If you have a free/demo version of your app, post it on Mobile9.com and create a torrent for it on mininova.org (both free)

Make both listings consistent with other listings on the site... i.e. on Mobile9 don't make it too "businessy" or look too much like marketing. Mobile9 community is very friendly, but very informal. For the torrent, make the title and a .nfo/.txt that look a little "warez" like - follow some of the other product descriptions (ascii art).Our torrents have good downloads (a little hard to track - you only know minimum downloads) but it's GREAT for SEO. The torrents get picked up over a few weeks by many different trackers. (We included a couple of extra pieces of content in the torrent version - stuff we weren't planning on selling or releasing through normal channels.)

[onedeveloper]

I would if I were you! Mobi doesnt have free signing though, but Handango does...
I used to get more sales on mobiHand and Handango then on Ovi, now that Ovi supports more devices for Qt the sales are abit higher on Ovi.
On the other app stores anyone with a symbian phone can buy your apps too, not just Nokia folks shop at the other stores...
Cheers,
Jon

This is very interesting information. Are you saying that you still get significant revenue portion from other application stores than Nokia Ovi Store?
Sounds like it is better to to submit the application to as many stores as possible, even if Symbian signing costs 200 USD. At the moment we are only on Nokia Ovi Store.

[radeknati]

I am also wondering about sale outside Ovi but first I must wait to earn 200$ in Ovi for Symbian signing

[Jon Heron]

This is very interesting information. Are you saying that you still get significant revenue portion from other application stores than Nokia Ovi Store?
Sounds like it is better to to submit the application to as many stores as possible, even if Symbian signing costs 200 USD. At the moment we are only on Nokia Ovi Store.

Well, none of my app revenue has been "significant", at least compared to my partners revenue with the same apps on blackBerry, and ios...
But yes, up until about a month ago the revenue from mobihand and handango combined was more than on Ovi. They are also much easier to deal with than Ovi, easy to submit and describe with no major limitations on descriptions and screen shots, the apps get published within 48hours too...
You have full control over upgrading applications for all purchasers, including paid update notifications, full access to purchasers information including email, the ability to get rid of bogus reviews, real time purchase stats with REAL revenue numbers, real time updating, etc, etc... The way it should be...
Be sure to sign up for the "deal of the day" on mobi too.
Handango (or appia I think its called now) have free signing for symbian apps too... you have nothing to lose but some of your time to sign up, might as well go for it...
Cheers,
Jon

[OviStewey]

Hi

You can use this link to promote your app

http://promotions.ovi.com/omt

Thank you