App Marketing in Asia Continues to Evolve

The good news is that APAC leads the global growth when it comes to mobile applications, and with this comes opportunities. And a further look shows us that the top three markets where growth leads is: Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia. The Asian continent is home to about 4.5 billion, so this is a region that can hardly be ignored. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what any promising marketer can expect when it comes to looking at the current app growth trends within Asia.  

First things first: get localization right. A lot of the work that goes into an app will be translation to be sure, but to succeed with the new app you will need a crack localization team as well. This will be important to highlight any cultural nuances that go into the platform. Unfortunately, many is the team that has tried to launch a new app in Asia only to find that the specs didn’t fit the local expectations. Make sure you get these things right from the start to avoid to avoid some major headaches later.  

Now that you have an app platform in place, you want to make sure people find it. Seach is big when it comes to finding apps, so setting SEO from day one will also come to an advantage. Depending on the market, this can work very different than what marketing teams have been used to in the past. Getting the words and expressions correct in the local language, along with any images and data that customers use to set will be key. Find a strong local marketer that really knows the landscape to help set this.  

With a lot of this necessary preparation behind you, it may feel like the time to dive right in. The next step is to beta test the application. Use native speakers and local users to get that critical feedback before finalizing. The beta test can be open or closed, and use this time to really dig in and see what is working with the app and what is not. Then constantly improve. Finding some strong partners that can assist with this process will make the app that much better.  

You will also really need to be researching your target market at the same time. Are free games where it's at? This may work in China, but may not Japan. What about video? This may be great in Vietnam, but there could be a better angle to be played in Korea. Whatever your target market is, make sure you really understand the core local trends before getting involved. Asia may be a high app growth region, but if you haven't done your homework, you will most likely fail the test.