When launching an app, developers can use all the marketing push they can get to help climb rankings and attract users. Oftentimes, the initial stages of an app’s lifecycle prove to be the most difficult to gain traction in the ever-evolving and hyper-competitive markets that are the App Store and Play Store. With new apps being introduced every day in virtually every industry, app marketers need to consistently find ways to stand out among the competition.
The social media space has become one where new players consistently look to succeed with innovative services, eye-catching platforms, and new ways of allowing users to connect. In an industry that looks seemingly impossible to break through, Meta has shown us how the power of branding plays a huge role in attracting users onto a new platform, no matter how saturated the market may be.
Branding is an essential aspect of any successful product launch. A strong brand not only helps an app differentiate itself from competitors but also builds trust and recognition among users. Meta's Threads app launch was backed by the powerful brand equity of Meta itself, leveraging the reputation and recognition of its parent company to attract over 100M users within five days of launching.
Meta's branding efforts over the years have made their services a household name. By associating Threads with Instagram, they instantly gained an advantage in terms of brand awareness. The familiarity of Instagram’s brand served as a strong foundation for the app's launch, as users were more likely to take notice and consider downloading Threads based on their pre-existing knowledge of the social media powerhouse.
Brand trust is a critical factor in the success of any app launch. Meta's established reputation for building reliable and quality services potentially reassures users that their user experience within the Threads app will be a positive one. This trust and credibility played a significant role in encouraging users to download the app.
ASO encompasses various strategies aimed at increasing an app's visibility and downloads in the App Store and Play Store. Strong branding can make your overall app marketing efforts easier, and Meta's Threads app launch exemplified this effect.
Meta made a strategic decision to include one of its brand’s names in the app title with "Threads, an Instagram app". This strategy reinforces the connection to the parent brand, relating it back to a service users are already familiar with. Users searching for "Instagram" or related terms were more likely to discover Threads due to its strong association with the brand.
A point of improvement could be to use title tags later on in the app’s lifecycle. Title tags help improve an app’s visibility and creates relevance for terms being searched for. Having ‘Instagram’ in the title can help attract users thanks to high brand recognition in the beginning, but over time, having relevant keywords can help the app maintain its status in search results.
Meta adopted a distinctive app icon and visual identity for Threads that aligned with their existing brand elements but is simple and unique enoch to stand out. By using an “@” symbol in their app icon, users can easily relate Threads to Instagram as the photo sharing app also relies on the character to identify users. This consistency in visual branding strengthened the recognition of Threads and increased its visibility among users browsing through the App Store and Play Store.
The continuous line in the app icon also plays along with its main functionality which is to create forum-style conversations in, you guessed it, different threads.
App screenshots provide an opportunity to communicate the app's features and benefits to potential users in a visually engaging manner. Threads’ screenshots start by utilizing an emphasized UI element representing the app login. It highlights the app’s Instagram integration, capitalizing on the other app’s large brand recognition to tie in their new service and help users relate the two.
By leveraging brand recognition and other app screenshot best practices such as highlighted copy, in-app imagery, and a consistent color scheme, Threads’ screenshots are well suited to inform and attract users.
You don’t have to be an industry giant to apply the same principles Meta has with the launch of their new Threads app. By taking advantage of a highly engaged and receptive audience, you enhance your chances of creating positive traction for any new product or feature you launch, no matter if it’s 10 thousand users or 10 million. Consistently improving your in app experience and connecting with your audience can greatly improve your brand’s perception and provide leverage whenever you’re ready to launch new initiatives.
Want to learn more about ASO for your app? Get in touch with Gummicube today!
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