I’ve never felt completely comfortable with marketing— either myself or my apps. It always felt cheap to me to “blow your own horn” … but that is a belief I’ve had to force myself out of. That belief is outdated and has never really served me.
Marketing and promotion are becoming so crucial today. As the job markets shrink for programmers (and they shrink for all industries eventually), those who wish to stay employed need to make their successes and talents know. Modesty is a trait they can no longer afford.
If you are really good at your job and can’t get visibility, you will never go far.
We’ve all seen the obnoxious self-promoter get a job we were more qualified for. But … they put themselves in the spotlight for it … so they got it.
And, of course, if you want your apps to be downloaded, you need to make sure people know about them. The app market continues to grow. Thousands of new apps are released every day. And if you want your app to be noticed, it has to be noticeable. And … remarkable. And you need to get it in front of people. Hoping to be recommended by Apple is a very poor strategy.
One of my biggest challenges in making a living as an app developer is getting over the introverted nature I grew up with. I have to stop thinking someone will “just find” my apps and tell others about them. Telling others about my apps … is my job.
I’ve become a big Grant Cardone fan over the past couple of years. I’ve read all of his books. One quote I always think about from the “10X Rule” where he said, “The problem wasn’t a competition; it was obscurity”. These days, obscurity is the biggest problem all of us have. And as the app market grows, obscurity is your app’s biggest problem. As the job markets shrink (or I should say … “evolve”), obscurity is your career’s biggest problem. We all have to be better marketers and we all have to believe in what we do.
Not a good writer? Tough! Learn and practice.
Hate the sound of your own voice? We all feel that way … it’s not a valid excuse.
We need to become better marketers … and I’m not just talking about apps. And I mean everywhere.
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