marketing, beta-testingI have released an Android application in beta testing and I’d like to know how I can get the first few groups of people to test it.
The app is designed to be community based where users get to re-discover songs that they can’t remember by title but only by tune, lyrics or beat. How it works is you upload a recording of yourself singing the part/beat or tune of the song you can remember and someone else browsing the list will be able to respond to it.
Right now the version just has the core functionality down and I’d like to get more input from a group of testers. The problem is I’ve never done any sort of promotion or advertising.
So how can I get the first group of people at once because I’m sure if just two people are on there then there isn’t much to do and the application will be dead long before it’s even operational.
I’m a lone developer with no marketing/promotional experience whatsoever.
The application is free and I haven’t thought of a plan for sustaining the application in terms of hosting fees etc but that’s not the main concern right now. My main concern is getting users first.
Thanks for your help
For future reference, getting users should be your first concern before you build an app. Otherwise you face the problem you have now..
That said, you don’t want “testers” for the app, you want users. That means getting people aware of your app when they need it. The next problem you have is that most users won’t search for your app when they have the problem you are trying to solve. They will probably search on websites and/or Google Play.
Also, it isn’t clear how this is “community based” - how does it bring people together? People with a common problem aren’t necessarily a “community”. For example, people that have trouble finding their keys don’t really comprise a “community” because of their problem. It might be best to think of your app as an “assistant” or tool. People that are having trouble remembering a song have two extremes - casually annoyed or looking to purchase. The casual user will not search long for your app, if they search at all.
So your users are most likely to come from places that sell music - likely vintage music. Which means your best bet at promoting your app is to find vintage music sites that would partner with you, or at least provide a link to your “beta app” to help them get more sales. They probably lose sales because people can’t find the song they want, and those sites can’t provide the search feature you offer.
Beyond that you can do traditional advertising and marketing approaches, but most likely people that really love music won’t need your app, and people that casually have this problem won’t search for it. But if you think of your app as a “shopping assistant” when someone has the yearning to buy an old song they can’t remember well, then you have a shot at getting users.
Best of luck!
EDIT:
Your comment mentions community participation like SO - so some users submit “tunes” and others “name that tune.” Don’t overlook the rewards in SO and the “game” aspect of your concept. You actually have 2 groups of users; people seeking answers, and also “experts” that might enjoy recognition. Be sure to include “rewards” (reputation, points, badges, etc.) for those experts that support your app.
Also, that makes Google Play and even more contemporary online music sales websites relevant - your app might help someone find the song they are looking for faster with expert users than with digital (and sometimes frustrating) solutions.
If you are looking for the first bunch of testers, I really suggest trying crowdtesting. There’s several sites on the web for it, (ex: Testbirds, Usertesting). You can also search for microjobs listing in sites like fiverr to get extensive reports and testing.
As of reaching out for end-user, I really suggest doing social media campaigns since it’s the easiest way to do it nowadays.
One fairly inexpensive option is to create good-looking paper flyers, or hire someone to create them, that describe your app and the two categories of users. Make sure to show the name of your app, a call to action such as “Download FREE”, and use logos for iTunes and the Google Play Store. Then hire a flyer distribution people (there are tons on Fiverr.com) to pass them out at colleges with big music programs, such as Julliard, Boston College, Yale, etc.
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