One look at the Android app marketplace seems akin to looking into a bottomless pit. There seems to be a profusion of apps of all kinds helping people get entertained, get healthier, read books, stay updated with news and so many others. Discoverability of a new app in this marketplace is complex and has to be approached with a huge degree of smart thinking and out of the box creativity. For a publisher this crowded app market place means they have to come up with a stand out app and this requirement is even more intense in the Android app space.

In a pitched battle for supremacy, Android and Apple are introducing new apps almost everyday in order to attain top dog status. Android is certainly one of the biggest app stores and offers an immense array of variety, diversity and access to multiple kinds of devices. This is truly a publisher’s idea of app- utopia! One of the biggest features or enablers that a publisher must use when he creates apps for the Android space is the rich user experience that this operating system offers. From the use of in-app advertising to creating apps that engage the user almost immediately, publishers can use all the tricks of the trade to create dazzling apps.

Some factors to keep in mind
Creating apps has to begin with identifying the target market or the customer. It would also be more practical to identify a niche segment in terms of devices as well. Android operates in a vast range of devices and it might be easier to target a limited number of these devices. A publisher can use the power of Android on a smartphone, for instance to sell his application to. User experience is key! If the app loads too slowly or there are too many advertisements cluttering up the screen then the user is likely to “switch off” from the application. If advertisements are the chosen method of marketing then the publisher should ensure that the ads load really swiftly and do not take too much time. Ideally, offer a sweet tooth reward and get the user to not only watch the ad but also click through to the website.

Enhancing discoverability
There is a large number of ways in which you can enhance the visibility and discoverability of your application through android app marketing. For an Android app publisher, the Amazon App Store for Android is a big blessing! As of 2012 February, this App Store has more than 25,000 apps.

There is also Google Play, which has an even larger number of apps but the Amazon Store helps publishers make more money! Social media also has its iPlay, which has an even larger number of apps, keting and one such forum is Facebook. Facebook has entered the space of mobile apps just this year but the reach of this social networking tool holds a lot of promise to improve discoverability for the Android apps. Facebook itself has 800 million users and counting. For a publisher it makes sense to have Facebook API running on their apps.