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Comment by chubs | Hacker News Reader

Thanks for posting that. I'm in a similar situation with a couple of apps that have done surprisingly well, and am hoping to replicate their success on other apps.

I especially like your marketing idea: qr codes on business cards handed out at a conference. Glad it worked for you!

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Thanks! (original author here). Incidentally, there's ANOTHER industry conference this weekend. I got 500 business cards printed up (double sided with both my apps) to hand out. Other than that, Facebook is the only other real "marketing" I've done.

Do you know if anyone actually used the QR codes? I don't know anyone who has actually used one. Did you have a way to check if it helped having a QR code on there? Or do you think it was you talking to them and your business card that closed the sale, rather than the QR code?

I handed out about 200 cards that weekend and there were about 3 people that scanned the QR code and bought it on the spot (right in front of me... now THAT was cool).

Keep in mind that this is 95% women in this industry, so I didn't expect them to be as "tech savvy" than if I was at a computer conference or something.

I believe that the personal touch of saying, "I built this for someone like you" has a HUGE impact on how people feel about your brand and your app.

Ah, so the code sent someone's iPhone directly to your link in the App store?

Almost... it sent them to my linkshare link that then forwarded them to iTunes (which opens the App Store app on a device). So i gained back that 7% of revenue from Apple that my linkshare referral program gives me. Sneaky, huh?

I think you've also got a good headstart with your wife already being in that industry. Clever marketing.

That's my next mountain, so to speak: how to market my apps. Still scratching my head on that one.

A good start would to get App Review sites to review your applications. It depends on the category of the app, so if you don't mind me asking, what type of app is it?

I've always thought that personal marketing/hawking of apps doesn't do much to drive sales.

The best marketing you can get is through reviews and word of mouth. In my mind, that money is better spent on improving the product.

The niche market I'm going after here HIGHLY values the personal connection (Network Marketing), so it's a perfect scenario for me to market my apps.

I've found it can do a lot, especially if your app is for a niche market like the OP's. When you go to a conference or a trade show, you're surrounded by people who will buy your App. It doesn't get any better than that when it comes to marketing. Good reviews only help if people find your app on the app store to read them.

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