The mobile app market is a saturated one, and app developers have to find creative ways to market their apps even before they launch. People love being the first to know about the next best thing, and the sooner they find out about an upcoming mobile app, the better. The idea is to build excitement and anticipation around the app, and to motivate the developers themselves to meet the market’s expectations.

Anyone can quickly set up a pre-launch website or page for their app, but only a few manage to create pages that truly leave an impression and get customers excited. Here are some tips on developing and designing a pre-launch page for an upcoming mobile app.

Strong Branding

A pre-launch page needs strong branding to make it and the app it promotes more memorable. Establishing the brand’s identity and leaving a lasting impression on visitors is one of the key goals of any pre-launch campaign.

In this example, the Taasky pre-launch page uses the same color palette and font style as the actual app. This consistency allows users to preview what the app will look like, and makes them associate the specific colors with the app’s brand.

A Unique Gimmick

Anyone can create a website with an image, descriptive text, and an email opt-in form. While keeping pre-launch pages simple and straightforward is a good idea, adding a little something that makes it unique increases its appeal and encourages visitors to share the page with their social circles.

Adding a little animation or storytelling can go a long way. The pre-launch site for Yep, a social app that lets users arrange instant meet-ups, uses unique graphics and vertical scrolling to walk visitors through the app’s concept and features.

Added Incentive

Getting people to share a pre-launch page on social networks or fill out an email opt-in form is much easier if they’re given additional incentive to do so. Early access can be good incentives, but throwing a few freebies in can encourage users even more.

The pre-launch campaign for The Drowning, a mobile first-person shooter game, offers users free wallpaper for their mobile devices as incentive to pre-register. The game has already launched for iOS users, but now the page extends the offer to Android users in anticipation for the game’s launch on Google Play store.

Data Collection

Gathering data about people interested in the app can help improve its marketing campaign. The most common option is to add a simple form that can be used to collect visitors’ email addresses for inclusion in a mailing list, but other developers may also include live chat features or polls to gather additional information about their target market.

Social Sharing

People often share anything they find interesting with their contacts on social networks. Social sharing is the online equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising, and this can help get even more people excited about an upcoming app. Make sharing easier for visitors by including adding social buttons to the app’s pre-launch page.

Facebook and Twitter are the most common options for social sharing buttons, but consider including other networks’ buttons, such as Pinterest or Tumblr.

Creating a pre-launch page with these five elements can get people excited about your upcoming app, but it’s only one part of your app’s marketing campaign.