How to Promote Your iPhone App Using Hollrr • Clever Twist - iPhone application design & development in Atlanta, Georgia.

[Author Note: This is NOT a paid post by Hollrr.]

The results are in. Developing an awesome app, contacting a few reviewers and holding your breath... doesn't work. So what DOES work? How can indie developers get the word out and make a big splash in the App Store? Beats me, but experimenting with Hollrr is my next "what the hell, can't hurt" marketing strategy. MG Seigler at Techcrunch wrote an article that cited the need for a "Genius Bar" for the App Store - enter Hollrr.

What is Hollrr?
It's easier to describe what Hollrr is by describing what it isn't. It isn't the cryptic "CUSTOMERS ALSO BOUGHT" section of the App Store.

It isn't reviews from random people you don't know.

It isn't flawed semi-forced rankings when people delete an app.

Hollrr is about real people, real personal connection. It's about giving a shout out for products you love, and sharing the love with others in your tribe.

Chief Hollrr David Hegarty notes:

Hollrr is about rooting for the underdog.  It's about rooting for that awesome new product that the start-up down the street just launched.  When people discover a great product like this,  they want to help their friends discover it too.  For this reason, Hollrr is a great fit with iPhone Apps.  When someone discovers a cool new app, they usually know lots more people with similar interests who'll probably love that App too.  Hollrr allows these small referrals to spread across a whole network of people with similar interests and tastes.

Why Hollrr?
Why not? Seriously the exception seems to be the rule in app promotion these days. Hollrr just rolled out of private beta and is HEAVILY promoting the site from here on out. Riding their promotional wave presents a host of opportunities:

1. Possibility of more traffic/higher sales. If your app is positively reviewed several times over, the community around it only grows stronger, converting sales faster.
2. Become a tribe leader. Once you have a product people like, people will listen to what you have to say. You launch a new app, they check it out. You launch another new app, they check it out. You launch an update - they check it out.
3. Find Your Audience. Hollrr makes it easy to find people who like things that you like. Although connecting to other users is coming in the new release, Hollrr plans to allow a Twitter-like open network that allows you to friend other people with your interests. Scan for products that have a similar target audience and you've got a group of people that might like your stuff!
4. Ability to Love on Your Loyal, Raging Fan Base - Relying on random acts of God to get you into the "Top 25" or "What's Hot" is "fleeting, unreliable, and completely out of your control" as Marco Arment notes in his article about app developers Race to the Bottom. Stop herding cats and dial in on an audience that loves your niche and really talk to them! Part of the allure of social media is instant accessibility, but many product owners engage with spammy marketing gobbledy-goo. Take a second and think before you type - "would I say this to someone I don't know in real life?"
5. Feedback you Can Interact With. In the App Store, users complain into a black hole. There's no way to respond to "MaryinKentucky" to let her know that you fixed that bug she reported. Hollrr can also be used as a test space for developers in pre-launch or in post-launch collecting input about problems that need to be fixed.

How Does it Work?
It's pretty simple. When you set up your account there's an option to enter your logins for Facebook and Twitter. You can tell your friends about products you like by clicking on the "Hollrr this" button and checking the "send to Twitter and/or Facebook" checkboxes. It posts your shout out to Hollrr, Facebook and Twitter all at once. If you're a product owner, you can embed a "Hollrr this" button:

or if you want for friends to see a stream of your Hollrr's you can embed a widget on your site:

Conclusion
Hollrr presents a unique opportunity for developers to communicate with their target audience and customers on a variety of levels. I'm giving it a try and will report back in a couple of months to let y'all know how it goes!