Using your app icon for marketing

It is undeniable that the overall look and appeal of an application icon is extremely important. When browsing the App Store, on both a mobile device and desktop, all you really have to guide you is the name of the app and the icon. Based on those two pieces of information you have to decide if the app seems interesting enough to read more about and possibly download. Given that more than 50% of applications are purchased from an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and not a desktop, the icon plays a much bigger role in application search and selection. As a result it is essential to make sure your icon is attractive, representative of the app itself, and up to date.

Often it is effective to change the theme of your icon and app to match a holiday or large event. Notice in the screen shots below; Zombie Farm has re-vamped their icon for spring break, adding new seasonal scenes and items. It is important to note that this is a change to the original version of the game, not a release of a seasonal mini game, such as the Valentine’s editions of Bakery Story and Restaurant Story, in which the original versions of the games were still available in the App Store. This is very effective for holiday marketing campaigns and for selling seasonal items for the app.

If you want to change your app’s icon, this can only be done with an Apple submission of your binary. That means you must plan to have an update of the app ready for around the time of a holiday. However, once the holiday is over, it is good to have another update ready, or else the seasonal version of your icon will remain in the App store until your next update. For this reason this strategy isn’t good for apps that don’t update often.