Are you looking for the best way to sell your app in the App Store? Many developers jump in blindly and overlook the simple things they can do to increase their profits by selling more apps.

In this article, we’ll show you the three key steps to set yourself up for success when selling your iPhone or iPad app. These essential ingredients can help you get more exposure for your app and increase your sales from day one.

With more than 150,000 apps currently being sold in the App Store, you need every advantage you can get to stand out and be noticed. Read on to learn how to take the first crucial steps to turning your latest app into a bestseller.

1. Think like your customer

After all the hours you are spending coding and testing your iPhone app, you know it inside out. But your potential customers do not know a thing about it yet. How are you going to sell your app to your eager audience of App Store shoppers?

While there are many ways to get the word out about your app, the one thing you should remember when doing any marketing is that to be successful, you must think like your customers.

Take yourself out of your shoes and try on your customer’s. What will really make your app appeal to them? How you sell your app is all about how you communicate what it is to people.

When selling your iPhone app, aim to be clear and compelling every time you talk to shoppers. By putting their needs ahead of your own, you will win over more buyers and accelerate your sales.

2. Do a little every day

Successfully selling your app can seem like an overwhelming task. There are so many marketing activities to try, who has time for them all?

When you want to boost your sales, do not worry about trying to do everything at once. There is so much you could do to help you increase your profits that you might just burn out by trying to do too much.

Instead, commit yourself to do just a little something each day. Marketing your app works best when it is a sustained effort, not a sprint.

By doing one thing every day to promote your app – whether it is submitting to a review site, working on your search engine marketing, or improving your App Store description – you will be amazed at how much you accomplish in a week. You will feel great and that momentum will push you to go further.

3. Don’t ignore your competition

At the same time you are selling your app, thousands of other developers are doing the same. App Store shoppers have become more choosy about the apps they will download and buy – there are over 150,000 to choose from after all – meaning you will need to keep an eye out for what your competitors are doing.

Before you launch your app and also when it’s live in the App Store, carefully watch the other apps in your category or that appeal to the same audience as yours. Here are some important things to look for: Did they raise or lower their app prices? Are they adding new features that you do not have? Do they hold sales or special promotions? Do they offer a free or “lite” version?

What you do to respond to your competitors can make the difference between winning new customers or losing sales. By keeping a close eye on your competition, you will be ready to make the most of every advantage you have.

Selling your app is an ongoing journey. Put these three opportunities into action today and start earning all the sales you deserve every step of the way.

Is advertising the missing piece of your iPhone app? Learn how to put money-making ads in your app.

Selling your app is not the only way to make money in the App Store. Putting advertisements in your app can be an easy way to turn your free app into a profit. But how do you get started inserting ads in your app?

We will show you the basic steps to show ads in your app, and offer helpful links to companies that sell ads for you. Several mobile advertising companies have made it simple to put ads in your iPhone apps and start making money. Here is how you can insert ads in your apps and make the most of this prime opportunity.

Step 1. Choose a mobile ad service

If you are developing an iPhone app or already have created one, your first step to inserting ads in your app is to choose one of the many companies that will sell ads on your behalf. They line up advertisers to put messages online and share a part of the profits with you, the app developer.

Here are some options to consider:

• AdMob
• Medialets
• Smaato
• Mobclix
• Tapjoy

Signing up with these companies is like having a full-time ad sales force working you around the clock. You do not have to find sponsors, deal with billing, or insert each ad in your app. They do the work for you.

Step 2. Insert code into your app

Once you have signed up with one of the mobile ad providers, your next task is to choose where the ads will appear in your app.

You usually just put some lines of code in your app that says where the ad should appear. For example, someone at Mobclix showed how to insert the code in just a minute and other companies offer equally easy set ups.

Many times, you get paid based on how many times your ad is shown to users or clicked on by users, so it is important to choose a good location for your ads. On the other hand, you do not want the ads to distract too much with the operation or enjoyment of your app. You might want to test several different sizes and locations for your ads over time to see which ones work best in your app and yield the biggest profits – that is step three.

Step 3. Test and tweak

Once you insert the code, users who download your app will start seeing the ads – but your job is not done. To make your ads perform their best – and boost your profits – you will need to keep an eye on them and make any tweaks necessary.

The service that provides ads probably offers you a way to track their results. Take the time to learn how to use the reporting interface and what all the charts mean.

Then, start experimenting to see what works best with your users. You could decide to change the size or location of ads. Maybe you want to show ads only after every other startup or when the user takes a specific action. Keep on testing and tweaking for best results.

If you have a free app in the App Store or you are developing one now, consider placing ads in your app. It may not be right for every app, but the three basic steps we shared with you make it easy to get up and running today.

If you are interested in learning more about making money by having ads in your app, keep checking this blog for more tips. And, for the latest articles and advice, sign up for our email newsletter today.