Even though the success of your app depends a lot on you and what you do, it also depends on your competitors. So, your two step plan of attack is to keep an eye on your competitors and then respond to what they do.

Watching your competitors can start before you ever enter the App Store, in fact. You should look at the competitive landscape before you dive in with your app because it will help you do something different. It would be tough if you worked hard to build an app (or spend money to ask someone else to build it), then when you launched it in the App Store, you discover there’s another app exactly like it. The only thing worse would be if the other app is cheaper too!

Now, you can definitely have an app very similar to others. Or one that solves the same problem as others but does it better, has more features, or is easier to use, or costs less.

That’s what some competitive research can tell you – what you need to do to make your app different and better than the others. Because your app will be side-by-side with your competitors. If you make a racing game and someone searches for ‘racing game’ in the App Store, your app will literally appear right next to all the others. In a split second, your customer will need to decide to click on you or them. And, when they read your description and check out your screenshots in the App Store, they’ll need to make choice of your app or theirs.

The competition in the App Store can be fierce. It’s easy for you to make an app and sell it, which means it’s also easy for  your competitors to do the same. New apps are added every day. If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that the App Store won’t change. That makes it really exciting, but also tricky.

Now, some people will tell you that doing competitive research is hard and time-consuming. And if you think about all you want to learn about your competition, you might get overwhelmed. But there are shortcuts you can take if you know what you’re looking for. There are really only a few key things to keep an eye on.

And, when you’re first entering the App Store, there are some particular things you want to look for. When you know what they are, you’ll begin spotting opportunities everywhere in the App Store. Wherever there is a spot for a new app, you’ll see it once you train yourself to have a critical eye. The next great app idea is out there waiting for you. You might even have it now.

Do you want your name in lights? To be at the top of the pack? In the App Store, every developer strives to be in the Top 100 because it brings a huge visibility and loads of sales.

Many developers who write into this site say that getting their app in the Top 100 is one of their primary goals. But competition is tough. There are over 200,000 apps in the App Store and only a small fraction are people enough to market to the top. Does your app have what it takes to rise above?

Having your app in the Top 100 is like having Apple advertise your app for you every day. They give you a prominent link right to your app from the Top 100 page or even on the App Store homepage, which are seen by huge audiences. There may be no more effective way to market your app or turn App Store shoppers into customers than appearing on this coveted list.

More than the money from all the sales a Top 100 link can provide, it is a sign that you have arrived as an iPhone app developer. While many people learned to make iPhone apps, only an elite group have had their be successful enough to appear on the list.

One of the keys to having your app rocket to the top is to build momentum from their very beginning – even before you launch your app. Before your app shows up in the App Store, start building the buzz around it. Let bloggers and app sites know what is coming and build anticipation with the people who may become your customers. Build the anticipation into a fever pitch, so people will want to buy it the instant it is available.

Use the time you are waiting for your app to be approved wisely. Promote your app through your website and keep your customers updated. Make sure to tell them as soon as your app is approved and ready to buy.

Why do all this work? How will this help your increase the chances your app will break into the Top 100? You are turning your app into an event, and generating excitement so people do not need to think about buying it – they just snatch it up as soon as it is available.

You will usually see some of your highest sales as soon as your app is launched, so this strategy multiplies the number of sales you receive from day one.

The momentum you get from a huge launch can help propel you into getting more sales moving forward. For example, you can get many positive reviews earlier so people will quickly see your app is worth buying. More attention, more sales, more chances to get into the Top 100.

The Top 100 list is reserved for the best apps – and yours deserves to be among them. It may be difficult to break into this elite group, and it does not happen by accident. Start marketing your iPhone app even before it launched and continue to build the momentum and increase your sales to get the best chance to rise to the top of the rankings.

If you want to get exposure for your iPhone app, entering it in a competition can be a great way to go. Contests can get your app’s name out there to reach new customers. And winning is sure to get you more attention than you know what to do with.

Plus, if you win any competition or even come in the top 10, make sure to use that in your marketing. Show it off in your app’s description in the App Store, send around a press release, and feature it on your app’s website. Awards show your users that your app is worth buying.

To help you get started, here is a list of awards and competitions that accept iPhone apps:

Apple Design Awards: In Apple’s official competition for the best iPhone apps, your creation could be among the app elite. Check out past winners at the link above.

Best App Ever Awards: These awards aim to “recognize the best, not just the best-selling iPhone apps” – is yours one of them?

The Crunchies: Presented by the influential blog TechCrunch, The Crunchies invite people to nominate their favorite apps for voting.

Mobile Excellence Awards: This competition gives awards in many categories, such as Best Start-up, Best Mobile Innovator, and People’s Choice. Entries are judged on creativity, ease of use, success in the market, and other criteria.

Open Web Awards: Claim your spot as “best mobile app” in Mashable’s annual competition.

Sammy Awards: This competition focuses on social media: you can enter your app in their social branded app or content/entertainment app categories.

Which iPhone app competitions have you entered? Do you have any tips for making your entry stand out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Making an iPhone app can be exciting and profitable, but it can also be frustrating, especially when it comes to selling it. That is what we heard from you in our latest survey. And we want you to know that we are here to help (read on for a sneak peak).

What you said about marketing your apps

Thank you to everyone who took the survey – many more of you turned out than we ever expected. It is clear that marketing your iPhone app is not easy and just putting it in the App Store is not enough to guarantee a profit.

Here are the challenges app developers like you say they are facing:

• Coming up with ideas for an app that sells – How do I know if my idea for an app is a good one? That is what one developer asked, and we know many of you are feeling the same. Before you put in the time to create your app, you want to be sure it is an idea that your customers will love.
• Creating a marketing plan that gets big results (without a big budget) – Several people said they were overwhelmed with promoting their apps. There are just so many possibilities – search engine marketing, Twitter, yelling from the rooftops – that many developers said they did not know where to start.
• Submitting your app to review sites and getting published – We heard from many developers that their top frustration is submitting their apps for review and hearing nothing back. Or worse, just getting a canned email response that “we’ll get back to you”.
• Overcoming frustration at low sales - “I haven’t sold a single app” several people said. Others have tried everything but cannot break into the Top 100. Many developers said how frustrated they are that their hard work is not being rewarded as they expected it would.

You shared the challenges you face each day as you try to promote your iPhone apps, and I want you to know that we want to help. We have been there, too, and know that the right game plan can make all the difference. That’s why I want to let you in on a project in the works that I think you will be interested in.

Sneak peak of app marketing e-course

To help you promote your app, we are creating an online course that will show you exactly what to do step-by-step to get maximum returns with minimal effort. It can be frustrating logging into iTunes Connect each day to check your app sales only to see zeros looking back at you. There is no need to struggle any more, or buy dozens of marketing books.

When the new Marketing Your App course is available, members of our email newsletter list will be the first to know. If you would like exclusive details before anyone else, sign up now.

There are new tips and tricks for marketing your iPhone app all the time. We help you discover the latest articles that can help you sell more in the App Store by rounding up links from this blog and beyond. Check out these links:

Is 2010 your year for a mobile app?

Why you should start watching your App Store ranking like a hawk

Apple finally creates easy and short links to the App Store

New study: More and more people using their iPhones and other smartphones

Get approved! How to submit your iPhone app to the App Store

If you made an iPhone app, it’s essential to build a website for it. Step 1 is choosing a domain name

Apprupt launches affiliate network to help developers promote their iPhone apps

Develop perfect mobile websites for your iPhone app

Want to be the first to know about new iPhone app articles and ideas that can help you increase your sales? Subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up to receive emails now.

Understanding your customer is one of the most important parts of marketing your iPhone app, and it is an advantage that Mark Johnson is banking on as he sells his financial iPhone app.

Even though the stock market can be a roller coaster, prospects for the app Wall Street are looking up because of the work Johnson is doing to promote his app. Learn how he came up with the idea, his advice for submitting your app to review sites, and how to get App Store shoppers to hit “buy”.

Marketing Your App: What is your app and what have you done so far to promote it?

Mark Johnson: The name of my app is Wall Street. Wall Street lets users research financial markets when they’re on-the-go.

Users can make their own stock portfolios, look at historical charts, apply analysis tools to the charts, look up company and global news, get price quotes on currencies and commodities, and more.

So far, to market my app, I’ve started to use Google AdWords, word-of-mouth, made a promotional website, and posted on just about every iPhone app website that exists.

MYA: Who is your audience for this app and how did you choose this audience to serve?

MJ: I’m gearing this app towards young professionals who would like market information when they may not always be sitting at a computer. I started writing Wall Street when there was really only Apple’s Stocks app, and I just wanted something better.

At the time, I needed a way to maybe look at stock charts, get commodity quotes, and even take a quick look at currencies. Generally, I think this app can be useful to anyone who could use mobile market data.

MYA: Based on your experience, would you have any advice for developers submitting their apps to review sites?

MJ: Make your app as clean and bug-free as possible. Of course, there will always be some unavoidable bugs. Still, it’s never a good feeling when you want to show someone your app, and it crashes right when you open it.

On another note, if you can’t think of any new ways to market your app, then buy other people’s apps and visit other developers’ websites. Developers are smart people, and they are always finding new ways to get their apps sold and onto iPhones. Take a look and see what other developers are doing, and maybe spark some ideas of your own.

MYA: Do you have any other advice for app developers who are selling their apps?

MJ: The one tip that I would give other iPhone developers is that they should not expect their apps to sell themselves. Customers like to feel comfortable when they buy something. Customers do not like to feel like they’re taking a risk on an app that might just have a good screenshot. Marketing is the best thing an iPhone developer can do to sell their apps.

Wall Street is available in the App Store by clicking on this link

Do you have an iPhone app? Would you like to see it featured on this blog? Find out how.

How would you like to sell your iPhone app to millions of potential customers, with more signing on every day? Imagine that you offer your product 24 hours a day every day of the year and make money even while you are sleeping. You could focus on developing a great app because details such as credit card processing where taken care of for you.

Yes, we are talking about the App Store – the online super-store created by Apple where app developers sell their software and the millions of people around the world who have an iPhone or iPod Touch shop and buy.

As a developer, the App Store is where you need to be if you want to successfully sell your app and make money. How do you get listed in the App Store? You must submit your app online to Apple for review and approval.

To submit your app to the App Store, you use iTunes Connect, a service available through Apple’s website. First, you will need to join the iPhone Developer Program and pay a fee. Becoming a member is a requirement for submitting your app, and also allows you to access development tools, sample code, and FAQ guides.

Make sure you carefully read the guidelines for submitting your app on the Apple website to help you increase the chances the application you submit will be approved. Also, double check you have everything that is required to submit your app, such as a description of your app and an icon that meets their specs.

When you submit your app, Apple will need to review and approve it before you appear in the App Store. To maximize your chances, make sure you carefully test your app before submitting to ensure it works as you intended. Fix any bugs before submitting your app because errors can be a reason for rejection.

Also, make sure you are allowed to use any and all photos, videos, music, and trademarked words you use in your app. Improper use of copyrighted materials can also lead to your app being rejected from the App Store.

Submitting your app to the App Store is the first step to selling and making money from your great idea. If your app is approved, it will be put up for sale and made available to a large audience of iPhone and iPod Touch users.

There are many ways to promote iPhone apps you create so you increase your sales and boost your profits, and this site is here to help you. Sign up for our helpful, spam-free email newsletter today and receive a free App Marketing Power Pack plus more money-making tips in your inbox.