Arnaud Gilbert 
Today, we see a lot of mobile applications coming into the market rapidly. The purpose of such apps is to provide services and to do business via digital marketing. So many investors are investing in mobile app development.
You made your app to join this market trend. also, You are very much confident about your app’s popularity, rate of downloads, and performance.
But the main thing is how do you set a narrative about your app in this highly competitive market? The common answer to this question is the application launch. You have to launch your application in this market. There are two kinds of application launches one is the soft launch and another is the hard launch. The success of the app development is affected by the strategy of its launch so, you have to pay proper attention to the hard and soft strategy.
Table of Contents
Understanding Soft Launch and Hard Launch
While understanding the soft launch and hard launch we have to consider so many other things rather than just launching. The success rate of application launching got affected by so many other things like quality, productivity, monetization, budget, etc. the differences found in the application launch are only by the kinds of launch.
Soft Launch
During the soft launch of the product, (the product in the sense of a newly developed application) is provided to few users in other words app is released to limited users. Soft launch strategies are chosen to get a rate of product reviews, feedback, and user experience of the application. Developers choose this kind of launch strategy for testing purposes also.
Developers use soft launch if he wants to introduce the essential features along with the MVP.
Hard Launch
During the hard launch, the product is finalized with all the important features. At this stage, an application is successful in its development so it is ready to access a wide range of users.
At this point, the application is said to be completely bug-free, and error-free so would be released in the primary market. Hard launches are organized with the help of seminars, and grand parties, as well as by announcements or advertisements in public.
Soft Launch Examples
There are so many examples of application developments that successfully launched their apps in the market. The popular app called uber which is a car booking applicaion started its business with just a single car. The huge business spread among the users just from driver to driver and by so many other soft launch strategies.
Another example, of a soft launch, is the dropbox application. Dropbox launched its great cloud storage app through a single video and gathered all the interested customers that are it.
Hard Launch Examples
Microsoft launched its version of windows 7 all over the world with the use of a hard launch strategy. At the same time, Google was about to launch its chrome system and apple its snow leopard system by using the same strategy. A hard launch is an effective method of marketing the product.
All we know about the tinder application is the most successful dating application. The tinder development team launched this app at a birthday party. The strategy of hard launch worked and today it is a widely used dating application.
Benefits of a Soft Launch
Cost-Effective
The soft launch is cost-effective and budget-friendly. It doesn’t require a huge marketing campaign. It works through social media posts and that’s enough for it. The cost of notifying users by huge hoardings and advertisements can be easily eliminated with the use of push notifications within apps. There is no need to organize big parties and seminars for its launch so that it is said to be cost-effective.
Application Monetization
The soft launch has another reason rather than its cost-effectiveness which is the testing and assurance of its development. A lot of app developers use such a strategy to do experimental analysis with their applications.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Every mobile app in its initial stage is known as the minimum viable product. Mvp is the basic version of the mobile app you can say it app prototype that collects the user information to finalize the app. App developers test the developed application with the help of a soft launch.
Benefits of a Hard Launch
Generation of Leads
The hard launch is the direct key to generating a huge amount of lead. The organization of huge app launch parties and seminars or campaigns helps to gather potential customers and to generate leads. Similar to the app called tinder which gathered the massive users due to a hard launch so many other apps are trying to same.
The Greater Level of Acquisition
Hard launch plays a very important role in obtaining a greater acquisition. At this stage, the app is completed and developed and users feel trustworthy to use it. Compared to the soft launch, the hard launch is accepted by several people. Due to the hard launch developer can get a high level of acquisition to the application.
Marketing or Awareness
The hard launch is the most effective tool among developers. Creating awareness among the users plays a greater role. It helps in not only in awareness but also in the marketing of the application. As a result of that many applications get help to face their competition.
Wrapping up
Both app launching strategies are best at their level. Soft launch or hard launch is both used for marketing the newly made mobile application. Some app developers use the combined strategy of both the launch options. Release of application and efforts to make it successful by continuous improvement is the perfect thing for marketing.
As the trend of mobile app development is gradually increasing, day by day many app development companies are actively using the soft launches. New features are also organized within the use of soft launch. It seems that in upcoming years this trend of soft launches got completely occupied the marketing strategy. Now, a soft launch is the best option but a hard launch also be effective if it is done with the correct plan and strategy. Try both according to your app needs and become a successful app developer.
