It’s safe to say the world of Mobile Marketing is moving quicker than we can blink. What was relevant two years ago is now almost entirely obsolete. That’s why marketers need to stay far ahead the game in order to ensure our app marketing strategy and customers are with us for the long hall.
Though trends in mobile are constantly coming and going, there are certain aspects that remain consistent. So in order to stand the test of time, it’s important to keep on trend, while strengthening these classic mobile marketing tactics, which we have always relied upon.
Know your user
Your users come from all walks of life. Therefore, they all have different reasons they use mobile apps. Some might use them for games, some for recipes, and others use them to keep in contact with friends and family. Knowing their interests and motivations for using apps is indicative of what kind of experience they expect from your advertising efforts.
Further, timing is also an important factor. Where and when they use apps is a central part of creating the ideal experience. That’s why it’s imperative to know your users and gauge your advertising efforts to suit their lifestyle, reaching out to them as close to their decision-making point as possible, ideally hitting this moment.
Gett’s recent mobile ad campaign is a great example. Since their target audience is largely made up of young urban professionals, they realized people would ideally use their service for a ride home after a night at a bar or restaurant. They, therefore, created an ad representing this notion, making it both relatable and practical for their specific purpose.
Invest in Market Research
As young as app world still is, when it comes to app marketing strategy, much of it is still based on the old school marketing fundamentals. Of course, the best way to get to know your audience is by conducting mobile specific market research. This should cover all the basics such as age, gender, location, as well as some secondary information such as marital status, how they use mobile apps, as well as what other apps they like.
A great place to start is with your competition. For instance, if you are the next big dating app, it makes sense to do some reverse engineering on what Tinder and OKCupid are buying, as well as the creative strategies have been effective for them. Services such as Appcoach and Sensor Tower can help you aggregate this information quickly and easily so you can make the most of this data.
Think Outside-Of-The-App
Whether you are wearing a hat of an app marketer or just a smartphone user this time, there is a good chance you agree that users are now under siege by ad unit troops, chanting “Install Now” cadences. Is there a way to stand out and convey a differentiated, yet very targeted message?
An excellent application of this strategy is with Tinder’s Domino’s Ad. For a special Valentine’s Day treat, Tinder allowed users to swipe left or right to a date at Domino’s Pizza. They provided incentives such as special Valentine’s Day discounts for Tinder daters which encouraged users to engage with the ad. Since the ad’s estimated social reach was over 700,000 from a target market of single twenty-something males and females, if you were creating a similar dating app, such a strategy may be the way to go.
In addition, contrary to popular belief, looks don’t matter as much as you think. So instead, focus on making your ad relevant to your user’s interests. After all, nobody will care how gorgeous your app looks if they don’t even want to download it.
Develop a top-notch app advertising strategy
Your advertising method should combine the best elements of ASO, PR and paid advertising. Your ASO strategy will differ slightly if you are referring to the App Store or Google Play, but either way, in order to maximize your ASO results, it’s always best to focus on user experience. Use keywords that users will search for inside the App Store. This way, you will reach a greater number of downloads, helping you to rank higher in the app marketplace. In addition, you should also reach out to your users and get them to rate and review your app. This way, you can determine if there are any glitches in your app’s performance while also helping your app to rank supreme.
While ASO is incredibly important, remember that every paid mobile user brings three organic users. This means that the value of paid advertising should never be ignored. So make sure to take advantage of innovative advertising platforms such as video, native ads, and rewarded ads. By employing advertisements that are relevant, trendy, and fit your users–you are sure to see greater revenue in no time.
The Holy Grail of app marketing strategies is reaching the stores’ top charts, and hence being discovered organically by thousands of users straight from the store or category home page. Easier to say than to do as in most of the cases this mission will require tens of thousands of installs within a short time span. However, a thoroughly researched and planned app launch can bring fruitful results.
The promotion know-how here is to boost the installs, combining PR, SM marketing (app review sites, social media groups, mobile blogs, etc.) and paid advertising at a short period of time, typically within 1-3 days. The organic mechanisms (ASO, user reviews, social sharing, etc.) should be perfectly tuned before you set on conquering the app stores.
Target the right KPI’s
Focusing on the right key performance indicators can help you understand which direction your marketing campaign should go. While many think they should measure how many installs your app achieves, since installation doesn’t necessarily lead to active usership, in many cases, this is not the most optimal parameter you should be focusing on.
Instead, measure your cost per paying user within a game, as well as the cost for a first ride or classified post. Paid users are often the most engaged since their money is at stake. So by targeting them, you can increase word of mouth referrals and in-game actions.
You should also analyze indirect effects, which many of the attribution companies let you access. By factoring that into ROI, you can gain a deeper understanding of your app’s overall performance.
Focus on User Retention
If people are not using your app for long enough, it’s clear there is a disconnect between what your users want and what you are delivering. So track your user retention per time period by dividing the number of users retained at a given time by the number of installs in the same time period. This figure will show how well your app is resonating with your users and whether or not they are getting enough value from your app to stick with it in the long term.
Unfortunately, 98% of users abandon apps within the first 30 days after download for games and around 80% for utilities. To combat this trend it’s a must for you be ready with reengagement and retargeting strategies. Easier to say than to do, or at least to do efficiently, but as our phone screens become more and more densely populated, the battle now if not only for discovery, but also for re-discovery, or staying on top of user’s mind with the relevant message. Marketing automation and retargeting platforms can be really helpful here.
In the upcoming posts, we’ll go in-depth of each component that we briefly touched above. Feel free to share the surprising strategies that worked for you, as well as the seemingly sure-fire ones that turned out to be failures.
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