No matter how awesome your app is, it will fail if nobody knows about it. Imagine, You’ve put great features in your app, have made the app responsive for customers to make it a megahit on App stores. A month passed, but you have not received a single app download. Reason? The users you are targeting are not aware that there is an app to solve their existing problem. And when you are running an App-based business, you need a large user base to be successful.
So, how do you stand out from the millions of Apps on App stores willing to acquire a large user base? This is where app user acquisition comes into play. User acquisition marketing channels are sure-shot ways to strike gold.
In this article, We’ll cover the most popular acquisition channels, and examples of how these channels helped mobile apps to hit big.
What is App Acquisition?
App User acquisition is the process through which new users and customers are acquired for a mobile app business, using marketing-driven activities. These marketing activities on different acquisition channels help to gain large potential app users. Not only these channels help in user acquisition but also help businesses in implementing user retention strategies of their app. Retaining app users is as important as acquiring them. App Acquisition gets you app installs, and App retention reduces app uninstalls.
App Store Optimization
App store optimization is just like Search Engine Optimization which helps your app appear on top of search results. The well-optimized app can get high visibility on the app stores. Higher visibility of the app gets you a high number of clicks and downloads. Optimizing the app stores also display app recommendation against similar apps. App store optimization is an organic way to get downloads naturally. Here are some valuable tips to help you improve your ASO:
Focus on Keywords
Just like in SEO, User-generated search terms i.e Keywords are used to optimise the app. You use keywords in title, name, description and app images to increase your app visibility for a better search presence across the app stores.
Clear App Description
Your app’s description and page within the app store should be viewed as an important part of your App Store Optimization Strategy. Keep your app description clear and concise that explain all the benefits of the app. Keep it under 4000 characters. Put only the most important keywords in the description.
Optimize for Local Searches
Use local keywords and location targeting to make it accessible for users in your origin. It is advisable to start local. If the app is successful in your demographic, you can plan to expand it.
Off-Page App Store Optimization
Ask your users to write reviews and ratings on your app page. Show the download statistic of your app. Searchers make downloads of a new app based on the ratings and the app popularity by its downloads. Ask writers to publish blogs on your app to get backlinks.
Examples of App Store Optimization
Dark Sky Weather is known app for best store optimization. Dark sky changed their title from “Dark Sky” to “Dark Sky – Weather Radar, Hyperlocal Forecasts, and Storm Alerts” to rank better on search results. Including the right keywords in the title skyrocketed its app downloads.
Organic User Acquisition
Marketing your app can cost you big. Organic channels save those marketing costs and drive app user acquisition naturally. Building your web and App page, optimizing it to rank better, promoting and listing it on free yet community platforms are tactics to drive traffic to your app.
The organic acquisition is more effective as users who are genuinely interested go through your app. Organic promotion also supports paid remarketing your app to those who visited it in the first place.
Tips for Organic Acquisition
Use banners
Visuals are always more engaging than texts. Use creative banners that are self-descriptive and engaging to get visitors straight to your app page on the app store.
Create Engaging content
Create unique and engaging content in the form of blog posts, infographics, videos and ebooks that interest your users and serve their purpose for which they came searching in.
Target Right Traffic
Developing engaging content is of no use if it does not reach the right audience. Target the audience set who are looking for information on the topic you just wrote.
Get Backlinks
Developed an engaging content which is loved by readers. Next what? Add an external link on the posts to get traffic to your app. You can add links to your app on your social profiles.
Examples of Organic Acquisition
Evernote a personal notepad now has over 225 million app users. Evernote generates traffic through feature articles and videos on topics like productivity, goal setting, going paperless, and app usage tips for users. Its topics are educational, engaging and visually appealing that solves customers’ problem and drive them to the app.
Paid Advertising
Paid Advertising boost your post and help it reach in eyes where organically you couldn’t. It is a great platform to put your app in front of a large audience base. Paid advertising has a lot of platforms through which you can reach your niche. It includes social media ads, search engine ads, blogs and web pages ads, cross-platform apps for advertising.
You can select the audience by demographic, geographic, and interest who you want to display your ad. Paid ads filter your user base which organic mediums cannot do.
Tips for Paid Advertising
Tailor your Ads for Marketing Funnel
Create different ads and CTAs for users putting different keywords on Search engines, web pages and social media.
Create Multiple Ads
Create personalized ads for your cluster base. Categorize your audience as per their demographic, geographics and interests to show personalized ads to them. The relevant ad shown to the relevant user set brings more ad conversions.
Examples of Paid Advertising
Hopper, a flight-tracking and travel booking app made use of Instagram stories to reach as many as 7.5 million people across the US and Canada. The app targeted young travellers who plan their trips early and are looking for the best deals. The ad resulted in a 67% higher rate of app installs, a 50% rise in new users’ flight searches, and an 80% increase in the booking rate of the app by new users.
Influencer Marketing
A good way to grab the attention of potential customers is by connecting with people they admire and look up to. Influencers are social media personalities, bloggers who have influence in their niche. They have a wide following that you can reach out to leverage your brand. When an influencer promotes your app, it has a positive influence on the user base you are trying to build a relationship with.
As per a report by Mediamix 2020, Influencers are found highly on Instagram and Youtube. Quality of content of influencers make user base believe in them and try your product.
In fact, When Businesses were asked, nearly 89% of marketers believe that influencer marketing generates more ROI than any other marketing platform.
