Facing Issues with App User Acquisition? What You Need to Know

User acquisition is an essential aspect of app marketing that contributes a great deal towards the success of the application. However, as with every marketing strategy, there are a fair bit of challenges that might crop up while implementing it. Keep reading to find out the most resilient challenges that companies face in their user acquisition strategies and ways to overcome them.

Of the many challenges that a company faces in implementing a good acquisition strategy, app store visibility remains one of the more complex challenges to tackle. The degree to which an app undergoes optimization for a store is what sets it apart from other user acquisition strategies. It can make or break the success of the application as a whole. Therefore, it is important to crack this hard nut through a variety of tips and ideas.

Have you ever put so much effort into developing an app only to see it fail due to a lack of exposure? If so, ShyftUp is here is help. With our extensive knowledge about app marketing, we can give any application the recognition it deserves. Here’s just the tip of the iceberg:

Overcoming the user acquisition challenge easily

Given that the modern Android or Apple user has millions of apps to choose from, with several apps offering the same services, user acquisition can be especially tricky. This means that companies no longer restrict themselves to just developing the app. Rather, they will also have to rise above their competitors using cost-effective and efficient acquisition strategies like:

• Organic mediums

A marketing team should look to promote their application primarily through organic mediums. This is especially true for companies that are restricted because of a budget. This is because users are much more likely to trust and therefore, download an app that they find by chance or without sponsorship.

• Optimization safe practices

This involves using optimization practices that help to increase the visibility of an app. App store optimization can include the utilization of popular keywords or several calls to action. Aspects like the app name and app description should contain keywords with screenshots of the app as well.

• Partnerships 

Another strategy involves creating a symbiotic relationship between two apps where each company will promote each other to audiences.

• Retargeting

This involves advertising to users that show interest in the app already. This strategy aims to continue to stay visible to the people who are on the fence about installing the app. By doing so, the potential user will be persuaded to download it at a later stage.

These steps are essentially the basis of Mobile App Marketing.

Impact of mobile app marketing in user acquisition 

User acquisition has seen tremendous change since the dawn of smartphones. In fact, in 2020, it was reported that mobile advertisement spending reached an amazing $240 million. This just goes to show how many companies and app developers are willing to invest in. To further put the effectiveness of mobile app marketing into perspective, consider the following statistics:

• Mobile usage

People are also using mobile apps more commonly than before. Around 92% of the time that one spends on their devices involves a visit to some app. This means that mobile app marketing is more likely to deliver results and is more relevant than website advertising.

• Social media marketing

According to a recent study by Hootsuite, 44.8% of users utilize social media platforms to gather information about a brand. Therefore, mobile marketing is intrinsically linked to social media platforms for a more effective user acquisition strategy. 

• Video advertisements

Of all the mediums that companies use to advertise an app, advertisements in video format show the most promise. According to one report, 51% of users prefer to view videos instead of static content on social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat. Meaning that sending out promotional content through video format will see more success.

• User-friendliness

App developers need to make sure that it is easy for users to navigate through the app. Research states that an app can lose 9 out of 10 users when it is not user-friendly. It can also contribute to creating a positive perception of the app in general.

Tips to ace mobile marketing 

Although mobile marketing is an extremely potent aspect to add to one’s acquisition strategy, it does require some prior knowledge to get it right. Therefore, these tips will help steer one’s efforts in implementing a solid mobile marketing aspect to their acquisition strategy.

• Exclusivity

The campaign should also be extremely exclusive to the users that are present in the customer base that the company is targeting. It should also cater to mobile users only. Therefore, any discounts or referral codes that the app is sending out should be applicable on a mobile device only.

• Comprehensive messages 

A major aspect of mobile marketing involves sending direct messages to users. These messages can be sent through email or SMS. However, SMS is the better option as it has been shown to have a higher click-through rate. These messages should be short but have all the information a user might need.

• Geofencing

Also known as hyperlocal targeting, this process involves sending out push notifications to users present in one location only. The notifications will be used to notify the users of a discount or offer that is present for their location only.

• Relevance

The messages that a company is sending as a result of mobile marketing has to be relevant to the demographic that they are targeting. People are more likely to respond to personalized messages in comparison to a more general message.

The ultimate mobile marketing do’s and don’ts list

While creating a mobile marketing campaign in conjunction with an acquisition strategy, it is important to stay away from common blunders. Therefore, use this list to determine if the campaign needs tweaking.

Do’s:

• Limit the choices to a certain degree that a user has on an application. This is especially true for streaming apps.
• Make the app easily accessible through the discount and referral links.
• Send out notifications to users as a reminder about the app.
• Look to place parameters on the success of the campaign and the acquisition strategy to make measurement easier.
• Create personalized messages that can speak to every individual in the demographic.

Don’ts 

• Create a complex app that is difficult to navigate through.
• Perceive the app as an add-on to a website. The app should receive just as much attention as the main platform.
• Advertisement bombardment or sending out too many notifications to users.
• Ignore the speed of the app after opening and other general functioning.
• Direct users to landing pages that are not optimized for a mobile device.

With all this being said, it’s clear that mobile marketing is an integral part of a user acquisition strategy. Therefore, for a strategy to succeed, a company should create a foolproof mobile user acquisition strategy in tandem with a diligent mobile marketing plan.

Do you need help with your user acquisition efforts? Contact us today, and let’s discuss the many ways we can work together to reach your goals.