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Nataly
Nataly
July 27, 2022
11 min read

Marketing Channels for Mobile App Promotion That Work

Developers who work hard on a new mobile app, but overlook a marketing strategy, often get their dreams crushed as they realize customers won't come by themselves.

Marketing Channels for Mobile App Promotion That Work

There are many ways to advertise, but what about marketing channels for mobile app promotion? Would that be the right path? Research says that more than 30% of the traffic that reaches a retail website is through mobile devices, so it's easy to see why mobile app marketing channels would be the best bet.

App Store Optimization Is Significant for App Growth

One of the most important mobile app promotion strategies is App Store Optimization (ASO). By data from Statista, we can see that by the end of the first quarter of 2022, there were over 3.3 million different apps available in the Google Play Store. If we look at the same period for the Apple App Store, we can see that they offered over 2.1 million apps. These numbers only contribute to the fact that reaching and holding high rankings is challenging, especially with so many new trends. So growing a user base and achieving more downloads through ASO should be a priority for developers.

How Does ASO Benefit Your Mobile App Promotion?

When you start researching how to sell your app, you will see that there's a reason why many consider App Store Optimization the most effective strategy for mobile app marketing. If done properly, your app will be brought in front of the right audience and ensure downloads. Here are the biggest benefits of ASO:

  • It improves visibility and helps your apps stand out in the store. Why is this important? It's simple - if users can't find your app, they won't be able to download it. You won't be able to grow the number of app installs if your app isn't discoverable.
  • You will always be able to get discovered by relevant and high-quality users. Simply gaining the attention of users isn't enough - you should get recognized by the right ones, which find you based on keywords.
  • It can enable you to increase organic downloads with long-term results, which you can check through mobile attribution. Once people search for a keyword that is related to your app, the results should show your app, and it's only possible if you work on your ASO regularly.
  • It assists you in cutting down acquisition costs and ensures continued growth. If you are focused on organic growth through ASO, it will help you avoid spending funds on ads.
  • It involves conversion rate optimization and increases revenue. Yes, there are many ways to monetize your apps, such as in-app purchases, different subscription models, and in-app ads. On the other hand, if you are not managing to convince users to download and install it, all the money you've spent will be wasted. That's why ASO is important.
  • With it, you can easily reach a global audience. Through the ASO process, you can make your app available in other languages and allow people worldwide to discover it.

ASO works similarly to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and many call it the app store SEO. These processes share things like backlinking, conversion optimization, and keyword optimization. And with the fact that 65% of all app downloads happen after a search, it's crucial to enhance the visibility and ratings so your app can stand out.


Audience Increase With Search Advertising

Another one of the most important mobile marketing strategies is search advertising, usually called search engine marketing or paid search advertising. In broad terms, search ads are a method of user acquisition that involves ads that show up when users look for specific keywords on search engines. The best thing about this type of marketing is that your company creates advertisements based on keywords that potential customers are looking for. 

Google ads are the paid results people get on the top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when typing something into Google. The best way to use them is to make sure you're reaching the right audience at the right moment. A successful Google campaign should rely on prior research and being in the top few results on SERP.

Apple Search Ads target the users of Apple products - which is over one billion active users of their products, according to the company. Becoming visible as an app developer in such a vast community isn't easy. However, Apple Search Ads have been in use since 2016, and they are a great way to direct advertising money toward fast results.

Search Engine Marketing Doesn’t Take a Year to Get to New Customers

Viewing how Search Ads actually work is easy. Once you type specific words and phrases into the search engine, you will be redirected to SERP or Search Engine Results Page. So, the higher your apps rank on SERP, the more results you will see by gaining more traffic and, thus, potential downloads. The mechanism behind it is divided into two categories:

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - the process through which you gain rankings by means of unpaid, organic tactics.
  • PPC (pay-per-click or simply paid advertising) - the process through which listings are placed through paid advertisements.

Since millions of people use the internet on a daily basis to look for products, services, and tools, it just highlights the importance of this type of marketing in order for your apps to reach more people.


The Importance of Social Media Advertising

There are many examples that show just how important it is to advertise on different social media outlets. Facebook, for instance, allows you to reach an audience immediately. There is no doubt that this kind of marketing is effective, but web-to-app advertising on Facebook can also prove to be a rather expensive one. This can especially be true for those who plan to utilize a premium Facebook Video Advertising campaign.

Focusing On Increasing Application Reach on TikTok Is Relevant

In the meantime, you shouldn't shy away from other social media platforms. Those who believe that TikTok is an outlet for kids are missing out on a lot. This social media giant has managed to surpass 1 billion users in the last quarter of 2021 and has become one of the most important places for advertising. It is estimated that an advertisement can reach an adult audience of over 800 million people globally.


Influence Marketing and Celebrity Features and Endorsements

One of the mainstream methods of online marketing nowadays is influence marketing, and it's an advertising technique that shouldn't be discarded. Influencers have a unique power on social media - they can affect purchasing decisions of their followers, and they can reach a specific niche. Influencers often have an enthusiastic and keen audience that cares about their opinion rather than about a brand or product. By collaborating with an influencer, you can utilize a great way to gain recognition for your app.

Another method is celebrity endorsement, a marketing method where the fame of a celebrity is attached to a product or a brand. This strategy works very straightforwardly - people who are idolized will associate themselves with your app and thus convince people to purchase it. But keep in mind that it can prove to be incredibly expensive.


Use Co-promotional Partnership to Your Advantage

Last but not least marketing method can do wonders for your brand new app, and it's a co-promotional partnership. This type of collaboration is beneficial in several ways. Not only will you gain visibility, but it can also reduce the overall cost of advertising since both parties involved will receive promotional results. It helps broaden the target audience and increases app recognition, all while it helps two different businesses grow.

The key to a successful partnership is to identify the best kind of collaboration for the style of your app. That's why it's essential to do proper research before you venture into this marketing strategy. There are several key questions that you should answer while searching for a partner:

  • Does your potential partner have a similar audience? If that is not the case, promoting together won't be effective.
  • Do they have a good reputation? Be careful not to partner with businesses that can ruin your credibility.

On top of it all, consider how enjoyable the partnership can actually be and whether the people behind the company you want to partner with are on the same level as you.


Conclusion

Although you may want to focus only on one app marketing and distribution channel, it may be wise to use a variety and combine several strategies at once. Note that, in the end, there is no shortage of different methods you can utilize to reach desired audiences and gain substantial revenue. The only thing you should really focus on before you venture into the advertising waters is the specific wants and needs of users you want to reach and their online behavior.

If you are interested in insights into the behavior of customers and have it transformed into valuable data to promote your app effectively, Apphud will provide the way. Our goal is to assist mobile app teams at any phase of the lifecycle of an app. You can easily implement our SDK to be able to track in-app purchases with ease. You can also check advanced dashboards that will help you make knowledgeable decisions and launch A/B tests to grow even faster. You can start using Apphud for free now!

Nataly
Nataly
Head of Marketing at Apphud
7+ years in product marketing. Nataly is responsible for marketing strategy development and execution. Committed adherent of the agile methodology.

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