Maximise Your App Downloads With App Marketing

Effective marketing is more than just launching an app; it’s about connecting the right users to your app. A solid app marketing strategy involves understanding your target audience, positioning your app effectively, and using the right channels to reach potential users. Employing a mix of optimisation, advertising, and user engagement techniques is essential to drive app downloads.

Today's app market is incredibly competitive, with over 5.5 million apps across various platforms. Understanding and implementing effective app marketing strategies is crucial for standing out and driving downloads. This guide focuses on practical strategies for marketing mobile apps, emphasising the importance of tailored approaches to in-app marketing.

What is mobile app marketing?

Mobile app marketing is a multifaceted strategy to reach a target audience and persuade them to download and engage with a mobile app. This process doesn't just stop at getting someone to download an app; it extends to engaging and retaining users post-download. In essence, marketing mobile apps encompasses a range of activities, from raising awareness about the app to ensuring sustained user interest and interaction.

The scope of mobile app marketing is extensive. It involves understanding the target market, creating a compelling message that resonates with this audience, and effectively using various marketing channels to promote the app. Key strategies include app store optimisation (ASO) to boost visibility in app stores, content marketing to engage potential users, social media campaigns to build a community, and paid advertising to drive app downloads. All these elements work together to create a cohesive app marketing strategy.

The benefits of mobile app marketing

Mobile app marketing offers several significant benefits, crucial for the success of any app in today's digital marketplace. Incorporating these benefits into an app marketing strategy can make a substantial difference in the app's success:

1. Increased visibility and downloads

Effective marketing strategies for apps are essential in increasing an app's visibility. Developers can significantly boost their app's presence in app stores and online by implementing a well-planned app marketing strategy, including tactics like app store optimisation (ASO) and digital marketing for apps. This increased visibility directly contributes to higher mobile app downloads as more potential users discover the app.

2. Enhanced user engagement and retention

Marketing a mobile app involves more than just initial promotion; it's also about keeping users engaged. Strategies such as personalised marketing messages, regular updates, and engaging content can enhance user experience. Promoting an app through channels like social media and email marketing enables businesses to keep their audience engaged, leading to higher retention rates. This approach helps maintain a steady user base and encourages active app usage.

3. Improved brand recognition and loyalty

Mobile app marketing plays a vital role in building brand recognition. A well-marketed app becomes synonymous with the brand it represents, enhancing brand visibility and recognition. Moreover, effective app marketing strategies can foster brand loyalty. Businesses can develop a loyal customer base by offering a seamless and enjoyable user experience and consistently engaging with users. This loyalty is beneficial not only for app longevity but also for overall brand health.

How does Google calculate app ratings?

Google's app rating system is a critical factor in the visibility and success of apps on the Google Play Store. By understanding and adapting to these changes, developers and marketers can more effectively promote their apps, enhancing both visibility and downloads. This adaptation involves reacting to lower ratings while proactively engaging with users and continuously refining the app based on segmented user feedback.

Overview of Google’s app rating system

From November 2021, Google implemented significant changes to how app ratings are calculated and displayed on the Play Store. These changes were designed to make ratings more useful and personalised for users and developers. The main shift is in how ratings are segmented:

• Location-Based Ratings: Ratings are now filtered by the user's location. This means that a user in Mexico, for instance, will see ratings from other users in Mexico. This localisation reflects the performance of an app in each specific market more accurately.

• Platform-Based Customisation: Beginning in early 2022, Google also started customising ratings by platform. For example, UK users on an iPad will only see ratings from other UK iPad users. This change aims to give users a more precise expectation of the app experience on their devices.

The impact of ratings on app visibility and downloads

App ratings significantly influence an app’s store visibility and ability to attract new users. A higher rating can increase store conversions substantially. For instance, improving an app's rating from 3 to 4 stars can boost conversions by up to 89%.

For app developers and marketers, it's crucial to monitor and manage these ratings. Regularly checking the app rating breakdown in the Google Play Console and App Store Connect is vital. This allows developers to identify which countries or platforms have lower ratings and address specific issues users face in those segments.

Engagement with users, particularly in markets with lower ratings, is crucial to manage changes effectively. Encouraging users with a positive experience with the app to leave a review can help improve the overall rating. Additionally, analysing user feedback can provide valuable insights into potential improvements or bug fixes needed.

Stages of mobile app marketing

Mobile app marketing is a journey that involves multiple stages, each critical for the success and longevity of an app. Utilising a mix of these strategies can effectively market a mobile app, drive downloads, and ensure sustained engagement. Remember, the key to successful app marketing lies in how to market an app and in understanding and implementing strategies that resonate with your target audience throughout these stages.

1. Awareness: Strategies to generate interest

The first stage is creating awareness about your app. This involves making potential users aware of the app and its benefits.

• Content Marketing: Share valuable content related to the app's purpose

• App Store Promotion: Get your app promoted front and centre of the app stores 

• App Listing Keywords: Similar to SEO, by including the right keywords in your app listing, you can boost visibility

2. Engagement: Techniques to keep users interested

Once users know your app, the next step is to engage them. This stage is crucial for maintaining their interest.

• Interactive Demos: Offer interactive demos or free trials

• Regular Updates: Keep the app fresh with regular updates and new features

• Push Notifications: Use notifications to keep users informed and engaged

• Community Building: Engage with your community of users to understand what they love about your app, how you can improve, and address issues swiftly to retain users. 

3. Acquisition: tactics to convert interested users into app users

This stage focuses on converting those who are interested into actual users.

• App Store Optimisation (ASO): Optimise your app’s listing to improve visibility and drive downloads

• Landing Pages: Create compelling landing pages that highlight the app’s features and benefits

• Referral Programs: Encourage existing users to refer new users

4. Retention: Methods to keep users returning to the app

The final stage is retaining users and ensuring they continue to use the app.

• Quality User Experience (UX): Ensure the app is user-friendly and bug-free

• Personalisation: Offer personalised experiences based on user data and preferences

• Customer Support: Provide robust customer support to address any issues users may face

• Loyalty Programs: Implement loyalty programs or rewards for frequent users

Mobile app marketing best practices

To optimise the success of your app in today's competitive market, implementing a set of best practices in mobile app marketing is essential. These practices cover various aspects of marketing and user engagement, each pivotal in enhancing your app's appeal and user base.

It’s about creating a comprehensive strategy covering all marketing aspects, from visual appeal to user engagement and analytics. Doing so can effectively drive mobile app downloads and build a loyal user base.

Choosing a well-designed app icon

The app icon serves as the first visual contact point with potential users. It should not only be visually appealing but also encapsulate the essence of your app. A well-designed icon stands out in the app store, contributing to the first impression that can influence a user’s decision to download. The icon should be simple yet memorable, reflecting your app’s functionality and core brand identity.

Prioritising App Store Optimisation (ASO)

App Store Optimisation is crucial for making your app discoverable in an overcrowded marketplace. This involves optimising your app’s title, description, and keywords to enhance its visibility in search results within the app store. Including compelling screenshots and videos that showcase the app’s features can also significantly improve conversion rates. 

Getting your app featured

Getting featured in the app stores is no easy feat — but the impact can be huge. You need to show why your app is unique, interesting and deserves to be featured. Apple and Google are looking for a story; whether that’s the creator behind the app, how the app is driving impact in communities, or how it’s using the latest cutting-edge technology. Apple and Google regularly update their featured categories, so there are always new opportunities to get your app promoted. 

The most lucrative spot is the ‘App of the Day’ feature which features front and centre of the Apple App Store. According to Apptopia, Apple’s ‘App of the Day’ feature can boost downloads by up to 1747%. An App of the Day feature we secured for our client My First Five Years boosted downloads by 5,762.5%.

Launching a website and blog for the app

Creating a dedicated website and blog for your app provides a platform to share detailed information, updates, and engaging content. This helps build a community around your app and improves your overall online presence. A website can be a hub for potential users to learn more about the app, read user testimonials, and get the latest news and updates.

Creating an engaging demo video

An engaging demo video can effectively illustrate your app’s functionality, interface, and user experience. It’s an impactful tool to demonstrate your app's value proposition concisely and engagingly. This video can be used across various platforms, including your app’s website, social media channels, and the app store itself.

Measuring success with attribution tools and analytics

Utilising attribution tools and analytics is essential for understanding user behaviour and measuring the success of your marketing efforts. These tools provide insights into how users interact with your app, where they come from, and what actions they take. This data is invaluable for making informed decisions and optimising your app marketing strategy.

Utilising mobile communication channels effectively

Effective communication with your users is critical to keeping them engaged. Mobile communication channels like SMS, push notifications, and in-app messaging should be used strategically to reach users with relevant, timely information. These channels can be used for alerts, updates, or promotional content, ensuring users stay connected with the app.

Leveraging in-app tracking for better insights

In-app tracking tools allow you to gather valuable data on user interactions within your app. This data can provide insights into user preferences, behaviour patterns, and potential areas for improvement. Understanding these aspects is crucial for enhancing the user experience and making data-driven enhancements to your app.

Creating deep links to enhance user experience

Deep linking enables users to be directed to specific pages or content within your app rather than just launching the app. This can significantly improve the user experience by seamlessly transitioning from external promotional content to relevant in-app content. It’s an effective way to guide users to the most pertinent areas of your app based on their interests or actions.

Promoting the app on social media platforms

Social media platforms offer a vast audience for promoting your app. Tailoring your content to each platform can maximise engagement and reach. Regular posts, interactive content, and social media ads can build awareness, drive downloads, and engage with your user base. This also includes actively responding to comments and messages to foster a community around your app.

Considering ad retargeting for focused marketing

Ad retargeting is a powerful tool to re-engage users who have shown interest in your app but haven’t converted to active users. This involves displaying targeted ads to these users across different platforms, reminding them of your app and encouraging them to download or revisit it.

Encouraging user reviews and testimonials

User reviews and testimonials are influential in building credibility and trust. Encourage satisfied users to leave positive reviews on the app store and share their experiences. Be sure to keep on top of your reviews with community management — replying to all reviews, whether positive or negative, is vital to show users you are listening, taking on feedback and making improvements. At Apadmi, we manage user reviews for the likes of Domino’s, Co-op and SailGP to ensure all users are acknowledged and heard.

Refining your product

Refining your mobile app is a critical component of its overall success and plays a crucial role in your app marketing strategy. This continuous improvement cycle is fundamental in keeping the app relevant, user-friendly, and competitive in the ever-evolving app market.

Continual improvement based on user feedback and market trends

User feedback is an invaluable resource for refining your app. It provides direct insights into what users like, dislike, and wish to see improved or added. Actively seeking user feedback through surveys, in-app feedback tools, or reviews on app stores can provide you with the data needed to make informed decisions. It's crucial to analyse this feedback and identify common trends or requests to guide your development priorities.

Staying abreast of market trends is equally important. The mobile app market is dynamic, with evolving user expectations, technological advancements, and competitive strategies. By monitoring these trends, you can anticipate user preferences and emerging technology shifts, allowing your app to stay ahead of the curve.

Iterative development and feature updates

Adopting an iterative development approach allows for continuous improvement and adaptation. This involves regularly updating the app with new features, bug fixes, and enhancements. Each update should aim to improve the user experience, address known issues, and introduce new functionalities that users find valuable or engaging.

These updates improve the app and play a crucial role in marketing it. Regular updates can re-engage existing users and attract new ones by demonstrating your commitment to delivering a quality product. They also provide opportunities for additional marketing campaigns. Each update is a chance to communicate with your users, highlight new features, and encourage them to explore the latest version of your app.

Promoting these updates through your marketing channels, like social media, email newsletters, and in-app notifications, can help drive app downloads and user engagement. Highlighting the improvements and new features in these communications can renew interest in lapsed users and attract new users looking for an app that continuously evolves to meet their needs.

Creating custom product pages for your app

Within the app store, you can create up to 35 additional variations of your product page. This means you can tailor pages to align with seasonal or cultural content, or simply to highlight a particular feature to consumers.

The most exciting element of Custom Product Pages is that you can target different audience segments with personalised visual assets and copy, unlocking considerable increases in your app’s download conversion rates. They work really well in PPC campaigns as you can use the unique page URLs that would most appeal to each target audience your ads are reaching and so users will find your Custom Product Page assets and messaging more relevant than the default.

Find out how product page optimisation can improve your app's visibility and drive downloads.

Using in-app events and promotional content

The launch of iOS15 back in 2021 brought Apple’s exciting new feature, ‘In-App Events’ — app marketers can use this feature to increase the awareness of timely events within apps and games. These events can include competitions, major updates, live events, challenges, premieres and more. Users can discover your in-app events right in the App Store, and they provide a brand new way to showcase your events and expand their reach.

By creating an in-app event, you are generating a more immersive experience for your users. Utilising the feature can benefit your app by attracting and reaching new users to download your app, keeping your active users informed and engaged and bringing back and reconnecting with lapsed users.

Google’s equivalent ‘promotional content’ (formerly known as LiveOps) has a similar functionality, allowing you to pick among 5 different types of promotional content to increase engagement with your users. Like in-app events, promotional content can drive traffic to your app and increase its conversion rates.

Apple and Google both actively promote apps that utilise these tools, so by consistently using these tools, you can increase your chance of being featured in the app stores and increase your visibility.

Maximise your downloads with Apadmi

Whether you need assistance developing a robust app marketing strategy, implementing the latest marketing technologies, or seeking expert advice on how to market your app effectively and meet app store submission requirements, Apadmi’s team of professionals is here to support you.

Get in touch with our app experts today to learn more about our services, gain access to in-depth insights, and take your app marketing to the next level. We offer a range of services, from mobile app development to systems integration. By partnering with Apadmi, you can unlock the full potential of your mobile app and ensure its success in a rapidly evolving digital world.