Today, consumers have more options than ever before. They can effortlessly navigate to find what they want at any time. With the pandemic and the increasing demand for digital services and entertainment, competition in the app ecosystem has intensified. There are 5.7 million mobile apps globally, with 3.5 million on Google Play and 2.2 million on iOS.
We understand that standing out is difficult. That's why user acquisition for apps must be grounded in a strong strategy that emphasizes enhancing the user experience. To surpass the competition and boost app downloads, you need to engage users where they spend most of their time and ensure they feel confident downloading your app when they receive the right message. Timing, targeting, personalization, and strategic channel selection are the essential components for effective acquisition.
Were you interested in learning more about this topic? In this guide, we will explore how to develop a robust user acquisition strategy that increases app downloads, complete with examples, case studies, and market-focused research data.
Let's start with the basics. Advertising for apps is a marketing method conducted through paid channels on smartphones and tablets, which are ubiquitous in today's digital landscape. This form of advertising leverages the widespread use of mobile devices to reach potential users directly where they spend a significant portion of their time. Whether through ad networks, programmatic advertising, or affiliate marketing, mobile ads are one of the most effective methods for advertising in the digital age. They allow app developers and marketers to target specific demographics, track user engagement, and optimize their campaigns in real-time to ensure maximum impact and efficiency.
It's no wonder that global spending on app install ads—the money mobile apps spend to acquire new users to install their apps—is projected to reach a staggering $94.9 billion in 2025. This figure represents a 20% increase from 2023, according to the latest AppsFlyer forecast. This growth underscores the increasing importance of mobile advertising as a critical component of app marketing strategies, driven by the need to capture the attention of a growing number of mobile users worldwide.
In this sense, mobile marketing professionals have had to develop stronger strategies focused on achieving the best possible return on ad spend (ROAS) in their campaigns. This involves not only attracting new users but also ensuring that these users are engaged and retained over time. Among all strategies, user acquisition campaigns combined with retargeting and engagement yield the best results, making it one of the most effective strategies for apps. Retargeting helps re-engage users who have previously interacted with the app but have not yet converted, while engagement strategies focus on keeping users active and satisfied, thereby increasing their lifetime value.
Now that you understand a bit more about the importance of app advertising campaigns, let's delve deeper into the main trends and best strategies for 2024. These strategies will focus on leveraging new technologies, understanding evolving consumer behaviors, and adopting innovative approaches to stay ahead in the competitive app market. By staying informed and adaptable, app marketers can ensure their campaigns are not only effective but also sustainable in the long term.
A more robust user acquisition strategy presents an ideal opportunity to implement a cross-channel approach, which is essential for reaching a broader audience and enhancing user engagement. By adopting a diversified channel strategy that seamlessly integrates both in-product and out-of-product communication, brands can effectively engage with potential users at multiple touchpoints throughout their journey. This comprehensive approach not only increases the likelihood of app installations but also encourages more frequent purchases per user, as it allows brands to tailor their messaging and offers to suit individual preferences and behaviors.
Furthermore, by maintaining consistent and meaningful interactions across various channels, brands can significantly improve user retention rates, ensuring that users remain engaged and loyal over time. This, in turn, leads to a higher lifetime value (LTV) for each user, as they continue to find value in the app and its offerings. Ultimately, embracing a cross-channel strategy enables brands to create a more cohesive and personalized user experience, driving long-term success and growth in an increasingly competitive market.
But why?
It's clear that consumer expectations for personalization are rising, and brands need to work hard to meet these standards. As most consumers interact with brands more than once before deciding to buy, each interaction gives brands more insights and preferences to get the right personalization. Therefore, it is expected that marketing professionals will invest in user-focused strategies that add value with fewer resources and adopt channels and campaign strategies that help achieve user re-engagement and acquisition goals.
For example, by creating highly personalized campaigns using advanced segmentation based on your customer profiles to reach new potential customers with a high likelihood of conversion and creating exclusion lists to ensure exclusive targeting of new users, you will achieve better use of your money and better campaign results with tactical KPIs and well-targeted campaigns.
While acquiring new customers is still important, in a challenging landscape, mobile marketing demands new user-focused strategies. Instead of just running massive brand campaigns, think about the features of your app that offer the most value to different users and combine these values with a persona or cohort. Then, delve deep and personalize the messages as much as possible. Let each potential user know the problem your app solves for them.
Our industry is moving further away from individual marketing (i.e., focusing on user-level data) and toward a world more focused on cohorts (i.e., aggregate data). Therefore, creating a new measurement framework should be one of the main goals for 2024/2025.
We all know that personalization comes at a cost, namely, sharing personal data. Industry experts agree that it's still possible to measure ROI, but not in an instant way as before. Incrementality tests, A/B tests with location-based control groups (geo holdout), and MMM — when executed and modeled correctly for your business — can really help marketing professionals find the right media mix for their needs.
In today's fiercely competitive landscape, it is absolutely essential not to depend solely on a single marketing channel for achieving app success. The digital ecosystem is vast and varied, and relying on just one channel can severely limit your reach and potential for growth. By strategically diversifying your marketing efforts across multiple channels, you can significantly enhance your ability to connect with a broader and more diverse audience. This approach not only increases the likelihood of app installations but also ensures that your message resonates with different segments of the market, each with its own unique preferences and behaviors.
Engaging with potential users through a variety of platforms—such as social media, email marketing, search engine advertising, and influencer partnerships—enables you to create a more comprehensive and integrated marketing strategy. This multi-channel approach allows you to build a robust and recognizable brand presence in the market, which is crucial for establishing credibility and trust among consumers. As you reach out to new users through these varied channels, you can tailor your messaging to suit the specific needs and interests of each audience segment, thereby increasing the chances of conversion and user acquisition.
Moreover, this diversified strategy is not just about immediate gains; it is a long-term investment in your brand's growth and sustainability. By consistently engaging with users across different channels, you can foster a sense of loyalty and community, encouraging users to remain active and engaged with your app over time. This ongoing interaction helps to promote long-term growth by not only attracting new users but also retaining existing ones, ultimately leading to a higher lifetime value for each user. In essence, a well-rounded, multi-channel marketing strategy is key to thriving in the competitive app market, ensuring that your app not only survives but thrives in the ever-evolving digital landscape.