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Did you know that the number of apps available for download has increased by a whopping 82% since 2016? That’s right, we are living in the era of mobile apps, where users have access to countless apps.
With 1.96 million apps on the Apple App Store and 2.87 million apps on the Google Play Store, it’s safe to say that the app market is more competitive than ever. And by 2024, this growth will continue at an exponential rate.
So, how can app businesses stand out in this ever-growing sea of apps?
The key is to scale your mobile app user acquisition. Just like any other business, mobile apps need to attract new users and retain existing ones to survive constantly. In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can scale your mobile app user acquisition in 2024.
Organic user acquisition refers to the process of attracting users without any paid advertising. The users find and download the app through organic channels such as word of mouth, app store searches, social media shares, etc.
On the other hand, paid user acquisition involves using paid methods to attract new users. For example, running ads on social media platforms or search engines to drive app installs.
Here’s an important takeaway: both organic and paid user acquisition are essential for app growth. As Mary Kim from GameHive puts it, “Organic is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get, though it still plays an important role in app growth.”
For app businesses, the challenge lies in effectively tracking and measuring the success of organic user acquisition. Eva Juretić from PocketWorlds states, “The main challenge with organic is that it’s not directly trackable as paid user acquisition is.”
A balance between organic and paid user acquisition is crucial for long-term success.
Your first step is to conduct a thorough audit of your current user acquisition efforts. The app you are trying to scale should have a strong foundation in terms of user experience and app store optimization. Your previous user acquisition efforts should be analyzed to identify what has worked and what hasn’t.
For setting up for success, you need to ensure that your app is ready to handle an influx of new users. This includes improving server capacity, fixing any bugs or glitches, and optimizing load times. You don’t want all your efforts to go to waste because of a poor user experience.
The next step is to create a solid user acquisition strategy. The strategy should outline your target audience, channels for reaching them, and the budget allocation for each channel.
For example, if your target audience is young adults, you may want to focus on social media channels. On the other hand, if your app is related to finance, you may want to allocate a portion of your budget towards search engine marketing.
What objectives are you trying to achieve with this campaign? What metrics will you use to measure your success? These questions should guide you in creating a well-rounded strategy.
Once your strategy is in place, it’s time to implement it. You can start by creating ad campaigns on the selected channels. The key to success here is to track and measure your progress constantly. Tracking allows you to identify what’s working and what needs improvement.
The platforms you use for advertising will provide detailed analytics. However, you can also use third-party mobile attribution platforms for more in-depth insights. These platforms track user behavior and help you optimize your campaigns for better results.
Based on the data gathered from tracking, you can analyze your results and make necessary optimizations. Live data is the key to success in paid user acquisition. You can quickly identify which channels are driving the most installs and adjust your budget allocation accordingly.
Always keep an eye on your cost per install (CPI) and return on ad spend (ROAS). These metrics will help you determine the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Scaling paid user acquisition is an ongoing process. The adjustments and optimizations you make are not one-time activities. You need to monitor and adjust your campaigns continually to ensure continued success. This involves keeping an eye on your metrics, staying up-to-date with industry trends, and adapting to changes in user behavior. As the app market evolves, so should your user acquisition strategy.
Now that we’ve covered scaling your user acquisition efforts let’s talk about the importance of retention in app growth.
User acquisition and retention go hand in hand. It’s not enough to attract new users; you also need to keep them engaged and coming back to your app. In fact, research shows that retaining just 5% of your customers can lead to a 25-95% increase in profits.
Your user acquisition efforts should not stop once a user downloads your app. This is just the beginning of the user journey. The key to retention is providing a seamless user experience and continually engaging with your users. For example, you can send push notifications to remind users of new features or updates, offer exclusive promotions, and ask for feedback to improve the app experience.
To effectively retain users, you need to understand their needs and behaviors. Utilizing in-app analytics is crucial for this. These analytics provide insights into how users are interacting with your app, which features they are using the most, and where they may be getting stuck. This allows you to make informed decisions on how to improve the user experience and retain users.
Here are a few retention strategies you can implement:
Make it easy for new users to get started with your app. If the onboarding process is too complicated, users are more likely to abandon the app. Keep it simple and intuitive.
Personalization goes a long way in retaining users. Use data from in-app analytics to personalize the user experience based on their preferences and behaviors. This can include personalized recommendations or targeted promotions.
Asking for feedback from your users shows that you value their opinions. Use this feedback to make improvements to the app and show your users that their voices are heard.
In-app messages are a great way to engage with users without being intrusive. You can use them to showcase new features, offer tips and tricks, or simply check in on how they are enjoying the app.
Push notifications are an effective way to bring users back to your app. Use them sparingly and make sure the content is relevant and valuable to the user.
Rewarding loyal users not only increases retention but also creates a positive brand image. You can offer exclusive discounts or perks to users who have been consistently using your app.
Performance marketing is a highly effective strategy for scaling app growth. This approach to marketing is centered around data-driven advertising campaigns for driving user acquisition and increasing app downloads. Unlike traditional marketing methods, performance marketing allows for more precise targeting and measuring of results.
One of the key benefits of performance marketing is its pay-for-performance structure. This means that advertisers only pay when a predefined action is achieved, such as app installs or conversions. By paying for results rather than ad placement, businesses can optimize their campaigns for maximum ROI.
Performance marketing allows for granular tracking and analytics, providing insights into which channels and campaigns are driving the most downloads. This data can then be used to make informed decisions on where to allocate the budget for further growth.
Performance marketing is highly adaptable and can be scaled quickly to meet changing market trends and user behavior.
The mobile media mix refers to the blend of marketing channels and tactics used to reach and engage with potential app users.
This is an analytical technique used to quantify the value that various marketing inputs have on sales. In other words, it helps determine how much each marketing input is contributing to the user acquisition efforts and the overall bottom line.
Mobile media mix modeling (MMM) is a key component of this process. MMM uses advanced statistical techniques to analyze historical data and determine the impact of different marketing inputs on app downloads. This information can then be used to optimize budget allocation for future campaigns.
Mobile media mix can achieve high levels of accuracy in attribution by accounting for the interplay between different marketing channels and their impact on user behavior. This is especially important in today’s multi-channel world, where users are interacting with brands through various touchpoints.
Creating a balanced mobile media mix is crucial for maximizing user acquisition efforts and achieving sustainable growth.
A performance partner is an experienced UA specialist who can help you navigate the complexities of app marketing and achieve your growth goals. They provide valuable expertise and resources to optimize your campaigns and drive results.
Venzimedia is a trusted performance partner that specializes in app growth. Fintech, Gaming, and Shopping are some of the industries that Venzimedia has successfully helped scale. With advanced targeting capabilities and a data-driven approach, Venzimedia can help you plan and implement effective user acquisition strategies.
Let’s work together to elevate your app’s success.
