The Winning Mobile User Acquisition Strategy


The main goal of developers of mobile applications is the user acquisition. The number of users who have purchased the app in the App Store is the main indicator of the success of the application. A large number of users of the application not only equals to a financial success but is a measure of how your product turned out to be useful, functional, original and relevant.

But is it possible for a good application to become popular just because of its high quality and useful functionality? In this article, we will try as much as possible to show the importance of the marketing strategy for the application promotion, as well as try to provide the user acquisition strategy guide.

How often the new applications are bought?

To understand how high (or low)the user acquisition cost is for developers and marketers, we should refer to the figures. According to ComScore 2016 report, on average, a user downloads two new mobile applications per month. At the same time, about hundreds of new mobile applications are released monthly by established companies and startups. This means that if the user has a clear intention to purchase a new mobile application, published this month, he will choose two out of hundreds. One of these two applications definitely must be yours. And it should be repeated as many times as many users you want to induce into using the application.

One has to agree, it sounds like a very difficult task. Thus, the importance of competent user acquisition strategies for business success becomes evident.

The ideal marketing strategy for mobile applications: requirements

Statistics show that the application receives 30% of its audience in the first week after the release, and the remaining 70% are gained on average over a period of 90 days. In fact, the sales at first week of existence can be an indication of the success and profitability of the product. And this, in turn, means that you need to spend a lot of effort into making the app known and popular even before its release.

Laws and trends of the mobile applications market are constantly adjusting to the changing tastes and needs of applications’ users. Be prepared to throw all the forces at the application optimization in the App Store, as well as on its modification, if the need for such arises, in the first few days after the release.

Abandoning the ready, running and optimized application into the “free floating” in any case is inadmissible! Remember, every month about a hundred new applications appear at the market while your product needs to stay afloat for at least three months (90 days as mentioned higher). Due to the high competition, providing a constant level of sales might be a really challenging task that requires flexibility and instant response to the new trends. Therefore, continuous app marketing support after its release is just as important as the constant technical support and maintenance.

In general, three main components of the mobile user acquisition strategy can be singled out:

– Preliminary preparations;

– App Store optimization;

– Constant post-release support.

Preliminary preparations

As mentioned above, the first few days after the release of the application are the most important. The main task of the developers and marketers is to achieve the maximum possible number of sales of the product over this period. No matter how good your product is, most likely, without good preliminary preparations, it will just go unnoticed among the competition.

Starting the app user acquisition campaign on the day of the release is not a good idea. While the app will “unwind”, you would miss its first “golden” week of sales.

Read also: Crowdfunding for your app

There’s only one way out: to start an advertising campaign even before the application release. Explain your idea to potential customers beforehand. Show how your product will look like. Allow users to understand how your application would be useful to them. Create a website for the upcoming product, as well as groups and pages in social media networks. Through this site and communities, constantly inform subscribers about the progress of the mobile development and new features.

The main thing at this stage of product promotion is to provide users with information about the application regularly, thus reminding about the upcoming product. The wide advertising campaign, including promotions and drawings, launched a few days before the date of application release, would create the necessary excitement, significantly increasing product sales in the first days.

App Store optimization

App Store application optimization is an important step required not only to raise the sales in the first days after the release but also to attract new members in the future. What is needed for the application optimization in the App Store?

In the first place, the application must be bright, unusual, and different from other similar products. Give potential users the information about your product, highlighting its best sides and characteristic features that distinguish your product from the competitors. Make your application’s pages in social media outstanding and interesting: this helps to attract new potential users.

Show how your product works: a few screenshots of the application’s UI, posted on its page will not only increase the interest of the existing potential users but also draw the attention of new ones.

Allow users to post reviews about your product and be prepared to update the application so that it met their needs closer.

Keep an eye on trends and novelties of the mobile applications market: user requirements may change, and the timely reaction to the innovations can breathe a new life into your product.

Read also: The ultimate app store optimization guide

Post-release support

Ok, so the application has been released. The preliminary work, as well as methods of marketing optimization, proved to be very successful. The number of sales in the first week is notable. Using the 30/70 scheme (30% of profits in the first week and 70% in the next 90 days), you expect future returns. But, unfortunately, it is too early to celebrate the success. Just leaving everything “as is”, you might lose much of the profits, that same 70 %.

New purchases are needed. New users are needed. The continuous campaign to attract new users to your application is needed.

What should be done to support the application at the post-release stage? Of course, no precise instructions to ensure you a stable arrival of new users exist.

Read also: Pre-launch mobile app marketing strategy

In fact, even after the release, your job would include the continuous advertising campaign among potential users.

What is needed for a successful marketing campaign? As corny as it may sound, it would be the experienced PR specialists. The mobile application market is evolving non-stop, new technologies are being created every day, as well as advanced strategies to attract new users to the product. That’s why hiring a professional outsourcing PR manager can be an invaluable asset to the app success after the release.

One last hint

Given the characteristics of the modern applications market, we can give a useful advice for the successful application support.

To date, the most effective advertising is the one which users do themselves: a qualitative product liked by customers is sure to become popular. Give users the ability to post reviews about the product and in this way, to attract new potential customers to your website or community. Keep the constant interest in your product, focus your campaign on social networks, and through the time your product will become advertised by the clients.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *