There are only a few things nowadays you can’t do with a mobile app. Playing games, trading, tracking sleep, shopping and dating are only a few of the infinite tasks mobile apps allow you to carry out. According to business of apps, more than 148 billion apps were downloaded in 2023, and the number is expected to grow in coming years.
However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to choose amongst so many apps, and, as a consequence, app developers are struggling to make their product relevant.
This is where mobile user acquisition comes into play. User acquisition refers to the process of acquiring new users for your mobile app. It involves a series of strategies and tactics aimed at driving traffic, increasing downloads, and ultimately boosting the growth of your app.
- The importance of user acquisition
- Effective strategies for user acquisition
- Targeting the right audience for your app
- Optimizing your app store listing for user acquisition
- Choose the right channel for user acquisition
- Measuring and analyzing your user acquisition efforts
- Wrap-up
User acquisition is a crucial aspect of app growth. Without a solid user acquisition strategy, your app may remain unnoticed in the sea of apps available in the app stores. Acquiring new users is not only essential for increasing your app's visibility but also for generating revenue. The more users you have, the higher the chances of monetizing your app through in-app purchases, subscriptions, or advertising.
Furthermore, with the advancement of AI, user acquisition doesn’t mean only growing your user base, but it’s getting more and more about targeting only those users who will spend money in app and help advertisers make a profit out of their user acquisition spend.
Let’s see 5 top-notch strategies to grow your app efficiently with high-quality users.
Now that we understand the importance of user acquisition, let's explore some effective strategies to boost your app's growth:
One of the key elements of successful user acquisition is targeting the right audience for your app. Understanding your target audience's demographics, preferences, and behavior will help you tailor your marketing efforts to reach the most relevant users. Conducting market research, analyzing user data, and creating user personas can provide valuable insights into your target audience.
Your app store listing plays a crucial role in attracting potential users and so does what is known as App Store Optimization. Optimizing your listing with relevant keywords, compelling app descriptions, and eye-catching visuals can significantly increase your app's visibility and conversion rate. Pay attention to the app title, screenshots, and reviews, as they heavily influence a user's decision to download your app.
There are plenty of ways to tackle user acquisition for app developers, and they are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, advertisers can opt for a cohesive and coherent user acquisition strategy which includes multiple UA channels, each with its own unique features.
Here is a list of the most common and effective user acquisition channels:
- Social Media: Social media platforms offer a vast pool of potential users for your app. Leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn can help you reach a wider audience, engage with users, and drive app downloads. Create engaging content, run targeted ads, and collaborate with influencers to amplify your app's reach and attract new users.
- Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing has become a powerful tool for user acquisition. Collaborating with influencers in your app's niche can expose your app to their followers, who are already interested in similar products or services. Encourage influencers to create engaging content, host giveaways, and provide discount codes to incentivize their followers to download and try your app.
- Paid user acquisition: Paid advertising campaigns can be highly effective in driving app downloads and user acquisition. Platforms like Google and Facebook allow you to target specific keywords, demographics, and locations to reach potential users who are actively searching for apps like yours. However, mobile DSPs are becoming the go-to platforms for user acquisition, thanks to their sophisticated ML algorithms and extensive targeting and optimization capabilities.
To continuously improve your user acquisition strategies, it is crucial to measure and analyze the effectiveness of your efforts. There are multiple KPIs which can be monitored in order to assess your user acquisition performance. Depending on the goal you want to measure, be it monetization, user growth or user quality, there are specific metrics you can track and measure through MMPs, platforms for app analytics.
Here is a list of crucial KPIs to track when running user acquisition campaigns:
- Conversion rate;
- Retention rate;
- ROI;
- CPI;
- CPA;
- ARPU;
- LTV.
User acquisition is a critical component of app growth. By understanding your target audience, optimizing your app store listing, leveraging social media and influencer marketing, implementing paid advertising campaigns, and measuring your efforts, you can master the art of mobile user acquisition and boost your app's growth. Remember, user acquisition is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring, analysis, and optimization. Stay up-to-date with the latest trends, tools, and strategies to ensure your app remains competitive in the ever-evolving app market.
