Mobile App Promotion Methods | Mobio Group

There are many ways to promote mobile apps. Some of them are best used in combination, and some can be used separately from the rest. Mobile marketing agency Mobio Group has prepared an article for you, in which we will analyze the main mobile app promotion methods.

I would like to point out that before you choose the method you will use, you need to answer a few questions:

1) What is the quality of the app?
2) Who is the app aimed at, the target audience?
3) Who are the main competitors?

By answering these questions, you can clearly determine the way to promote a mobile application.

For promotion, you can use the classic promotion channels:

• ASO
• Contextual advertising
• Targeted social media advertising networks
• CPI networks

Alternative sources:

• Social networks
• Press releases
• Offline advertising
• Bloggers. Reviews on thematic resources, youtube channels

Let’s look at the most common and working promotion methods.

ASO

ASO is one of the methods of app promotion. The purpose of this option is to get attention in the stores. Optimization allows you to raise the application to the top of the App Store and Google Play, increase organic installs and the number of interested users. The main way to solve the problem is to create a semantic core and competently integrate keywords into texts. You should choose words and phrases that most accurately characterize your product and services. It is very important to properly integrate keywords into texts — this is the main element of the success of your application in search engines. For the best promotion, we need to implement keywords carefully, without violating the organic nature of the story.

What factors do marketplaces take into account when ranking apps:

• relevance — compliance of the application with user requests;
• application quality — this includes the idea, visual, technical part. High-quality applications can be marked by the editors and get into the “Editor’s Choice” selection (in GooglePlay);
• buying ads — Apps tagged “Advertised” appear higher than normal;
• number of downloads;
• download dynamics (especially in the first 2-3 days after uploading to the marketplace);
• rating and reviews;
• the number of app launches — if the app is often used, then it is in demand and needs to be promoted;
• the number and dynamics of deletions — so that the application is not deleted, think in advance how you will keep the audience.

Contextual Advertising. 
Google Ads

Contextual advertising is the setting up and display of ads in Google advertising networks. The peculiarity of the method is that ads will be shown only to interested users.

Contextual advertising can be divided into search advertising and advertising networks.
Search advertising contextual advertising. Such advertising is shown in the search results in search engines — Google. Search advertising responds to a specific query of the user at the time when it is relevant.

Advertising in Networks

Ads in networks are shown on websites, mobile applications and other resources that are part of the affiliate network of advertising systems. It can be called additional information to the content of the pages a person views. 

• user may have previously been interested in your products/services;
• user is now on a site that is related to your topic.

This is the main difference between online advertising and search advertising. In the search, we advertise for specific key queries, that is, we work out the semantics ourselves or entrust this work to an advertising system by choosing autotargeting. By launching advertising in networks, we target users who are not looking for a product/service right now, but one way or another have shown interest in what we advertise. Each advertising system has its own network of affiliate sites. For instance, at Google it is the Google Display Network system (display network, GMS).

With the right settings, we will get a high conversion rate. Of the minuses, it is worth noting the high competition for impressions, due to the fact that advertisers from related areas put a higher rate per impression. Also, if you mistakenly determine the interests of the target audience and the audience itself, the effect will be at zero.

Targeted Social Media Advertising Networks

Targeted advertising is a method of online promotion that allows you to show ads to a specific target audience with specified parameters on social networks, websites or applications.

Targeted advertising allows you to achieve the following goals: interaction with the brand/application, purchase of goods/services, involvement in communication with the brand. Among the main tasks are:

• increasing brand/application awareness — targeted ads can be broadcast to users with a certain set of characteristics that are significant for the brand;
• increasing the frequency and quality of interaction with consumers — using targeting, you can interact with users who are already familiar with your brand;
• increasing sales and achieving marketing KPIs — targeting is used to create performance campaigns;
• direct contact with the target audience — targeted advertising is broadcast to a specific audience interested in a product or service;
• search and comparison of different audience segments — targeting allows you to create small groups of users to compare the effectiveness of advertising for each of them.

How does the system select the target audience, where does it get information about customers?

To understand what targeting means, you need to understand how the tool works with the audience. When a user registers on social networks, he voluntarily fills out a questionnaire and agrees to anonymized collection of data about himself for displaying ads. A person indicates gender, date of birth, marital status, place of residence and study — on the basis of this, the main array of public information about him is created. By interacting with the platform, for example, when subscribing to groups, the user demonstrates his interests. With his permission, apps also collect location data. Thanks to this, you can target ads to residents of the area or recent visitors to a specific geolocation.

Contextual ads and blocks work with already formed demand. They will be shown to users who have made search queries related to the product. Targeting allows you not only to work with already formed demand, but also to form it with an audience that is most likely to be interested in the proposed product.

A method that allows you to customize impressions as accurately as possible and that are aimed exclusively at the target audience. The main thing is to determine this very target audience. With a qualitative analysis and tuning, the result will meet expectations. The main disadvantage is that with poor-quality settings, ads will be displayed to non-interested users, and this is a drain on the budget.

CPI Networks

CPI (cost per install) networks are an affiliate network that may include thematic sites, communities in social networks, etc. The meaning and main plus is that the customer pays for networks directly for unmotivated installations. The CPI network takes responsibility for the quality of the traffic. At the beginning, it is important to establish clear terms of reference, which installations will be paid for and which will not.

Alternative sources don’t often work on their own. Therefore, it is recommended to use them in combination with other methods.

Social Networks

A popular method for promoting mobile applications. The main thing in this business is to correctly determine the communities in which you want to place ads. Groups should be thematic or entertaining and cover a wide audience. Depending on the subject of the application, age limits and interests of the audience. You can create your own community and lead it, expanding it by adding interesting information or useful content.

This is a very affordable way, we also get a wide audience reach for our advertising. The disadvantages include the fact that the cost of a post in some communities is unreasonably high, and it takes a lot of time and effort to maintain your own community.

Press Releases

Many consider the press release to be an outdated method, but it still exists. The main thing here is to correctly determine the list of publications to whom it needs to be sent. Highlight the main benefits and present it beautifully.

You need to find a popular Internet sourse on a related topic. For example, for a mobile application where you can buy baby food, you need to find websites, accounts, applications with themes: children’s toys, clothes, education, etc. It is there that a potential audience is guaranteed to appear — moms and dads who may be interested in the product. The owners of these resources can, by barter or for a fee (as agreed), write news about you or make a review.

A cheap and affordable way, but it’s worth remembering that it’s not for everyone.

Offline Advertising

Offline advertising includes TV advertising, posters, billboards, printed publications and other ways that are not connected to the Internet. For some countries, advertising posters in public transport or leaflets with a QR code are also relevant. Advertising on TV is expensive, and therefore rare.

Influencer Marketing

Reviews on youtube, as well as in electronic resources, have a high degree of effectiveness. The more interesting the application, the game, the more the user will download it after viewing the review. It is very important here that during the review process all the pluses are shown, and the minuses are minimized.
Bloggers are one of the most effective tools for promoting an application. When promoting a mobile application with the help of YouTube bloggers, you need to contact channels that review applications. Today there are dozens and even hundreds of them. Request data for each of them: statistics, the actual number of subscribers, and then enter into negotiations to discuss the conditions.
The advantage is that we get a wide audience coverage. And the video after publication remains on the resource and new users come after a while. However, if the review only shows shortcomings or not all the advantages are shown, this will greatly affect the effectiveness of this method.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of app advertising directly depends on which approaches you choose. The maximum result can be obtained by combining the attraction of paid traffic and organic traffic. An integrated approach is important, which can only be provided by a team of specialists. We at Mobio Group are always responsible for quality traffic and are ready to share our experience and skills with you.