Marketers are familiar both with the traditional marketing funnel as well as the tactics that correspond with each stage. Mobile app marketing involves investing in new tactics. There are many changes to the funnel for marketing apps.

Apps are used differently by today’s customers than desktop experiences. Marketers must adapt their knowledge about funnels to match the app customer journey.

This post will discuss the mobile app marketing channel, its differences from traditional marketing, and best practices for marketers to use at each stage. Let’s begin!

Marketing via mobile apps

The mobile app marketing funnel works in the same way as a traditional marketing funnel. The app can be found by potential customers through many channels. They then go through the consideration and conversion stages and finally move on to the customer relationship stage and retention.

While the layout might look familiar to many funnels, the main difference is. The strategies used to move customers through this funnel are very different from traditional digital marketing services in Miami.

Marketers have a unique opportunity to connect with customers through apps. The mobile marketing funnel needs to be updated to reflect these new channels.

We’ve gained a lot of experience working with thousands upon thousands of apps at different stages of the mobile app marketing funnel. Here’s a top-level overview of our knowledge about each stage of the mobile marketing funnel. It also includes tactics that marketers can use at each stage.

Stage 1: Discovery and exposure

The biggest difference between the mobile app marketing funnel to traditional funnels is how the initial stages (in this instance, discovery and exposure) are combined. The “purchase decision” is the time taken to download an app for mobile apps. The decision time to download an application can be much shorter than a long sales cycle for enterprises.

The marketer’s role is to drive awareness and app discovery in the exposure and discovery phase. How do you make sure customers find your app among millions of other apps?

These are the top apps that potential customers can discover:

• App store search
• Word of mouth
• Web browsing for general purposes
• App store feature
• Top charts for App Store
• In-app ads/cross-promotion
• Social media

You can break down your strategies for exposure and discovery into organic and paid strategies.

ORGANIC MOBILE AND APP MARKETING STRATEGIES

Many organic marketing strategies are similar to traditional funnels: invest in the press, social marketing promotions, referral links on partner blogs, and email marketing, among others. to make the app available to potential customers, and to drive organic traffic.

We’ll be focusing on organic strategies for mobile apps, however, because that is what this post is about.

• App Store Optimization: This is the process of optimizing mobile applications to rank higher in search results for an app store (i.e. The app version of SEO. ASO is the most important factor in new app discovery. ASO will make your app stand out. Make sure to have a compelling icon, use contextual keywords, and include a dominant keyword within the app name. Also, keep up with recent 5-star ratings.

• Word Of Mouth (WOM): Making your app easy to share is the key to WOM. WOM marketing is one the oldest forms of marketing and it still has a significant impact on today’s consumer landscape. You can reward referrals with reward programs to encourage WOM marketing. Lyft is one example. Lyft makes it easy for customers to share the service with their family and friends. This will drive WOM marketing and eventually referrals.

• Social media – You can not only create a network of followers through social media but you can also promote your app from your Facebook page.

• Q&A websites, social bookmarking, and internet forums: No matter what your business is, there will be potential customers. These communities can be found and used to connect with others on their preferred channels. It is important to remember that each community has its guidelines and etiquette. Before you join in on the conversation, make sure to find out what is acceptable socially in your community.

PAID MOBILE APP MARKETING TACTICS

Although paid customer acquisition tactics may look the same as traditional marketing, mobile apps are quite different. Let’s take a closer look at some of these tactics:

• Affiliate marketing – Affiliate mobile marketing is very similar to online referral marketing. App marketers can join an ad network and create code snippets that other apps or web publishers embed on their platforms. The app marketer then pays affiliates a small amount for each download. Affiliate marketing is free if you have multiple apps. 

• App Install Ads: There are a lot of paid avenues that can be used to drive app installations. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are the most popular social networks. Each social network offers its version of app installation ads. Sponsor ads on the Google Play Store. These ads can be a great way of driving downloads and reaching a specific audience. Check out the Google Play Store search results for “game”. While you’ll notice a slight difference in the organic and paid search results, the overall experience for the consumer is the same.

• Retargeting ads – If your app has a referral system, you can retarget customers’ referrals with ads until the customer converts and becomes a customer. Register for our webinar to learn more about retargeting your app. It’ll include useful tips and real-world examples.

Stage 2: Consideration

It is all about trust signals during the consideration stage. Apps are largely considered via app ratings, reviews, and social proof.

TACTICS

To help you with all your mobile marketing channels, including your website, social media presence, and email communication, we recommend creating trust signals. The following channels should be your main focus:

• App page – Include trust signals like press reviews and quotes from your passionate fans on your app page. You can also upload a promotional video to the app store. This will allow people to see what your app has to offer before downloading.

• App reviews and ratings: I want again to stress the importance of app reviews. Your brand will save money if you get your rating up to four stars. It allows you to direct happy customers to the app store to leave feedback and connect them with someone in your team to solve their problems.

Stage 3: Conversion

The definition of conversion will vary depending on which app you use. Conversion could be as simple as downloading the app, signing up for an in-app subscription, or making an in–app purchase.

TACTICS

Before you start putting together a strategy, we recommend looking at your conversion metrics. After you have established a baseline, the next step is to follow these steps:

• Product adoption and onboarding: Making it easy for users to start using your app is key to increasing conversion. Optimize your first download to app user flow. This will ensure that people can use your app in a meaningful manner as soon as possible. Your initial customer experience will be better if you simplify it.

• User-friendliness and visual design: This is the first impression potential customers have of an app. UX and design must be clear and simple. Marketers must work closely with developers and designers of user interfaces to ensure that customers have a positive experience with our app.

Stage 4: Customer relations

Delivering value is the key to building customer relationships. App developers often spend too much time trying to acquire new customers, but neglect to develop relationships with existing customers. It is important to build customer relationships within your app, just as physical retailers do with customers in-store. To build customer relationships, you must identify the right mobile moments to communicate with customers.

Nordstrom is a good example. They won’t approach you unless you have a pair of shoes in your hands. They won’t try to sell you anything the minute you enter the store. They look for cues, then help you choose shoes, and finish your purchase in a positive, comfortable way.

TACTICS

These tactics can help you to think about how your customer relationship approach can be translated to your mobile app experience.

• Choose the right mobile moment. Don’t interrupt your customers’ experience or bother them. Instead, contact them in-app if you can help alleviate their frustrations or after they have had a positive experience. Ask your customers for feedback and make sure you respond to their comments. Positive customer relations are built on positive customer service, proactive communication, and reward fulfillment.

• Personalized messaging: This is a form of one-to-one advertising. It’s how we integrate all the information we have about our customers into their mobile apps. Personalizing your messages with customer data will make the experience better.

• In-app communication Mobile is a way to listen to your customers. Customers expect to be able to communicate with you via the app. It’s important to offer feedback to ensure that they don’t go to social media or app stores. To make your brand more accessible, provide an in-app feedback button and Message Centre. This will allow you to listen to and respond to customers.

Stage 5: Retention

It’s five times cheaper to replace a customer than it is to keep one. This is why retention is so important. Research has shown that apps that engage with customers proactively are four times more likely than their competitors to be still customers three months later.

Customers will be more inclined to remain engaged if you establish relationships with them, provide great experiences, and respond to their feedback. When a company requests feedback from app users, they are more likely to give it. Customers who are loyal to a company or app will be more likely to leave feedback. You’ll not only get valuable feedback that will improve your app, but your customers will feel part of the process, which will in turn make them more loyal to you and your company.

TACTICS

Mobile customers will stay longer if retention tactics are used to provide value. Customers will return to your app for frequent updates, moments of delight, thanks, and feedback.

• New content: Customers will continue to return to your app and be engaged by the constant updating of in-app content. You could add a new level or spring catalog content to your app, or simply improve your existing features. Every time your customers open your app, offer them something unique and new. Every stage of your funnel is affected by fresh content, but retention is the most important.

• Push notifications – These messages and alerts appear on customers’ devices even if they aren’t actively using your app. They can be a great way to encourage customers to use your app.

• Loyalty Programs: These programs can be a great way for casual customers to become highly active, highly profitable evangelists.

Mobile app marketing is constantly evolving

Although the mobile app marketing funnel differs from the traditional funnel, the skills required to use both are the same. Marketers need to be able to distinguish between the two funnels to create an effective plan that works for both desktop and mobile experiences.

There are many funnels that we use in our business, including sales, product marketing, and other areas. One thing we find is that many funnels lack a key element. They don’t realize that every number, each data point represents a person.

When we speak of funnels, it is important to include the human element. You can only achieve this by creating a continuous feedback loop with customers.

We’re always there to help with a library and a set of mobile customer feedback solutions for data-driven marketing.