This article provides a comprehensive guide on performance marketing for mobile apps. This article will help you create a marketing strategy that works for your app. 

The number of mobile users has increased dramatically since 2020 for obvious reasons. Smartphones have become more popular for consuming content via smartphones, including Youtube videos, recipes, fitness apps, searching for recipes, and listening to audiobooks.

Imagine if you had the vision to create a mobile app for business. How do you make it happen?

It is crucial to develop the right performance marketing strategy when launching a new application. Sasha Shcherbina from Netpeak Agency has provided detailed instructions for newbies.

This article will explain Scherbina’s instructions and discuss all stages of mobile app promotion. Competitor analysis, budgets, and advertising.

Mobile Performance Marketing Components

These are the main components of marketing mobile apps:

• Store analytics and Google Play
• Tracking – A system that tracks the source of a download        
• An internal analytics system to measure user behavior
• Traffic attraction sources (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, target, etc.)

Apps for mobile can be used as an alternative or independent channel to communicate with the audience.

Each app can therefore have its monetization model and goals.

Competitor Apps Analysis Services

I recommend that you make a list of competitor apps before you begin developing your app. You can create a table that includes the following fields: app rating, top positions, and revenue.

The Store allows you to see the launch date and rating of the app.

These dedicated services can collect the rest of the information you need:

• Search engine position – This feature is free with the App Annie Service

• Number Of Installs – The best solution is the free XYO Service

• Revenue – This restricted data can be viewed in App Annie but only in the paid version.

• Keywords – SensorTower, and ASOdesk are the best ways to collect keywords

Pay attention to user reviews to understand the needs and interests of the app’s users. This information will assist you in creating your marketing strategy.

Why is MVP necessary for a new app?

You must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to evaluate an application’s viability. This is essentially a pilot version.

MVPs should address the main problem of the user using core features.

This stage is where you collect metrics and evaluate the app’s cost efficiency. Finally, you determine if this product is suitable for its market.

Additional reading. How to build an MVP.

Be money-wise and start with a soft launch

A soft launch is a small traffic buy to test different hypotheses. This step is mandatory for any new application launch since you don’t have data. Soft launches are limited to hypotheses you must either confirm or reject.

A soft launch serves two primary purposes:

• Data collection on the main product metrics
• Correcting errors in the application
• Interface and usability enhancements
• How to detect bottlenecks
• Get feedback from real users
• Before the big launch, test traffic sources.

Set your advertising budget

You need enough data to verify something.

Let’s take, for example, the conversion rate between installation and purchase. 100 installs plus two payments would give a conversion rate of 2%. This is not a complete picture.

To accurately measure app performance and draw optimization conclusions, you will need to install several thousand of the apps.

“The project’s target market and the budget will directly affect the budget.”

Large-scale projects that have a wide audience such as OX and Monobank must be attracted a large number of people from diverse regions to collect representative statistics.

Based on your app’s target audience and its market size, the required number of installations can be calculated.

Let’s say that 10 million people are your app users. To get full statistics on this scenario, you will need to purchase tens of thousands, or even hundreds, of downloads. With 100 users, it is impossible to understand.

Your market for a product like a financial tracker will be smaller. Therefore, you need to purchase fewer users to get representative data.

Calculate unit economics for your application

It is important to forecast unit economics before the application launch: determine the traffic required and establish the targets for profitability.

It is simple: If LTV is higher than CAC, the project will be profitable. The opposite is true. It will cause the project to lose money.

You might attract a user by charging $10. After 11 months, he will pay $10 (CAC payback > 12 months), and then he will continue to use the app for 12 more months. He will then have to pay $25.

A ratio of LTV/CAC between 1:3+ and $1 is considered “economically healthy” for every $1 spent on attracting more than 3 people.

Explore Analytics and Tracking Systems Deeper

Attribution (or Tracking) compares app download to the last ad click that led to this action.

Analytics for desktop websites and mobile apps are different. An active Google analytics counter on your website will show you which marketing channel led to a new user.

Mobile apps are different because there is no direct connection between installs and ad clicks. Users simply go to the App Store, or the Play Market to find it. This connection is recovered by unique analytics systems such as AppsFlyer and AppMetrica mobile trackers like Branch, Tune, Tune, Adjust, AppMetrica, AppMetrica, Branch, and Tune.

“The advertising user ID is IDFA for iOS users and GAID for Android users.

The following are the steps to track and attribute mobile app downloads:

1. Your ads are displayed to users through one of the advertising channels that you have set up (Facebook Ads or Google Ads). ).
2. They click on the advertisement.
3. The system will redirect users to the analytics site. The system will read the advertising ID and store it on the appropriate servers.
4. Users visit the store to install their applications.
5. The application is opened by the users. After activating the SDK, the analytics system’s third step, the user ID is sent.
6. It is possible to correlate click data with install data if they match.
7. After successful attribution, the download information (Postback), is sent to the advertising system.

The SDK is a collection of tools that can be used to track settings and take targeted actions within a mobile application. The SDK functions like any website tag. It is similar to Google Analytics tracking codes – an additional piece of JavaScript code. Each analytics system has its integrated SDK.

How to create Terms of Reference to configure Analytics Systems for Applications

Only developers of mobile apps can create analytics systems. You must also prepare detailed Terms and References (ToR).

These are the main steps to take into consideration when setting up TOR for analytics:

1. Ask questions about your app and campaign optimization. What metrics should you consider? Define a target action. Which traffic channel is the most cost-effective?
2. Next, you will create a list of events (target activities) that you want the application to track using analytics systems.
3. Steps 1 and 2 will determine the best analytics system: basic Adjust, AppsFlyer, AppMetrica Branch, and Tune.
4. We check again the 1-2-3 stages.
5. Integrate the SDK to implement the entire structure (target actions) that you have defined in the second stage.
6. Before you “upload” your application to the store, test the analytics.
7. Upload the app to the App Store or the Play Market.
8. Regularly update your SDK. Download the latest SDK version to ensure you are up-to-date.

We also collect “wishes” from the entire team.

• Developers want to see figures.

• Marketers want to see completely different figures.

• Owners want to know their exact metrics.

Your terms of reference can be created in a Google spreadsheet.

To help everyone stay organized, create spreadsheets.

Top 5 Mistakes When Setting up Analytics for Mobile Apps

Analytics configuration can make you fall for these common errors:

“We’ll set that up later since a release will be due tomorrow!”

Developers may not have the time to set up analytics when launching a project. This could be because they are working on other projects. It’s a waste to upload an application to the store with no analytics. You won’t be able to collect any data that can help you optimize your applications. It is essential to start at the beginning.

“The SDK will be installed by the developer, and it’s nearly done. “

Developers will create a basic SDK if they can figure it out without you knowing the events (targeted activities) that you specified. This kit version won’t contain data for the targeted actions that you are interested in.

“I heard Google Analytics is fine, so let’s add it. “

Analytic systems come in a variety of pricing and functionality. Google Analytics might not be the right option for you. You can’t track installs via Facebook Ads with Google Analytics. AppsFlyer works better for this purpose.

“Tracking payments is the most important thing!” Funnel?! I haven’t heard of it. “

To understand where the user “fell off”, and why they didn’t take the desired action, the funnel is necessary. For example, 3000 people installed the app but only three made the in-app purchase. You can identify bottlenecks and explain why users are not purchasing from your app if you have an event structure.

“Everything was done according to the TOR and rolled into the stores. It’s amazing! “

Before you upload the data to the stores, make sure that it is properly transferred to analytics. You might start to collect incorrect statistics if you make mistakes in setting up your analytics.

Collecting corrupt data can be worse than not having it.

How to Launch and Promote a Mobile App

Take a look back at all the steps, and identify the key milestones that will allow you to launch and promote a mobile application.

• Market research: Target audience, competitors, and demand (to determine the income source and amount, do an analysis).

• Understanding the unit economy model (at minimum, how much you can make and whether there is any chance of making a profit)

• Setting goals (to identify your desired outcome: to capture a specific share of the market to measure success).

• Preparing a media plan, choosing your tools

• Configuring analytics systems

• Preparation and distribution of advertising materials

• Implementing the required integrations (advertising, tracking systems, etc.

• Advertising campaigns creation

• Check again

The mobile app should solve business problems before it can be used as a marketing tool. Mobile marketing can be very effective. However, it is important to use it well and provide your users with relevant and useful content.