App User Acquisition: How to Market an App By 8 Proven Strategies

If you’ve recently launched a mobile app and looking for an efficient app user acquisition strategy to increase the number of your app installs, you’re in the right spot! Keep reading to figure out how to market an app to stand out from the crowd.

You may feel fail when nobody knows your mobile app. The fact is that there are over 5 million mobile users in the world, but most of them don’t get any new apps in a month, and on average, users only download two apps. How to attract more users to your app? Well, you need to build a mobile user acquisition strategy to increase the number of app installs with reasonable ROI. 

In this article, we’ll walk you through some app user acquisition strategies, from traditional marketing techniques to influencer marketing strategy. If these strategies are implemented right, we promise that they work like magic spells and attract loyal users!

Ready for a ride? Let’s get started!

What Is App User Acquisition?

User acquisition (UA) is a process that aims to get new people to use a product, platform, or service. In the mobile world, it involves strategies that focus on the app’s visibility and get more downloads. 

App user acquisition channels include social media and websites that help you reach out to new customers and persuade them to purchase a product or service.

Before we delve into discussing the application marketing strategy, it is essential to understand the necessity of user acquisition and market research.

Why Is User Acquisition Important?

If you have engaged in mobile programming and created an attractive and unique design, no one will know about your app and download it until you start marketing it.

On the other hand, the more loyal users have, the better it is for the business in the long term. They will increase your brand awareness and bring more customers to you. How? 

Loyal customers are more than just random visitors; they suggest your company, bring in friends, or share referral links. A growing business has to increase its user base. So, the more users your app has, the more successful it becomes.

The question is: How to acquire users for your app?

8 Proven Mobile User Acquisition Strategies

Despite millions of applications available in various stores, app user acquisition is a daunting process. For this reason, developers need to use effective eCommerce marketing strategies to differentiate themselves from the competition. In this section, we’ll cover the best app user acquisition channels in detail.

#1 App Store Optimization (ASO)

There is no doubt that this method is one of the best solutions for app marketing. App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the visibility of your app in the App Store or Google Play. 

Why is it so important? If your campaigns bring a large number of new users to the store, you still need to present your app well and catch the attention of these users. 

Similar to SEO, we need to identify keywords and use them to secure a higher position in the app store. In addition, you have to upload some images of the app interface on the store page and a short video showcasing the app.

But it’s not the first and the last of the app user acquisition strategy. The app user acquisition strategy can be incomplete without a social media strategy. In the process of gaining new users for your app, you can’t ignore the power of influencer marketing strategy.

#2 Influencer Marketing

It’s difficult to build trust and get users to install your app, especially when you’re new. If you collaborate with a popular influencer trusted by your target audience, you can boost your credibility and increase your brand awareness. Amazing, isn’t it?

The question raised here is: How to find and collaborate with influencers?

There are many ways to team up with influencers. You can give them your products for free or pay them to advertise. The advantage of paying is that you have more initiative to control the ad. But how can you trust them? Is there any guarantee that they will follow through with deals after you’ve paid? 🤨

That’s where influencer marketing platforms like Ainfluencer come to help you.

Ainfluencer: The Best Influencer Marketing Platform

Ainfluencer is a free platform for influencer marketing from start to finish. It helps you in finding, negotiating, and collaborating with influencers to gain new users for your mobile app.

You can discover influencers by categories, location, gender, language, hashtags, and follower count. Still not convinced if it’s the ultimate tool? The awesome thing is that you can refine the list of influencers that match your marketing campaigns by specifying your budget.

Create a Free Account

The following video from our YouTube channel will walk you through the process of creating effective campaigns on Ainfluencer:

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up now!

#3 Paid Advertising

Using paid ads can help showcase your app to many people and provide more opportunities to connect with current users. This includes advertising on social media, running pay-per-click campaigns with Google AdWords, using native and interstitial ads, and collaborating with other apps for mutual promotion.

If you’re looking for a more affordable mobile user acquisition strategy, read on!

#4 Organic Mobile User Acquisition

Using free app user acquisition channels like having a website and being active on social media can be an affordable way to get more people to use your app. 

It is possible to convert web users to mobile app users by redirecting traffic from the website to the mobile app. You can also combine these organic channels with paid ads to see how the number of new users will blow your mind!

For example, using smart banners can guide users to your app, and using the right content marketing strategy and writing and creating interesting content like blog posts and videos can attract the right audience.

#5 Demos or Freemium Version

Another hack also always works to attract users to your app! You must allow users to experiment with your app before they pay for it. If your app costs money or requires a subscription, offer a free trial in your app. 

Take our advice: Show them the important features during the trial and let them know which features they won’t have after the trial is over. This way, they are encouraged to install and subscribe to the app! 😀

#6 Email Marketing

Never underestimate the power of email marketing. It will be a huge opportunity to drive customers and prospects to your app. For instance, you can use Smart Links to guide your audience to the correct app stores. 

When you send emails with deep links, it not only makes it easy for users to start using your app but also leaves a positive impression of your app. 

Keep in mind that before starting your email marketing strategies, make sure to have a list of confirmed email addresses, and the email finder tool can help you in the process.

#7 PR & Press Coverage

Partnerships, journalists, and bloggers are valuable app user acquisition channels to drive app installs. All you need to do is customize your pitches for press coverage by understanding what topics journalists and bloggers usually cover. 

You may ask: how do apps get popular before they launch? One of the attractive ways to stand out is by identifying reporters who can create excitement and generate word-of-mouth buzz before your app launch. 

Moreover, you can create a media kit beyond a simple press release. You can give in-depth insights about your app to bloggers and journalists, including who you are and the inspiration behind your app

#8 Traditional Marketing Techniques

You may think the traditional marketing strategies are outdated. But they are not! How can you advertise your app? Well, it’s common to notice commercials for TV, radio, and podcast apps.

To Wrap Things up

There are a lot of apps that use acquisition strategies to promote your app and shoot up your app installs. As mentioned earlier, It’s not just about getting a lot of users but getting the right ones. Identify your target audience and create ads that appeal to them.

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