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Picking the right mobile marketing strategy isn’t easy.
However, we’ll share 35 actionable strategies from our influencer marketing platform.
We’ll also share in-house case studies, real examples from different mobile apps, and our platform’s insider tips.
After each strategy, you’ll find a section called “mobile tactics to implement,” which will show you exactly how to leverage our tips, examples, and RANTS.
Let’s get started.
We always advise our clients to learn from their rivals' successes and failures.
That way, you can identify niches, adopt effective strategy, and tailor unique solutions to meet mobile users' needs.
We've done this too.
This comprehensive approach improves product and SEO strategies and enhances overall app performance, leading to effective mobile marketing campaigns.
Involving multiple departments or hiring an external agency ensures a thorough analysis so that you can differentiate your offerings on social media platforms and beyond.
Now that you know the theory behind this competitive analysis, let’s see how you can implement it.
The first thing you must do is make a list of competitors using these variables:
Apps that you overlap with are most likely your competitors.
Here’s an example if you’re searching by “budget planner” on app stores.
All the apps in this screenshot compete for this particular keyword:
Let’s analyze the keywords that the top two budgeting apps above are using in the “About this app section:”
Here’s the most interesting keyword that the second app is using: “save money.”
This defines a unique selling point and simultaneously a benefit for the mobile audience.
Mobile tactics to implement:
Brand messages help you (among other things) to:
Here's how our platform uses mobile app competitor analysis to leverage our clients' competitors’ messages:
Specific elements to analyze within the message include:
Insider tip: Some of these elements will help you grasp your potential competitors’ intentions.
For example, an “apply here” CTA clearly shows the campaign aims to increase conversions.
Similarly, some offers may indicate a customer retention campaign.
Let’s see how the Perfect Piano app communicates with its prospects right from the Google Play Store:
Real Piano: Electric Keyboard is one of Perfect Piano’s competitors.
This app has:
Mobile tactics to implement:
We analyze the advertising channels our clients' competitors' are using to understand:
Here's how we'd do that analysis in real time:
Let’s see Asana Rebel Fitness App’s Instagram page. They offer actionable advice, such as real Yoga poses people can try for specific purposes:
* Note the abundance of yoga-related hashtags, the branded “Asana” hashtags, and the very specific #fatburn, which defines a benefit their audience craves.
Other posts include challenges (again, watch the array of specific hashtags that help the post break through the noise):
And their ads are filled with user-generated content to assure prospects the app will work for them too:
Mobile tactics to implement:
Pro tip: You can use our free mockup ad generators to test different ad creatives and devise better mobile marketing tools.
When analyzing performance data, we focus on specific metrics:
Pro tip: Analyzing your competitors’ ads and social media messages regarding these variables requires specific competitor analysis tools.
Doing it manually increases the chance of errors and takes hundreds of hours.
But here's how our influencer platform would tackle that (yes, you can steal our plan):
For example, the Asana Rebel ad we posted above had 19,000+ views in just an hour at the time of this writing.
The Yoga-Go app’s ad below has barely 63 likes in one day:
One explanation could be that the Yoga Go app is less popular, with just 1.2 million followers compared to Asana Rebel’s 2.3 million.
But still, that is a small number of views, even in this competitive landscape.
Another reason could be that Asana Rebel’s ad:
So, because Asana Rebel’s ad brings more value to people, more Instagram users interact with it.
As such, Instagram’s algorithm makes the ad more visible.
Mobile tactics to implement:
After understanding all these, you should have a reasonable idea of your competitors’ selling points.
You should also understand your USP – aka the value offering you bring to your target users.
Remember: Your USP doesn’t just relate to your product. Variables to look for include:
For example, Joggo App’s unique selling point is that it allows people to calculate how much weight they can lose with this running app—for free.
Mobile tactics to implement:
Auditing your competitors’ app reviews allows you to understand how successful they are compared to you and where their business success stems from.
Look for:
Use that information to improve your app’s existing features or develop new features to attract a new customer base.
For example, you may notice that your competitors reply with vague and generic comments instead of offering valuable help.
Or that they ignore their customers' phone calls.
Here’s one good example from The Walking Dead Survivor Game:
Mobile tactics to implement:
At inBeat, we make it a point to use both innovative tactics and tried-and-tested methods that have worked for decades.
That's why we love SWOT analyses.
Conduct a SWOT analysis based on what you learned for yourself and your competitors.
The purpose is to understand the overall performance of your app and the apps you’re competing with.
Pro tip: Writing it down in a report helps you focus on the best solutions for each mobile platform.
That means you will implement the right changes timely and in an appealing way for your audience.
Here’s another example from Joggo:
Joggo devised the new Heart Rate Zones feature for their Apple Watch users, and they’re announcing it on Instagram.
That channel is a great choice, considering the 79k followers they have.
Pro tip: Notice the comments.
People are commenting with other suggestions, such as Garmin and Samsung Health compatibility.
Someone even suggests a free trial.
Joggo can decide to implement new features and services based on these comments to attract an even larger audience.
As such, they can considerably reduce bounce rates and create personalized campaigns.
Mobile tactics to implement:
Mobile game marketing encompasses all the marketing strategies you promote your mobile game with.
These marketing efforts aim to increase the game’s downloads and get more ROI.
There’s a problem:
The gaming industry is an exhaustive market, with many quality games in app stores, each providing unique user experiences and incentives that keep people hooked.
There’s also a solution:
You need a customer-centric approach to increase sales.
If you adopt this mindset, focusing on your customers’ needs above all, the strategies will follow.
In the section below, we discuss 7 awesome strategies to promote your mobile game.
Mobile gaming demographics eveal a diverse audience: 50% play in bathrooms, 63% are women, and 55% are over 55.
Daily engagement is high, especially among women.
Most don't identify as gamers. High earners and young users often make in-game purchases.
Asia leads in mobile gaming, with puzzle games being the top genre in the USA, where session lengths vary from 20 minutes to multiple hours.
But those stats aren’t the only variables that matter for marketing a mobile game.
To truly understand your audience, you must analyze
Mobile tactics to implement:
Baba is You offers an interesting example of advertising with their audience in mind.
The mobile gaming app caters to Thinkers, Skin Masters, and Strategists.
Each level features the game’s rules as blocks people can manipulate to change the action.Pushing these blocks around transforms users into different objects and even transforms the gameplay.
This example is relevant because the Google Play Store screenshots, descriptions, and keywords are specifically crafted for these three archetypes.
Notice specific words like “puzzle,” “logic,” and “rules” – all these appeal to Strategists and Thinkers.
But the pixelated images are the most interesting.
Most people who want something light wouldn’t touch this interface with a stick.
But Skill Masters, Thinkers, and Strategists get a rush of dopamine just by looking at these images below:
An app store optimization strategy is essential for marketing a mobile game because:
Mobile ASO tactics to implement:
The Lost Treasure is an adventure game that ticks all the boxes above.
Paid search is a non-organic marketing strategy, but it can bring you a massive boost of downloads quickly.
Use:
Pro tip: Use our free ad mock-up generators to test how different ads would look for your game.
Here’s one intriguing example:
Rovio used Automated App Ads for its Sugar Blast Game, using a two-cell split test as follows:
Results included:
Mobile game tactics to implement:
Content localization is essential for marketing a mobile game in a specific area.
This strategy is especially important if you want to rank in the top results within a certain geographical location.
You should translate and adapt everything on your app page, from videos to descriptions or titles.
However, ensure this translation considers the new country's cultural particularities.
Otherwise, use English if you’re targeting a global audience.
Basically, you must:
Here’s one neat example: The French Belote app.
Notice that the game’s description, title, and keywords are translated into French.
But more interestingly, the cards are different in France.
The Ace (A) is 1, the King (K) is R (from Roy), and the Jack (J) is now V (from the French Valet).
Mobile tactics to implement location-based marketing:
We love Apple Search Ads because they can:
Warning: Although these mobile game ads are affordable and have many benefits, people can turn off their Personalized App features.
In this case, you may not be able to target them with your ad.
Here’s how we at inBeat avoid this problem:
Use custom product pages in tandem with your Apple Search Ads.
If your ad is creative enough to raise people’s interest, they will tap into it.
And doing so will take them on an exciting product journey, with stunning visuals and convincing words.
Pro tip: Remember to localize the game features you present on the custom product pages.
Example time:
Here’s Voodoo’s original situation:
When they launch highly casual games, they get a high volume of organic downloads.
Voodoo leverages Apple Search Ads to get more customers when these taper off.
Voodoo decided to do things differently with their Helix Jump game to increase discovery and get ahead of the competition from the get-go.
This time, they used an Apple Search Ads campaign to increase discovery.
Voodoo’s Apple Search Ads campaign brought a 30% increase in installs, a 10% decrease in cost per acquisition, and a 5% higher retention.
Mobile tactics to implement:
Social media is an organic marketing strategy that helps you create a community around your game.
Pro tip: Integrate all your social media platforms with your game to ensure people can share their in-game results online.
For example, each time someone shares a high score, you get free word of mouth, boosting your mobile marketing efforts.
Besides, you can analyze this data and tap into their insights to hone your game and your app marketing strategies.
A neat example is the famous Kripparrian discussing the mobile game Art of Conquest:
This content creator has a lot of sway and credibility in the gaming niche, so he can be very influential, especially when he produces an in-depth app review like the one above.
However, the downside of partnering with a massive gamer is not reaching the correct audience.
Kripp’s fans are mainly old-school gamers who have a good dose of disdain for mobile video games.
Kripp experienced backlash from these fans and the Art of Conquest game publishers may not have reached the right audience.
Pro tip: inBeat has a wide database of content creators, so you can pick the right one(s) for your game.
We have hundreds of thousands of partners, but we’ve cherry-picked the top 1%.
You can leverage our influencer database or schedule a free call to set up your strategy.
Social media mobile tactics to implement:
Keep your brand front and center. Although you are trying to create a community, your users’ ties should center on your game.
Video ads are the most effective type of ads to attract new app users.
To create an ad, you must go through three (main) stages: research, scriptwriting, and creative production.
It’s also a good idea to follow a production calendar schedule during each phase.
Insider tip: It’s essential to choose the correct video format.
Of course, a diverse target audience may benefit from distinct formats within the same mobile marketing campaign.
Ad tactics to implement:
As such, these gamers can watch an ad to obtain a specific reward, such as in-game currency or discounts.
Pro tip: Complement in-app ads with Google ads to reach more prospective customers.
Micro-influencers can help you drive conversions and reach your business goals fast.
Of course, you must first streamline your in-app experience, ensuring fast loading time and mobile screen optimization.
Here's how you can do that:
A referral or affiliate program will allow you to identify your top-performing micro-influencers and build long-term relationships with them.
If you can address your influencers’ audiences multiple times in a given period, you will increase trust, which by itself will affect your bottom line metrics.
For example, Aaptiv, a mobile fitness app, pays out its partners for every sale they make:
Mobile tactics to implement:
Creating new ad concepts is challenging.
When they see too much of the same old, your customers get bored and experience ad fatigue.
Combatting this phenomenon is a big part of media buying.
You can leverage micro-influencers as content creators to generate outside-the-box concepts that drive low CPIs.
After all, they can come up with something you and your competitors have missed.
Side note: Facebook's innovative feature enables advertisers to seamlessly partner with freelancers, injecting a burst of creativity into campaigns through diverse content strategies.
This is powerful.
Let’s say you work with 200 different micro-influencers, you have 200 different ad concepts, which will be displayed to your target audience through the page of your influencer.
To set this up, read this article.
To make this work, provide your influencers with the right content guidelines, and copywriting structure so that these ads convert.
Here is an example of a top-performing ad we have created through our mobile marketing agency by leveraging influencers in our network:
We collaborated with the Greenpark app to boost brand awareness and attract new users for their app launch.
Faced with the challenge of standing out amidst industry giants, our influencers crafted unique user-generated content by brainstorming creative concepts, hooks, CTAs, and scripts.
This approach led to superior content performance and competitive CPMs.
By implementing day-parting campaigns around game times, we reduced the cost per acquisition and attracted a more engaged audience.
Within three weeks, we successfully tripled our budget while keeping the cost per install on target.
Pro tip: Influencers with high engagement rates are likelier to create unique concepts for a variety of channels.
Side note: If you want to learn more about how our software or our DFY service can help you scale influencer marketing for your mobile application, feel free to contact us.
Goodwill is the holy grail of influencer marketing.
If you’re helping the world in any way, make sure to communicate it.
Influencers are human beings who want to associate themselves with good causes.
For instance, Headspace, the meditation app, offered free access to their app for any healthcare professional amid the Coronavirus.
This good deed carried a lot of social capital.
Their Covid-19-specific page received over 30,000 shares on social media:
It also received 568 new backlinks to their website in the same period:
With mentions from some authoritative sites, to say the least:
Needless to say, this love and compassion marketing play has paid off in every sense for them.
The consumer goods segment has also caught on to this, and many brands are leveraging it, such as Popsockets and their #poptivism movement:
Becky G has 24,5 million followers on Instagram and gets upward of 750k likes per post.
How did Popsocket connect with her? Well, she has an autistic brother, which probably made this collaboration a no-brainer.
By caring, Popsockets is opening the door for sizeable collaborations at a discounted price.
It makes sense on a human level and it’s even justifiable on a financial level.
Check their Instagram page to see all of their celebrity endorsements.
Caring for anything always makes it easier to connect with people.
If you’re doing mobile app marketing for a game, this tactic can be trickier, as the vertical gets a bad rep.
Having said that, I recommend you consider incentivizing your influencers by giving a fixed amount to charity for each download they generate.
Ironically, this will reduce collaboration costs while improving your influencer’s sentiment about your game.
Mobile tactics to implement:
If you choose to work with micro-influencers, you will have to manage exponentially more relationships than if you collaborated with macro-influencers or celebrities.
We work and manage 500+ influencers a month on some campaigns.
To succeed, treat micro-influencer marketing as a lead-intensive short sales cycle.
We recommend you to use:
To maximize the impact of these collaborators, consider narrowing your targeting to a specific sub-market (language, region, demographic, etc.).
This enables you to personalize your pitch for the target segment, earning more goodwill from the people you’re contacting.
The key is finding the right balance between personalization and automation.
This tactic is especially useful for mobile app games because themed pages will gladly repost your content in exchange for compensation.
A themed page is not an influencer in the typical sense of the term, because they don’t create their content.
They are reposting content from other pages. They are curators.
The opportunity lies in the fact that these profiles are not solicited like influencers are.
This means you can collaborate with them for 10% of the typical cost for an influencer.
You must consider that these profiles will not create content for you; this is a traffic play.
Mobile tactics to implement:
An effective marketing campaigns for your mobile app means more than increasing awareness and engagement with interactive experiences or building email lists of potential app users.
It means increasing app downloads and in-app users.
Here's how we advise our customers to achieve that:
Research shows that 63% of iOS and 58% of Android app discovery is done through app store searches.
Therefore, optimizing your app store listing is essential because most users will find your app either on Google or Apple Play Stores.
App store optimization increases app store visibility, downloads, and retention rates.
Your mobile application's name should be short, catchy, and convey its function, helping it stand out.
Selecting the right keywords can also improve your ranking, but avoid overstuffing.
Besides, compelling description with a strong call-to-action is key to convincing smartphone users to download. Visuals like screenshots and videos can boost engagement and conversions.
Pro tip: It's essential to understand your audience and competitors thoroughly, considering cultural nuances, preferences, and local regulations.
So, figure out:
The CNN app offers an interesting example here.
The icon is CNN’s logo, while the title is straightforward: “CNN Breaking US & World News.”
Besides, the red and white colors are specific to the brand and the screenshots show people how the CNN app would look on their phones.
These screenshots also use specific news and personalities from CNN.
We also like that the description is packed with keywords but still stays relevant (e.g., “breaking news story,” “reporting from across the world,” “updated and informed”).
Mobile tactics to implement:
Creating appealing visuals is an essential step in the process because it makes your app look native and tells prospects what your app is about.
The visuals you will have to optimize include the icon, screenshots, app graphics, and videos.
However, your icon is particularly important because it helps create the first impression, and it’s how users recognize your app.
Besides, research suggests that icon design affects the rate of app downloads.
Here’s how Slack uses visuals on Google Play Store:
Notice how, above each image, they’ve highlighted a specific benefit for users.
Then the app store screenshots below reinforce that benefit, showcasing what people will get from using this app.
Mobile tactics to implement:
UGC statistics show that user testimonials and user reviews convince 90% of shoppers to purchase.
UGC works because social proof creates desire, customers need proof especially if they must pay for an app subscription, and because positive reviews help you rank higher in your app store, thus increasing your visibility and attracting a wider pool of potential users.
Let’s discuss an interesting example:
Hallow.com is a Catholic prayer app that leverages the power of reviews to create desire and dim controversy.
Unlike a regular meditation app, this prayer app has one poignant problem to overcome: Catholic prayers and rituals are more rigorous.
Even slightly breaking these rules can lead to uninstalls and backlash in the community.
That’s why Hallow has to build social proof and alleviate people’s worries.
Mobile tactics to increase app downloads through user testimonials:
Here’s how Rocket Money deals with negative comments on their Google Play Store:
Whether you want to build an Android app or iOS app, social media marketing is an excellent way to promote your app, and there are several ways to go about it.
Of course, it’s worth equipping yourself to deal with the potential increase in engagement beforehand, too.
The last thing you want is to cause a bottleneck in your customer service pipeline, so be sure to draw up a detailed plan for managing an uptick in activity.
If you’ve got the budget, shared inbox software will help keep things organized, but provided you plan ahead, you should be just fine!
Mobile tactics to implement:
Create a social media presence: Figure out the social platforms that your audience is using, and start building your presence there.
Post relevant, informative content that builds your credibility.
At the same time, focus on building engagement by interacting with your followers. Respond and build up on their comments to truly create a community.
Here’s a neat example of fitness influencer Shaina Fata responding to her Instagram followers
Pro tip: It's essential to measure your campaign results, so create QR codes for app downloads and implement them in various places, such as sharing them on your social media accounts, websites, or even on print materials.
App store optimization helps your app stand out from the crowd in the app store; search engine optimization helps your app rank higher on search engines.
Therefore, you must build an online presence to increase discoverability and drive organic traffic.
There are a few ways to go about this, but you should mainly create a website, blog, and social media presence.
Team Viewer is another mobile app that inBeat has worked with, and they are also rocking the SEO part of their business.
One look at their website shows you a clean design, fast speed, and good organization.
You can also notice eye-catching titles, long-tail keywords, customer reviews, and images.
Mobile tactics to boost SEO and drive conversions:
If you can offer them an instant win now, incentives can help more people decide to download your app.
This strategy works best for more expensive apps or an undecided market.
Pro tip: After increasing your download rates through incentives, ensure your app’s features and content can keep your target users hooked.
Otherwise, you will face a massive number of uninstalls down the line.
Insider tip: The best incentives that have worked for us at inBeat and our clients include:
For example, The Walking Dead: Season 1 uses a freemium approach, offering a free install but with in-app purchases.
Mobile tactics to implement:
We know blogging is not the most popular tactic for app creators, but I included it here as nothing can help build credibility and authority more than a well-written blog.
If your app has a website, starting a blog is a sustainable method for acquiring traffic and, as a result, new users at a minimal cost.
A blog connects you to your users on a genuine and human level.
They read your insights and valuable tips and get to know you and your brand better. A blog is a great way to cut your acquisition costs and build user retention.
Mobile tactics to implement:
One quick note.
Mobile push notifications are not the same as web notifications.
While a mobile push notification is for apps on mobile devices, web notifications are messages sent through web browsers (Chrome, Safari, etc.) on computers or mobile devices.
Web notifications are a powerful and cost-effective way to engage with your users and customers if you don’t have an app.
Just like mobile pushes, web notifications can be used to deliver timely, personalized messages that drive user engagement and conversions.
Unlike mobile push notifications, web notifications don’t require any additional setup or coding.
All you need is a web hosting plan and domain, which you already have with your website.
With the right strategy, both web and push notifications can help you reach more people, increase customer loyalty and engagement, and boost your bottom line.
Now, let’s look at the best practices for creating a push notification strategy.
Actionable alerts are notifications that entice the user to take some kind of action to access something of value.
Usually, this means clicking a button or link.
By sending actionable alerts, you can increase engagement and encourage users to take advantage of offers or features they may not have known about otherwise.
Here’s a pro tip. If you’re having trouble getting your app found, burst campaigns can help. A good burst campaign will include an enticing offer so more people will download the app. Once they do, you can start sending users actionable alerts.
By customizing your content, you can tailor your notifications to meet the needs and interests of each user.
Customizing content is an important part of creating a successful user experience.
Tailoring content to the interests and needs of each user means better engagement and happier customers.
Customizing content allows you to personalize the message or offer you are sending, which can increase click-through rates and engagement with your notifications.
This will (almost) guarantee your notifications aren’t received with an angry shout or, worse, a deleted app.
If you want to make the most of your push notifications, it is important to make sure that they are providing real value to your customers.
Is it giving them exclusive access to a sale? A fun bit of trivia or knowledge?
Are you offering additional rewards in your loyalty program? Or maybe something else entirely?
Whatever it is, make sure that the benefit of receiving this notification is clear and also provides them with something that non-users won't have access to.
This incentivizes users to open and interact with alerts more often.
To ensure that your strategy is successful, all your messaging must align with the goals of your brand.
This means creating content that resonates with your target audience.
How do you do this? Use language that’s consistent across all channels.
Craft messages that are tailored to each customer segment. And use data-driven insights to inform decisions about what type of content you should send.
Taking the time to build a cohesive message for each alert will drive engagement.
Here’s a great example from Headspace, an app to help with meditation and sleep. Compare their email newsletter with screenshots of their app.
Notice the beautiful consistency in messaging and branding.
Limited-time offers are a great way to get your customers to act quickly.
Offering exclusive opportunities for a limited time creates a sense of urgency. It encourages customers to take advantage of the offer before it’s too late.
You can use limited-time offers as an incentive to get customers to download your app or sign up for your newsletter.
Make sure to set a clear end date so that customers know how long they have.
Does your business have a social media brand ambassador program?
Influencers can promote your product or service and make those limited-time offers on your behalf.
Power words are words that have an emotional impact on your customers.
They grab your readers’ attention.
They evoke a sense of urgency, excitement, or curiosity in your push notifications. Using power words in your alerts increases conversions and drives up revenue.
Power words will vary by industry, but you can use these to get your gears turning:
Power words also create a better user experience by providing more relevant content to users.
When used well, power words are a powerful (see what we did there?) tool for your mobile app notifications.
A/B testing optimizes your notifications to make sure it’s delivering the best results.
It tests different versions of your push notifications on different users.
And it allows you to track alert performance so you can identify which one works best for your audience.
A/B test will show you what alerts are engaging, effective, and tailored to the preferences of your users.
This will help you drive more engagement and conversions from your users.
Segmenting your audiences helps you refine your target.
You'll send the right message to the right users at the right time.
Segmentation focuses on behavior, demographics, or any other criteria relevant to your goals.
By segmenting your audience, you guarantee that each user receives a personalized message.
The last thing you want is for a customer to receive an alert that doesn’t apply to them.
Segmenting is a tool that encourages users to take action. Analytics show that click-through rates across industries trend higher with segmentation.
Last but not least.
You need to learn what alerts are working and which ones need to be improved.
You should track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and user engagement.
These will give you an accurate picture of how your notifications are performing.
As you consider your A/B testing (see above), you should experiment.
Try different versions of your notifications with different users.
Measuring the results of your push notification strategy makes sure it's effective as possible.
This guide has taken you through all the stages of marketing a mobile game.
First, you must understand your audience and pick the most persuasive approaches.
These approaches are based on each segment’s interests, basically what makes them tick.
Then, you will have to pick a strategy that works for your game and audience specifically.
Or, even better, blend multiple strategies.
inBeat can help you set a plan that will work for your mobile app.
Whether you’re going for influencer marketing, paid ads, or organic content, we can help you define a plan.
Book one free strategy call to help you get started – no strings attached.
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