In-App Referral Marketing – A Rock Solid Strategy for App Marketers

Word-of-mouth – it was there, it is there and it will remain there. We still believe more on our friends and relatives than anyone/anything else. Suppose if I read about an app through news or other promotional ways, I will not put my hands-in until I have a strong need of it or I hear to try the same app, recommended by one of my friends. Agree? 

So, if you are agree and being an app marketer, you also want to jump in word-of-mouth. I would like to tell you that there is an advance version of word-of-mouth, specifically designed for app marketing, named as “in-app referral marketing”.

What is in-app referral marketing?

App Suggestions from friends and families is app reference. And to encourage users to suggest your app is called in-app referral marketing.

Our favourite apps like Airbnb, UBER, Evernote and others are claiming to be benefitted from in-app referral marketing. Airbnb has a record of achieving 300% more sign-ups and bookings after it adopted in-app referral strategy. If they can, you too.

How to Start with In-app Referral Marketing?

1. Wait for a Right Time to Jump

You need genuine users who are actually interested in your app – not those who refer your app just to earn some incentives. That’s why you have to wait. If it’s an initial period of app, you have to wait till the app reach to some good number downloads. For e.g. if an app reaches to 10,000 downloads, you can make sure that the app is eligible for referral marketing or if an app didn’t even reached to 500 downloads, you have to work hard on app before you go for referral marketing strategy.

2. Promote it

Once you confirm thousand-figure downloads, your app is ready for in-app referral marketing. You have assets of 10,000 users who will give a boost to your referral marketing.

Build in-app referral campaigns with online, in-app and offline promotions.

• Online Promotion: Find the platforms where your app users spend their maximum time. For e.g. it may be Facebook or Instagram for general users while professionals spent their time with Linkedin and Twitter. Promote your app on the same platforms where you have confirmed presence of your targeted audience.
• In-app Promotion: Push notifications, alerts, in-app ads and in-app messages act as reminders to your users. Send these reminders to users without irritating them. So that next time when they talk with their friends and families, they don’t forget to mention your app in conversation.
• Offline Promotion: As I told you earlier, word-of-mouth is as powerful or more as it was earlier. Offer users something rewarding if they are ready to refer your app to their friends. For e.g. a fashion app offers free tickets to fashion-themed parties to those who refer the app to their friends. You can customize this trick as per your app type.

3. Confirm it

Are you receiving genuine users through app referrals? Are they just come and go? From which campaign (online, offline, in-app) you are getting users the most? To confirm that you are going on a right direction, you have to monitor it all.

4. Continue it

As you start going with in-app referral program, your app’s total number of users will increase. They will spread your app more if you continue your referral strategy. Keep your referral on the go until your app exists to grab as maximum users as you can.

Long Story Short

Refer users and they refer to others. This is how your app will grow like a buzz. It seems easy but it’s not. Planning with proper monitoring and analytics is what you need to get a track of what you are doing and how it is worth?

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What You Could Expect from Emerging Trends of App Store Optimization?

Days are gone when app marketers were relying simply on keyword stuffing to grow up their app name on app stores. Now, the approach is turning natural. Quality matters more than quantity. Today, if you want to highlight your app on the surface, you have to follow truly natural ways including good quality app, bug free app, well designed app, etc.

Development is a half part of app; another half is app marketing – as you know an app without marketing is simply doesn’t exist. When we are talking about app marketing, how can we ignore App store optimization (ASO) - a fundamental acquisition strategy that continues to evolve? New Year brought new trends in everything including ASO that you must adopt to be on the top of the edge.

Here is the list of trends going to change the face of ASO.

1. Stronger App Indexing

What is app indexing? A system that give smartphone users access to apps through Google search results. It means when users search query on Google through smartphone, they get links to app. It is also called deep linking.

App indexing will be stronger than ever. Previously, when users were typing Google search query, the results were mobile websites. Now, when they type Google search query, the results will be apps than mobile websites (only if their search matches to the app keywords).

This is a precious opportunity for App marketers. You should start putting maximum app relevant keywords to get users on land page through Google Search Results.

2. Positive Reviews Are More Important than Anything Else

No ratings, no negative reviews, just focus on positive reviews, if you want your app to actually come up in a limelight. If you are getting negative reviews, make sure your app will be thrown at the app store corners. If you are 100% sure with your app – like you are assured of quality app with zero bugs and a real problem solver, still you fail to get positive reviews; App marketers suggest to go for paid app review services. Going for paid will be worth for app in future.

3. it’s a Time for Real Time Analytics

The more you understand your users, the more your app will get close to them. It’s time to analyze users’ behaviour with app in real time. Analyze what users do in app at what time. Where they tend to click, where they stay longer, where they don’t even have a look on, etc. you have to examine each minute of users’ with app.

4. Be an ASO-Savvy

ASO is as important for app as the SEO is for website. Gain as much knowledge as you can about ASO. Implement maximum ideas along with analyzing which one works the best. If you are an app developer or you don’t have time to look after ASO, hire the one who has years of experience in app marketing. 

5. In-app engagement and Personalization are at the top

It is more easy to drive downloads and revenue from an engaging app. If your app is not engaging, no matter how much you spend behind development and advertising, it will be totally a waste. In-app engagement is incomplete without personalization. A personalized user experience can increase shelf life of your app. That’s why; both these things are considered as app essentials.

At last, to make your app drive consistent traffic, you have to invest a good amount of time and efforts in App store optimization.

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5 Mistakes App Marketers Should Get Aware of before it’s too Late

Today, apps are everything for consumers. Apps have become the sources of shopping, socializing, entertainment, etc. Multiple app options for a single task are available at app stores. Consumers click only on those options flowing at the top surface – creating a challengeable environment for app marketers. In spite of building immense relevancy and meaningful experience, app marketers fail to achieve deserved position at app marketplace.

No doubt, app marketers must have accomplished the list of what to do and what not to do? But what about those factors hidden behind the big walls? Some mistakes app marketers often make unknowingly – they don’t even have idea about. Such mistakes lead them to overspending and disappointing outcomes. Let’s find out what those mistakes are and how to get rid of them.

 

1. App First, Monetization Second

App makers prefer to rest on couch until their app gets ready for marketing and monetization efforts. As soon as their app sets stage to walk towards app store, app marketers start rushing faster than train to prepare for app monetization strategies. App monetization is not a quick-to-get-results scheme. It takes weeks/months to show results. Hence, start planning for app monetization as soon as your app undergoes app development procedure. In-app ads, in-app purchases, freemium, subscriptions, paid, etc, there are many to think and plan about.

2. Underestimate the value of why users return to app

Some app marketers don’t derive the value of returning users. They are just happy with users visiting the app only once. Returning users are loyal users. They must be taken utmost care to keep their visits frequent.

Give users come-back reasons with app analysis. Analyze your app to determine app features that make users come back. Also, put an eye on features that users don’t like to have in your app. Consider the value of app among your users. Keep improve existing, likable features and insert demandable features. Alert, push notifications, messages, etc., utilize everything to get users back. Don’t overdo it. 

3. Unknown of LTV (Lifetime Value)

Total revenue generated by users staying with app from download to removal process is called Lifetime Value (LTV) of app. One can measure LTV through monetization, retention and other revenue generating methods. It’s important to calculate Lifetime Value of app to determine expected revenue from users. LTV also lets you get aware of how much you can afford to spend behind grabbing new users.

4. Ignoring questionnaires from app users

App users’ questionnaires are symbol of “they need help in terms of your app” or “they want improvements in your app”. Don’t make a mistake by avoiding them all. Their questionnaires build a way to success. Answer them all and try to improve what users’ expect.

5. Little to Zero research

This is the biggest mistake app marketers do. Don’t expect anything in return from app if you are not ready to spend a good time with in-depth app research. With billions of apps residing there on app store, research is must for an app to come up and continue for a long.

I think now you are well aware of your mistakes. These are just five, there are many hidden in the dark. Find them out and solve them as soon as possible.

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How to Give a New Energy to Your App after Launch?

When app entered to app store, it sells like a hot cake. Users’ eagerness towards new app is high. Once they start interacting with app, you will find they are losing interest for app. Number of users may not remain same as they were at the time of new launch. Number of active users will also decrease as the time passes. You may feel afraid with my wordings (really sorry for that). But basically, I want to tell that you have to put extra efforts to maintain users’ momentum for app.

Job is not done once your app reaches to app store. In fact, be ready to double down your efforts to ensure your app keeps gaining popularity over a long haul. And the best way to do this is: keep putting a new energy within your app. Here are some guidelines:

1. Schedule a Lifestyle for Your App

Messaging apps have to give users regular updates to keep them hook. Mobile games require making new resources for their users. Utility apps should prepare to remind users with daily alerts. Shopping apps are building new deals and offers to provoke users for purchase. Likewise, every app has its own lifestyle: what will be their work after going to app store. Have you fixed up any lifestyle for your app?
 

If not, then start now. Prepare a list of Goals as it will help you work out on app.
 

Answer these questions to know about your goals:

• My app is for whom? Children, Teenagers, Adults, Aged, etc.
• How will my targeted audience use app?
• What make my app a success?

You must get goals of your app, but I would like to share some common goals that every app has:

•  Driving new customers to your shop
• Building brand through app
• Selling products 

2. Get Everyone on Track

This one is for those working with a team (not alone). Many time app fails to gain its priority at app store just because everyone working for app is going through a different direction. Get all your employees on one track to work for app. Distribute different pieces of app to handle among employees like development part, app marketing part, users part, etc. Build department to manage each part of app. 

3. Be prepare for new responsibilities

New responsibilities will add to your schedule, once users start using your app. Start brainstorming situations occur and create a department to handle responsibilities towards new users.

4. Start a Chit-chat with users

 Great apps are great communicators. Their chit-chat with users is always going on. Make sure your app has this quality. Or you hired someone to listen users and solve their issues.
There are some ideas to keep conversation “On” with users even when they are not using app. Tricks like push notifications or alerts help apps communicate with users.

5. Keep Introducing Fresh Content

Products, offers, deals, in-app purchases, extra features, rewards, articles, news or whatever is a part of your app content, keep introducing it on a regular basis. Make a fresh content for everyday to remind your users that app exist with something new for them.
 

6. Measure the return rate of users

• How many users your app has?
• How many users often come back to app?
• How users interact with app?
• Which content attracts users the most?

This will define the success rate of app. With the help of these questions, you will get aware of success and failures of content. You can eliminate the less likely parts, improve the most liked parts and insert the demandable content.
 

Now you are ready to decide an after-launch-life of your app. Keep it improving and keep releasing fresh content.

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