App development is a tough business. You may have a great idea, but there is no guarantee the app will succeed. The market for apps is growing: between iOS, Android, and smaller platforms, apps could generate $101 billion annually by 2020, according to research firm App Annie. What is interesting is that 70% of apps fails (they never reach 5,000 downloads), and 60% will never be updated after release. Therefore, your app must be innovative, original and irreplaceable in this pool. User acquisition is the fundamental target in your mobile strategy and besides the “Do’s”, some common mistakes can block the mobile app user acquisition success.
1- Lack of Big Data Awareness
After Digital and Mobile Revolutions, data started to become “new oil”. Thanks to innovations in digital technologies, there is an explosion of data streaming from customers via mobile and other platforms. Since mobile phones are an essential part of our life, the streaming data has a huge capacity of information. Gathering and using this data is intensely valuable for user acquisition. If the information obtained from customer data is handled properly, it will bring about a rise in user acquisition. Besides, it helps you to create a long-term relationship with users.
Helped by this data, you can;
• Test whether or not marketing strategy worked
• Find out which parts need improvement
• Discover platform customers are reached on
• Perform customer oriented promotions
• Understand your customers and your competitions
So, you must catch and create value from big data.
2- Lack of Planning
“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable.”
(Lucius Annaeus Seneca)
If you don’t know the destination, nothing will get you there. Having a plan and strategy for your user acquisition will help you to:
- Establish your goal
– State your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics such that CAC, LTV, etc.
– Track and analyse your metrics to set realistic goals - Manage your resources effectively
– Allocate your budget regarding your analysis to reduce the cost.
– Time is limited. Manage your time with schedules, not deadlines. - Manage your risks
– Deal with unexpected events that may cause financial, quickly.
– Take rapid action to changing conditions. (If you have a plan you can forecast effects of changing situations more clearly.
3- Lack of Multichannel
Existing in multiple channels is the best way to interact with prospective clients. Your application should be visible on the social networks, websites, summits and any platform you may reach your potential client. This lets information spread through your potential users. Also, being visible in multiple channels has a positive effect of increasing your brand value.
Starbucks’ customer loyalty program made it possible to check and reload your card via phone, website, in-store, or on the app. Any change to the card or your profile gets updated across all channels, in real-time.
4- Lack of Knowledge About Your Customers
Knowing your customers’ behaviors is a game changer factor. Using customers’ data analytics, we can obtain information about them. Customer segmentation has a major role in identifying your target audience. You can know who is your potential client by using segmentation. Well, is this enough to promote your app and increase user acquisition? The answer is not. So, what’s next? As we said before, we have a game changer called “customer behavior”. Using big data analytics uncovers hidden patterns, customer preferences, and market trends. Having this knowledge enhances the likelihood of reaching the correct users in the right place at the right time.
5- Lack of Soft Launching
Soft launching mobile product is releasing it to a small group of the target audience, and gives some benchmarks on retention, monetization and another metrics. A soft launch should not be considered costly because it provides critical information about which users are most valuable, allowing a realistic LTV to be set based on data, not assumptions. Knowing what makes most engaged users tick will help improve monetization, and having higher monetization rates gives more flexibility during user acquisition.
6- Ignoring ASO
We hardly need to mention that App Store Optimization is a crucial part of your user acquisition strategy, so it’s important to get this right early on. Increasing visibility in the app store means a higher possibility of more downloads. You can easily improve your user acquisition by performing proper ASO strategy. You can check the several resources about ASO like The Ultimate ASO Checklist, Do’s and Don’ts of ASO and The Latest Tips for ASO.
7- Ignoring the Importance of Quality Over Quantity
The number of downloads shouldn’t be a key metric for app success. We do not want users to just download our apps; we also need retention and engagement. It is easy to attract people with a discount or free access to install an app but, most users just open the app only once or delete it after getting what s/he wants. To handle this problem, you must satisfy your customers’ desires while creating new ones for them.
