These days, there’s a mobile app for everything: games and grocery deliveries, parking payments and concert tickets. There’s never been a better time to create an app that takes the world by storm—or a harder time to break through the competition to do so.

The key to your app’s success lies in its advertising. After all, if no one knows your app exists, how will you get the download numbers necessary to shoot to the top of the App Store? Luckily, learning how to advertise a mobile app isn’t difficult—it just takes strategy.

Keep reading to discover how to build an advertising campaign for your app that captures attention and converts viewers into users.

How to Advertise a Mobile App: Strategies and Challenges

In the early 2000’s, the phrase, “There’s an app for that,” took hold of culture—and never let go. Currently, there are over 1.8 million mobile apps in Apple’s App Store, and roughly 3.9 million apps available in the Google Play Store. The possibilities for what you can do via app feel limitless, and it’s a lifestyle no one seems to have any intention of moving away from.

If you can build a unique app that meets a need, you can experience wild success. But the key to that success goes beyond the technical components of your app.

With so much competition, your app has to stand out. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to rank high enough in the App Store to be discovered. For your app to go viral, you need a top-notch advertising campaign backing you every step of the way.

If you know how to develop a marketing funnel, you know the basics. However, when marketing an app, the stages are slightly different:

• Awareness: A person knows that your app exists.
• Action: They download the app to learn more for themself.
• Retention: They see the value the app adds to their life and continue using it regularly.

Often, the retention stage is the hardest part. It’s reported that more than 90% of users give up on an app before the 30 day mark post-download. But if you’re able to get users to stick around, they’ll share its value with their friends, resulting in word-of-mouth advertising and increased downloads.

8 Ways to Advertise an App

So, how do you get your mobile app in front of the right people to begin their journey through the marketing funnel? Here are 8 techniques to consider as you develop your advertising strategy.

Take Your Marketing Offline

Your product may be digital, but that doesn’t mean your advertising has to be. In fact, out-of-home (OOH) advertising has been shown to produce a higher ROI than other forms of advertising—including digital advertising.

Utilizing outdoor advertising reaches people in a whole new way, and is especially powerful if you want to reach users who aren’t chronically online. And if your app provides practical support for in-person problems, advertising via a strategically located billboard can put your information in front of potential users right when they need it most.

Advertise via billboards, murals, bus stops, and more, and make an impact on local communities right before their eyes.

Utilize App Store Optimization (ASO)

Having a strong presence in the App Store is crucial in order to both draw in possible users and encourage them to download. Before jumping headfirst into advertising your app, audit your app’s page.

• App name. Is it clear what purpose your app serves? If not, add keyword-rich descriptions. For example, “Time2Save: Free Coupons Daily.”
• App description. Your description offers an ideal opportunity to weave relevant keywords throughout the page. Ask yourself what words or terms someone looking for your app might search and find natural ways to incorporate those words or phrases without keyword stuffing.
• Visual aids. Add screenshots or even videos of your app’s best features and what the user interface looks like while using.

Offer Beta Testing

If you’ve yet to launch your app, beta testers are a valuable source of feedback and pre-launch excitement. People love to feel like they’re in the know, so providing early access in exchange for user testing and promotion is a great way of garnering word-of-mouth advertising.

Not sure who to call on for beta testing? Offer a select number of spots to your email list or social media followers.

Host Giveaways on Social Media

Let’s be honest—everyone loves an opportunity to win something fun. Giveaways are a huge driver of engagement, which is incredibly valuable when trying to advertise your new mobile app. Consider a few different styles of giveaway:

• Tag a Friend: The simplest form of giveaway, all that’s required for entry is following your brand’s social media page and tagging a friend in the comments. If their friends then show up and tag their friends, the reach can be exponential.
• Download the App: Invite users to download your app and share it on their story or page to enter to win.
• Creative Entry: While creative giveaways take more effort on the part of those entering (and might have a lower rate of entry), they’re great for drawing attention—the more creative, the better. Require users to show themselves using your app to enter, whether that’s sharing a graphic they designed with your app, taking their followers along for a grocery run while they use your coupon codes, or creating their wishlist on your app for the holiday season.

Create a Referral Program

Referral marketing is simple, but it’s one of the most effective tools you can utilize. Incentivize users to share your app with their friends by rewarding them for doing so.

You can get creative with the reward—you want it to be something that genuinely encourages users to share. Some brands pay users for referrals, while others offer in-app bonuses, subscription discounts, or coupons in collaboration with another brand.

Craft an Influencer Marketing Strategy

Influencer marketing is powerful because it’s so human. Users see people just like them on the other side of the screen using tools or products and see how those tools or products could make their own life better, too.

Depending on your industry, you might turn to digital creators on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or even bloggers or podcasters. Instruct the influencers you work with to keep their advertisements as natural and seamless as possible, and offer them a unique code to share with their followers that provides a discount. Not only are people driven by discounts, but the code will allow you to track just how much traffic comes in from each influencer you work with.

Use Paid Advertising

With targeted advertising, you gain the ability to specifically reach your ideal customer demographic. Whether you’re trying to push your app to warm leads or cold leads, paid advertising is a great way to make potential users familiar with your brand. Even if conversion isn’t immediate, with time, you’ll see results.

Connect with Media

Media coverage helps your brand reach a larger audience and gives you credibility—after all, if your app is in the media, it has to be legit, right?

Connect with coverage opportunities large and small, from local papers or TV broadcasts to national broadcasts. Pitch interesting information about your app to journalists, or reach out to tech and industry blogs. If you have the budget, consider working with a PR team to further your media reach.

Utilize OOH Advertising to Market Your Mobile App

As you craft your mobile app’s marketing strategy, don’t forget about the power of OOH advertising. While it might seem counterintuitive to advertise a digital product in physical locations, the trust built through OOH advertising is unmatched. Plus, with strategic QR code use, you can make downloads intuitive and effortless.

Want to learn more? Contact us today to get in touch with our expert media coordinators and discover how OOH advertising can benefit your app launch.

FAQs: Mobile App Advertising