Application promotion campaigns – in which channels to advertise?

Designing, writing and thoroughly testing an application is only the beginning of a larger adventure. After all, it would seem that if an application is based on a creative, innovative idea, is easy and pleasant to use, and has no bugs that make it difficult for users to use it, then it is doomed to success. Unfortunately, reality is like a bucket of cold water in this case because even if our app meets all the above conditions, which are de facto a great start on the road to success, as mentioned earlier, there is another issue that cannot be forgotten when releasing an app on the market. It is the users without whom our application will be like a fish without water. A well-planned and enforced mobile app marketing can effectively help us to acquire them.

What advertising platforms to use when creating a mobile app promotion campaign?

There is no single, irreplaceable way to effectively acquire loyal mobile app users, so if you are keen on fruitful app promotion, it is worth first analyzing which media channels you can use and which ones to consider when planning your marketing efforts.

Google Ads campaigns

Compared to other Google Ads campaigns, app promotion campaigns work a little differently. First of all, when deciding to run app ads in the Google Ads channel, we have a choice of three guiding campaign types, each of which is geared towards a different goal. These goals are:

• Installation of applications;
• Application engagement;
• Pre-registration for the app (only available for campaigns targeting Android users);

This allows us to create a promotional campaign tailored to the expected results or run multiple promotional campaigns simultaneously. This will allow us to attract new users and increase the specific actions we want users to take in the app. The biggest advantage of working with Google Ads when conducting mobile app promotion marketing activities and observing and reporting on the results of these campaigns is that the platform is intuitive and easy to use, and with recommendations from Google, campaigns are easy to optimize regularly.

Google first requires the resources needed to build a campaign. These include a budget, defining a strategy for optimizing the campaign, and a specific number of texts of a certain length. 

Then, we can add images, videos, and HTML5 resources to the campaign. Without these resources, we can also create a working campaign, but its effectiveness will be much higher if we add graphic and video resources. Using these resources, Google will create application ads, and they also significantly impact the final shape of the ad. 

The algorithm will also use Google Play search terms related to the category to which the advertised app belongs, so campaigns that encourage app installation do not need to add separate keywords, as in the case of Google Search campaigns. Simply put, the relevant keywords must be included in the text resources submitted to Google Play to best position the app ad.

Benefits of app ads in Google Ads

The main advantage of Google Ads app ads is their simple structure. This is because they are displayed across various channels supported by the Google platform, namely Google Search, Google Play app store, YouTube, Gmail platform level, Google Discover and Google Ads network.

In addition, Google will display ads for the mobile app, which valuable users will most likely click on and download.

We also have the option to choose one of the Smart Bidding strategies to promote our app. Google will automatically target the ads and set their rates, automatically rotating the ads, and ultimately reducing the need to manually test the destinations to find the most effective ones. This is a huge time saver!

In addition to the opportunities presented by all of the above aspects, using Google Ads to promote apps allows us to conveniently control the CPI rate.

An app without users is like a fish without water

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Facebook App Ads

According to a report on Meta For Investors, Facebook had 2.9 billion active users as of July 2022. Marketing opportunities on this platform are, therefore, enormous, especially considering that when choosing targeting settings for Facebook campaigns, we have an almost endless choice of audience groups for them.  Therefore, this channel should not be underestimated when planning marketing activities under the promotion of applications. 

In order to start advertising on Facebook and Instagram through the Facebook Ads platform, we must first register our application at Meta for Developers. Use the articles on this page to set up everything you need, and then you can track app installations and events of interest to you from within the campaign.

We can choose two main campaign goals for app ads through the Facebook Ads channel at the stage of configuring its settings: campaigns optimized for app installations and campaigns leading to a conversion event. This choice makes it easier to achieve the desired results, even in cases where we care about more than simply increasing the number of app installations. After all, it is often a matter of acquiring a user who manifests certain behaviours, for example, more likely to make a purchase using the app or register for it using an advertised promotional code.

Advertisements promoting application installations run on the Facebook Ads channel and are broadcast on three platforms: Facebook, Audience Network, and Instagram. This gives us a variety of places to display ads, such as Facebook’s homepage, Facebook Marketplace, Messenger, Instagram Reels, and stories.

When the ads are clicked, they lead directly to the app page in the Google Play store or Apple App Store, allowing users to download the mobile app immediately.

Benefits of app ads through Facebook Ads

A very important advantage of app ads through the Facebook Ads channel is the ease of reaching the desired audience. As one of the most precisely targeted forms of advertising, we can advertise based on aspects such as age, location, gender, or detailed interests.

Additionally, advertising on channels such as Facebook or Instagram helps us increase our brand’s visibility on these all-important social media channels. And it won’t be an exaggeration to say that in the 1920s, there was one simple rule for any type of product—if you’re not on social media, it’s as if you don’t exist at all.

The following is an example of this.

Application ads on TikTok

One thing is certain—TikTok never ceases to surprise us. However, it is no surprise that the extremely accurate audience targeting capabilities and the ever-growing number of users (projected by the end of 2022, 1.8 billion active users on TikTok) make this platform extremely attractive to advertisers. 

The issue that probably counts the most when creating ads on TikTok is creativity. Without it, we won’t capture viewers’ attention by scrolling through the app’s main page. This is especially true considering that users’ interest in the videos they’re watching needs to be captured as quickly as possible. They’ll move on to the next one without looking back if we don’t get them interested in just the first few seconds of a video’s duration.

TikTok’s advertising is a great way to get the attention of users.

We have many strategies to choose from for advertising your app on TikTok. We can use the TikTok for Business platform and create a video to display to users between videos on the „For You” page or at the top of the page before they start scrolling. 

We can also partner with influencers who will create a short video promoting our app and post it on their profiles. We will then have the option to promote this video with Spark Ads on the TikTok for Business platform using a special link that allows us to place a video published on someone’s channel in place of a creative resource. The video will then be promoted based on the audience targeting and budget settings we provide. 

Another creative way to advertise mobile apps on TikTok is the #HashtagChallenge, with which we increase brand visibility by inviting TikTok app users to take part in a multi-day challenge that involves repeating a dance, song, or other activity using a particular hashtag in their video. However, this is an outreach campaign, and in this case, we will not be able to accurately track the number of installations or events resulting from the campaign.

Advantages of app ads on TikTok

One of the most important advantages of this channel is the wide selection of ad types with which we can promote the mobile app on TikTok. This channel also comes with the issue of detailed audience targeting, which at this point is even more accurate than that on Facebook. This is because we can express a desire to target audiences interacting with a particular video or creator on the platform.

It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the cost per installation brought by ads run through the TikTok for Business channel is usually slightly higher than on Facebook or Instagram.

So… which channel to choose?

Unfortunately, there is no single, simple answer to this question. Start by determining the goal you want to achieve by broadcasting your app’s ads, and then determine the media budget and what creative resources you can provide to the advertising channels. Based on this, choosing the right channel should be easier, but remember that it’s best not to limit yourself to one medium but to be present in as many channels as possible. Hopefully, after reading the above article, choosing the right channel for promoting your mobile app won’t be a problem. However, if you are still wondering how and where to effectively advertise your app and gain a group of loyal and engaged users – rely on the help of specialists with expertise in digital marketing! At Up&More, we know our stuff and are eager to ensure your app achieves the success it deserves! Contact us today.