Data about apps usage and ad spending. Free tricks to improve apps' ratings on the app stores. Techniques to combine ASO with ad spending. Real cases applied.

1. App Store Optimisation

2. Key Mobile Trends
●
OVER 60% of the US population are smartphone users. Additionally,
tablet usage grew 11.3% over the last year to become 45% of the
total US population.
●
194 MINUTES A DAY, on average, people spend on their Mobile
device(s) (smartphone and tablet), compared to only 103 minutes a
day on their PCs.
●
77% OF TABLET OWNERS use them as a so-called “second screen”
while watching TV.
●
ONLY 7% of total digital ad spending in the US is on Mobile, despite
the fact that Americans spend the majority of their digital time on
their Mobile devices

3. Mobile > Desktop

4. 1,408 apps submitted per day on iTunes (feb 2015)

9. Source: Appfigures

10. Mobile and tablet app stores

11. Business?
●
In its 2014 Mobility Predictions, research firm Gartner estimated
that less than .01 percent of mobile apps will be considered a
financial success by their developers through 2018
(http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2648515)
●
The “App Economy” (bubble?)
●
App sales are a $25 billion industry, as reported by WSJ.
●
Facebook's mobile app install ads are more than than three times as
expensive as the average Facebook ad, bought on a CPM (cost per
mille/1,000) basis. Demand is likely so high due to Facebook's ability
to let marketers target highly specific audiences, based on the
wealth of data it has on its users.

15. Standard metrics for Apps
• App store data
• Downloads
• Revenue (by country)
• Reviews
• Keywords
• In-app purchases
• Active installs: monthly or weekly
• Reviews/Featured
• In-App data (behaviour)
• Users
• Sessions / Frequency (whatsapp) / Length
(games)
• Engagement (whisper)
• Install-to-registration rate
• Crashes & Exceptions
• App versions/device models
• Demographics
• Screen & Acquisition (requires
configuration)
• Transactions

16. Non-standard Metrics for Apps
●
Lifetime Value (LTV)
●
Cost per Loyal User (CLU, opens app 3 or more times) + Cost per
Install (CPI) + Cost per Launch + Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
●
DAU (1 day), WAU (7 days), MAW (28 days)
●
ARPU (Average Revenue per User) – iPhone wins
●
Profitability: ROI / CPI
●
In the early days of mobile marketing, marketers focused mostly on
clicks and post-click interactions. These days, mobile has reached its
measurement adolescence, with marketers looking at behavioral
metrics beyond mere engagement.

17. Real KPIs
●
Number of times the mobile app was accessed during the first 24
hours / first week (after installation): Predictor
●
Session time (time spent in-app): Engagement
●
Permission granted to the app: Trust
●
Number of screens/pages accessed during in-app visit: Captivation
●
Number of subscriptions / registrations
●
Purchases (bookings / in-app purchases within a given time period)
●
Number of items placed in a shopping cart

18. Real KPIs
●
Number of articles read
●
Number of pages visited
●
Social shares
●
Retention rate
●
Brand Awareness

23. Questions to make yourself before
●
What need does the app satisfy? Social, entertainment, information,
transaction...
●
What do we want the app for? Make money, communication,
marketing, ecommerce, information? People inform on apps and
buy on PC
●
Is there something similar for Web?
●
Will people install the app? Will people pay for it?
●
How much money to develop and update?
●
In which countries? http://blog.appannie.com/50-new-countries-rankings-google-play/
●
Do we need any rights? Markets retire apps in 4 days if they violate
IP.

24. Process of developing an app
1. Define a strategy: target, goals, tablet/phone, value, app store
2. Describe the concept + Segment users (paying, viral contributor, engaged, non paying
users...)
3. UX + workflow
4. Budget
5. Design
6. Development
7. Testing
8. Launch
9. Marketing: Acquisition + Activation + Retention
10. Mesure + A/B Testing + Update + Refine campaigns & channels

28. 1. Acquisition
•
63% of apps are discovered on the store. Also media, web, friends... 50% of active users
do search for new apps weekly.
•
Advertising. Better on weekend (https://blog.sensortower.com/blog/2015/04/02/best-
days-launch-promote-ios-app-2015). Networks (AdMob: 60%, Facebook Ads targeted:
15%, Twitter needs to be refreshed frequently and tied to current events, AdsYahoo).
In-App ads. Whatsapp?
•
Optimisation: icon design (ad), title (with keywords), screenshots (banners), category
(only one!!). Youtube video on Google Play.
•
Own properties: promote your app on your site (Linkedin)
•
App loading time: 6 seconds desirable
•
Referrals: incentive!
•
Chart boosting - App markets algorithms: reviews + downloads + optimization

29. 1. Acquisition
•
Growth hacking: PR (launch fast for new mobile versions, Apple watch, travel to
Cupertino...), use all the markets, promoting services, require download, Kickstarter
campaign, preinstalls on smartphone, buy downloads, MGM, ads or Charbooster, pay
the user…
•
Ranking manipulating: buy ads + analyze + buy more ads + analyze

32. Mobile Advertising Options

43. Mobile Advertising Options

44. Mobile Advertising

45. Pinterest:
app pins

47. 2. Activation
•
Sign up: remove friction + indicate advancement. Is it necessary to register?
•
Simple is better: Stay focused on what is the most valuable por the user + get instant
gratification
•
Show, don't tell: create a better understanding of how the app works
•
Install to registration rate: Social appps (88.4%), E-Commerce (70.6%), Finance (52.1%)

54. 3. Retention
•
80% of installed apps only get used once, says Google. Media apps have it hard
•
Push notifications are very important: Opt-in on iOS and opt-out on Android. Ask for it
on a clever way (beyond first session)
•
Use gamification techniques
•
Get users to add their social connections to the app
•
Use email. People open 44% of emails on their mobile (https://webdocs.splio.com/blog/2015-02-
5o-barometro-splio-de-aperturas-de-email-mkt-en-movil.pdf)
•
84% of apps with 1,000 or more users who complete three or more in-app purchases
within the first 83 days eventually reached $1 million in revenue. Apps that had 4,000
or more users completing three or more in-app purchases reached $1 million 100
percent of the time. http://go.tapjoy.com/mobile-signals-report

60. 4. Transaction
•
Mobile accounts for more than 50% of all ecommerce traffic. Yet, mobile converts at
only 1/3 the rate of desktop; that is, 3% on desktop vs. 1% on phones.
•
Tricks: reduce product choice + make bigger Call To Action + Reduce steps (products on
home) to checkout + Reduce fields to field + Use words "Quick" (ex "Quick Purchase") +
Avoid sign up
•
Simplify navigation and place a big search field
•
Subscription systems: Spotify (25% subscribers in app user base), WhatsApp (21%),
Pandora (5%), Match Group (5%), The New York Times (3%), and LinkedIn (2%).
•

62. App Analytics tools
• App stores data (Sales) • In-App data (behaviour)

63. Mobile Action

64. SimilarWeb

65. SimilarWeb

66. AppsFlyer

67. Kochava

68. Kochava

69. App campaign measurement
http://support.mobileapptracking.com/entries/25539969-How-
to-Deeplink-to-Your-Mobile-App-from-Your-Website

70. App Installs: GA campaign measurement
Google Play Store
 Implement Google Play Store Campaign Measurement
 Add referrer parameter to any URLs that will be linking
directly to Google Play Store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.examp
le.app
&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle (Referrer) **
%26utm_medium%3Dcpc (Campaign Medium)
%26utm_term%3Dpodcast%252Bapps (Campaign Term)
%26utm_content%3DdisplayAd1 (Campaign Content)
%26utm_campaign%3Dpodcast%252Bgeneralkeywords
(Campaign Name)
iOS store
 Enable iOS campaign tracking in GA. Implement Google analytics
SDK and enable IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) collection
 Add referrer parameter to any URLs that will be linking directly to
Google Play Store
https://click.google-analytics.com/redirect
?tid=UA-12345-22 (GA Code) **
&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fmy- app
%2Fid123456789 (App Store URL) **
&aid=com.company.app (Your App ID, use GA to retrieve) **
&idfa=%{idfa}) (Marco for IDFA) **
&cs=newsletter (Campaign Source) **
&cm=email& (Campaign Medium)
cn=NewAppCampaign& (Campaign Name)
cc=latestapp& (Campaign Content)
ck=newapp (Campaign Term)

71. App Launches: Campaigns and traffic source
• Google Play
• Ensure setCampaignParamsFromUrl method is set within your app
• http://examplepetstore.com/index.html?
utm_source=email&utm_medium=email_marketing&utm_campaign=summe
r&utm_content=email_variation_1
• iOS
• In-build “tracker” tracks URL containing Google Analytics campaign
parameters [GAIDictionaryBuilder setCampaignParametersFromUrl:urlString]
• Use standard google analytics campaign tracking parameters
• Ensure “referrer” is set on every URL

72. Google guide
Track different apps in separate properties.
Track different platforms of an app in different properties.
Google recommends creating an AdMob account for rollup view
Track app editions based on feature similarities.
Track different app versions in the same property.

73. Apps: Using GTM?

74. App store optimization
http://www.parisoma.com/app-store-optimization-on-metadata-off-metadata/

75. Apps stores - How does it affect search?

76. Loyalty

77. Resources
• App Stores trends
• App Annie Blog : http://blog.appannie.com
• Appfigures blog: http://blog.appfigures.com
• App Optimization
• Mobile dev HQ: http://www.mobiledevhq.com/articles
• Kiss Metrics : https://blog.kissmetrics.com/app-store-optimization/
• Sensor tower: https://blog.sensortower.com/blog/categories/app-store-optimization/

78. Google Anaytics: App tracking
• Google Analytics SDK for Android
• Google Analytics SDK for iOS
• Google Analytics plugin for Unity (for game developers, still in beta)

79. Cases:
Chicisimo
http://www.parisoma.com/app-store-optimization-on-metadata-off-metadata/

80. Cases:
Chicisimo

82. Cases:
Chicisimo

83. Cases:
Chicisimo

84. Cases:
Chicisimo

85. Cases:
Lookout

86. Cases:
Lookout

87. Cases:
Wlingua

88. Cases:
Wlingua

89. Cases:
Fever

90. Cases:
Fever

91. Cases:
Tinder

92. Cases:
Airbnb

93. Cases:
AirBnB

94. Cases:
MyTaxi

95. Cases:
Fixed