Developing a mobile app is a significant investment, but its success largely depends on effective marketing. Some app developers overlook having a quality app marketing plan in place that strategically draws out when and how to start specific initiatives. This can lead to unexpected expenses that can strain their resources and have them question ‘how much does it cost to market an app, really?’.
We’ll dive into the various considerations that affect the cost of app marketing and explore strategies that can help developers save money in the long run.
App Store Optimization is a critical aspect of app marketing that can significantly impact app visibility and discoverability. ASO involves optimizing your app metadata and creatives to rank higher in search results and increase conversions.
ASO can help reduce user acquisition costs as it allows developers to leverage the power of Apple and Google’s algorithms to rank higher and attract their target audience organically. Optimized assets – from compelling app descriptions to visually appealing screenshots can convince potential users to download the app, thus increasing conversion rates at no extra cost.
Tying paid search ads into the mix allows you to capitalize on the data obtained from your organic performance to create effective ads targeting your audience. Because you have identified winning organic strategies, it will be easier to pinpoint which keywords and creatives to incorporate into your paid campaigns, lowering your cost-per-install (CPI).
The size of your company can significantly influence how much you spend on app marketing. Smaller startups or indie developers often have a limited marketing budget compared to established companies with more substantial financial resources. As a result, some developers will have to learn to be resourceful while others can use their increased budget to their advantage.
Smaller companies may want to focus on improving their organic ASO strategy as best they can before splurging their budget into paid initiatives without data to justify it. A good start would be to analyze top-performing competitors for approaches you can emulate into your own ASO plan, as well as identify gaps you can take advantage of. Take the data from your competitive analysis to develop your own keyword optimization strategy and creative optimization plan.
On the other hand, larger companies might have the means to invest in high-budget search campaigns. Bigger brands can leverage their resources to use search ads that can help improve their organic ASO. They can run campaigns with the objective of streamlining data collection to later identify their target users in less time.
A/B testing different assets is a powerful way to optimize app marketing efforts and reduce costs as well. This technique involves creating multiple variants of your app store listing and presenting them to different user segments to identify which version performs better. Within these variants, you can test different app listing elements to identify the parts of your product page that work and which ones could use an update.
Conducting A/B tests of your creatives and metadata helps determine which combination of assets resonates best with your target audience so you can later implement it in your primary app listing. A good approach to get started would be to leverage Apple’s Product Page Optimization or Google’s Store Listing Experiments. Alternatively, you can also try a more comprehensive approach with a custom ASO tool that provides even more avenues for modifying your app A/B tests.
Mobile app A/B tests will ultimately help you identify winning asset combinations that can help you fine-tune your app listing and save money in the long run.
The cost of marketing an app can vary significantly based on various factors. However, you can save on user acquisition costs with a well-thought-out ASO strategy based on your circumstances. Consider things like your existing app listing, company size, and current market conditions to maximize organic growth and save on app marketing. Focus on acquiring data-driven insights to optimize both paid and organic initiatives so you can increase visibility and improve your conversion rates over time.
Start saving on your app marketing with help from the ASO experts at Gummicube today!
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