What App Marketing in 2020 Will Look Like

As we enter 2020, the app industry continues to innovate quickly. This year and decade, we’ll be seeing greater use of mobile apps. So let’s talk about what app marketing will look like. 

The App Ecosystem Gap 

The number of apps available worldwide increases every day, making the app ecosystem an exciting place to be. There is an evident overpopulation of mobile applications but also space to grow. Because the industry relies mainly on consumer attention and technological advances, trends move fast. One day your app can be on top and the next, utterly unknown to mobile phone users.

That’s because a gap has begun to appear within the ecosystem. I’m talking about the fight to become one of the top 100 apps (and staying this way) vs. being part of the rest. 

Top 100 Apps 

The top 100 apps play on the upper end of the battlefield. These are more general apps, such as social media, that are used by the majority of the smartphone population. Their half will be dominated by data analytics, monetization analytics, new team structures, and production of ads and creatives on a larger scale. All of this is done through automation by app management tools. With bigger budgets, popular apps need to be spending their money wisely. This includes allocating enough funds towards both innovation and growth strategies. 

The Rest 

The lower end, or what I called the rest, fights on the other half of the battlefield. Some may try to cross the barrier into the top. However, most apps will stay here, running to dominate their niche. Instead of battling to grab the attention of all mobile users, these apps strive to earn users interested in a specific category. These can be travel, investments, real estate, educational, or even hyper-casual gaming. Apps that align with their target audience and best appeal to them are going to win the fight. They'll become a well-known brand within a particular niche community. 

The Common Ground

The common ground between these two groups is the need for brand protection. Brand protection is a growth strategy that involves fending off offensive attacks from competitors. These attacks usually come in the form of app store ads, which target competitor app names and other branded keywords. 

If your competitor is running app store ads on your app’s name, then many of the marketing strategies you’re using are going to waste. That’s because if an ad viewer types in your app name in the app stores, they’ll see your competitor first and may end up downloading a competitor app instead. 

But you have the power to protect your app brand from these types of attacks. Use intelligence tools like App Radar’s Search Ads Intelligence, to see who is placing ads on your branded keywords, ensure you’re winning ad bids, and analyze competitor ad strategies. 

App Store Optimization Will Be More Competitive Than Ever 

Since paid user acquisition is getting more competitive, organic user acquisition will too. It’s inevitable. App Store Optimization (ASO) is going to become completely necessary for app success. 

A Big Look at Creative Assets

I’m seeing a considerable increase of experts in this field, a secure sign that fiercer strategies and faster adaptations must be used. Part of adapting quicker will be updating creative assets more frequently. Seasonality is going to be big. Changing your app screenshots, preview videos, and icon to reflect holidays throughout the year are going to draw in the extra attention you need. 

Floppy Bird, for example, created winter themed game levels for the holiday season and included them in their screenshots. 

Also, people are getting used to high quality creatives. When yours aren’t up to par, you’re going to fall behind. Remember to A/B test your creatives and update them frequently. This is especially true if you’re continually adding new features to your app. You want to show off the best parts of your app, the ones that will appeal to new users. Don’t wait until they’ve downloaded your app to introduce what your app can do and which problems it can solve. 

Automation, App Store Listing, and Total Localization 

Another hugely influential ASO factor is your app store listing and the total localization of it. Research shows that people are more likely to download and engage with an app when it’s presented in their native language. Localization includes not only translating but also connecting with the region’s population on a cultural level, knowing which images may spark interest and which may cause offense. 

In the past, localization has been quite a pain. I know the struggle of updating 10+ locales manually. It’s not a pretty sight. But now, with solutions such as App Radar, you can update all of your app locales in a few clicks. Trust me. Automation is going to make a huge difference. The time you save updating every app store listing is time you can put into other growth strategies. 

The App Radar Store Listing Editor enables you to edit your app locales by region or by the metadata field. Then in one simple click, you can publish the changes to Google Play Console and App Store Connect. This integration is unique to App Radar. Create a free account and let me know what you think. 

Seasonality and App Store Listing Presets 

As I mentioned above, seasonality is going to have an impact on user acquisition. This is true for holidays and regular seasons as well. Say you have a fitness tracker app. In the summer, it’s a good idea to optimize your app store listing for summer-related exercises like running or swimming. And in the winter, you’d opt for relevant keywords such as skiing or indoor workouts. Research to find out how your target audience’s search behavior fluctuates due to seasonal changes. 

And don’t forget about your creatives. The same idea applies. Show photos of summer activities in the summer and winter activities in the winter. That’s going to make your app store listing more appealing as the seasons change. 

The Sweat App by Kayla Itsines, for example, is playing off fitness new year resolutions to convince app store visitors to download the app. 

To make the entire app store optimization workflow easier, consider creating presets for your seasonal creatives and keywords. With presets, you can quickly come back to what you implemented in the past and adjust from there — a much quicker process than starting from scratch each time. 

Generating presets can be as easy as storing them on a cloud storage system like Google Drive. You can also use an all-in-one ASO Tool like App Radar, to manage your app store listing. 

Retargeting is On 

Marketers are no stranger to retargeting campaigns. The more touchpoints you have with potential users, the more likely they’ll end up downloading your app. So right, retargeting has always been important. What’s changed? 

Technology is the change. The amount of data available now allows marketers to more narrowly target their audience. 

You can make sure that your retargeting campaigns are stronger than those of competitors by first evaluating who you should reach out to again. Don’t waste your budget, bothering people who don’t want to be bothered. Instead, look out for those who need an extra push. Find out where your users are coming from and how many of them were reinstalls or multiple touchpoints. 

For example, you can run reinstall ads on the Apple App Store to reengage with lost users.

The investment in these types of campaigns will undoubtedly pay off. Research from Adjust shows that retargeted users generate 37% more revenue than new users do in the first 30 days.

Another reason why retargeting and reengagement will become so important is the fact that the acquisition of new users will peak. Yes, data shows mobile phone ownership, and thus, app downloads are increasing in countries such as Indonesia and India. However, downloads are hitting a plateau in large markets like the US. Focusing on those users who have uninstalled or never got the chance to use your app will get you ahead in these plateauing regions. 

A New App Store Platform is Coming 

Huawei has been making a big splash in the mobile world lately. Their recipe of sleek design, Leica powered camera lenses, and an affordable price point has gotten the Chinese company on the world stage. So this comes as no surprise. Huawei has launched its very own app store, the Huawei AppGallery. 

Similar to major stores, Google Play and App Store, AppGallery offers a large selection of mobile apps and games. But here is where they have a good, even great, chance of coming out on top. According to TechCrunch, mobile app download growth in the US is 5%. Meanwhile, China’s mobile app download growth is a crazy 80%. 

Now consider that Google Play is banned in China and that the Apple App Store is available but restricted. This situation gives Huawei a huge opportunity. But more importantly, it’s a big chance for app companies outside of China to reach a new audience. If you haven’t entered the Chinese market yet, this is an excellent opportunity to test out the waters. Get in early to get the most out of AppGallery. 

Get a Head Start in 2020 

Looking to get ahead before the year flies by? Check out App Radar and our widening portfolio of features, all built with your app growth in mind. Rank higher in the app stores with our App Store Optimization Tool. Improve your app store ratings and reply to reviews with Ratings & Reviews Management. Maximize your paid user acquisition efforts with Search Ads Intelligence. 

Start growing your app the smart way. Create a free App Radar account today. 

Noticing other app marketing trends in 2020? Let’s discuss in the comments!