A target audience is a group of people that your product or service is intended for. In our previous article, we talked about how to find your target audience. But, that’s only the first step in mobile app user acquisition. Now that you know what your target audience looks like, what’s next? The next step in mobile app user acquisition is reaching your target audience. This is how you get your target audience to be aware that your app even exists.
Table of Content
- Target Audience
- free keyword installs
- buy ios app
- app rating service
How to reach your Target Audience who search for information
App Store Search
App Store Optimization
65% of people find apps through app store search. To get ahead of your competitors, your app marketing strategy has to include app store optimization (ASO). When your ASO is lacking, your app will too. It won’t show up in the app store search results. People won’t know that your app exists. You can rank better by using the right keywords in your app name and description. Remember to use keywords that your target audience would use when they’re searching for a new app.
Another factor is visuals. Your app preview screenshots have to be attractive. The best screenshots highlight the major features of an app that a target user would like. There are a few other factors affecting your position in the app store search. We can’t fit it all in here. However, if you want to learn more about ASO than head.
Apple Search Ads and Google UAC
Apple Search Ads and Google UAC are advertising options for their respective app stores. By bidding on relevant keywords and constructing targeted ad audience groups, you can exponentially increase your app’s exposure in the Apple App Store and Google Play store. These app store ads show up above other search results. That means, when somebody searches for a keyword that your bid won out for, your app will be the first one that they see.
Web Search
Your app should show up in a regular web search as well. When you need information on something, what do you do? Most likely, you turn to a search engine, perhaps Google.
People are constantly searching for information on the internet. The difference lays in what they search for. Travel lovers look for travel tips, hotel reviews, and destination itineraries. Foodies look for restaurant reviews, new recipes, and nutritional facts. Stay-at-home moms look for toilet training advice or nursery rhymes.
There are 2 ways to reach your target audience through search engines. The first is targeted search engine ads and the second is content marketing.
Targeted Search Engine Ads
One option is to run targeted search engine ads. You already have the information to do this if you’ve done research on your target audience. The same variables that you used to find your target audience can be used to reach your target audience. Look at their demographics. Where are they located? What languages do they speak? Look at their interests. What do they like? What kind of things do they search for? Apply these demographics and interests to your search engine ad campaigns and your website will show up in your target audience’s search results.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is the process of gaining brand awareness and conversions through the use of content. What is content? We’re talking about blog posts, infographics, videos and more.
Create content that matches your target audience’s interests. Destination itineraries for travel lovers. Recipes for foodies. Toilet training advice for stay-at-home moms. Not only does the subject of the content matter, where you post your content matters too. Consider which medium is going to be better received by your target audience. If you’re targeting people ages 18-24, a video might the better choice. But don’t forget that quantity never makes up for quality. The content your producing needs to provide value to your target audience. Entertain or educate them first. Then go for conversion with a call to action. No one likes a straight-up sales pitch.
Content marketing also goes hand in hand with search engine optimization (SEO). By producing good quality content on a certain topic regularly, you increase your chances that a search engine will label you as an expert in that field. Your website will then show up more frequently in the search results for that topic. To rank higher in search engine results, your content has to include relevant keywords. Another way to improve your search engine ranking is to generate healthy backlinks. You can accomplish this by collaborating with other bloggers and companies in related fields.
How to reach your Target Audience who browse
Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool. Let’s find out how you can use it to your advantage.
Social media allows you to be exactly where your target audience is and to build up a brand image outside of your website and app store listing page.
First, consider if your target audience is even on social media and if so which platform. For example, 41% of Facebook users are 65+ while 64% of Instagram users are 18-34. You’re targeting 18-34 year-olds? You better be using Instagram.
Here are some tips on how to use some of the most popular social media platforms to reach your target audience:
Like and comment on your target audience’s photos. Post captivating photos and videos with a related caption that includes a call to action. Use Instastories for a behind-the-scenes look into your company. You can also try using targeted ads on both the feed and in stories.
Share original and curated content that matches your target audience’s interests. Communicate with your target audience through Facebook messenger. Another option is to run targeted ads and Facebook messenger ads. Use a Facebook messenger chatbot to answer questions about your mobile app.
Open conversations with your target audience. Answer questions, comments, and complaints about your mobile app. Stay up to date with current events and trends. Retweet those and include your opinion. Twitter also allows you to run ads.
Youtube
Publish videos that are entertaining or educational or both 🙂 You can choose to show a behind-the-scenes look into your company. Explain how to use your mobile app. Highlight the major features of your mobile app. Remember to include a call to actions in the description box below the video.
Publish photos and videos to give an inside look into your company. Share infographics that spark conversations. Share new product or feature updates. Connect with other professionals in the field for collaborations. Establish your company as an expert in your niche by posting an article on Linkedin.
There are many ways to take advantage of social media. The examples above are just a few. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different platforms and mediums to discover what works best for your brand.
As I mentioned above, social media is also the perfect place to build up your mobile app brand’s image.
A good example of this is Bumble’s Instagram page. Their page provides value to their users through entertainment. It also posts funny memes, quotes, and conversations that are all about online dating. And they also have a cohesive aesthetic, a specific font, and color scheme. Followers instantly recognize the posts as being from Bumble.
Another example of this is Code with Chris’s Youtube page. He provides value through education. Chris offers free coding lessons with his Youtube videos. Then in his video descriptions, he always places call to actions, directing viewers to his Coding Fundamentals Course and to his other social media pages. Notice that his Youtube page is also cohesive in aesthetic. For each series, the thumbnail design stays the same, so that viewers know right away which lesson series they’re watching.
And the last point for social media. You can use social media to give your target audience a sneak peek of what your mobile app does. This way people get know what your app is about and its major features before they install it. The sneak peek is especially useful if your app is not available for free. People want to know what they’re getting before they pay for it, even if that’s only $1 or $2.
Influencers
People trust and listen to influencers. Influencers can help you reach your target audience and grow your app. Influencer marketing is a relatively new marketing strategy that has not yet been fully adopted by all industries and mobile apps are definitely one of them. You are already one step ahead of other app businesses when you decide to dedicate some resources towards influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is all about finding the influencers that have influence in the niche that you are targeting. People trust influencers who are knowledgeable about the things they’re interested in. People want to try products and services recommended to them by influencers they trust. Travel influencers for travel lovers. Foodie influencers for foodie lovers. Mommy influencers for stay-at-home moms.
There are a few things to consider when choosing appropriate influencers:
- They are active on the social media platform your target audience is using
- They create content related to the interests your target audience has
- They have follower demographics similar to your target audience’s demographics
Getting these influencers to recommend your app is an effective way to get more people in your target audience to know about and install your app.
Word of Mouth Marketing
People recommend products they like to their friends. People trust not only influencers but also their friends and family. Word of mouth marketing or referrals is a great way to reach your target audience. People tend to tell their friends and family about the products and services that they enjoy. This applies to mobile apps as well, in particular to social apps.
To ensure that your current users are spreading the word about your mobile app, make sure you have a built-in referral program. You can decide on whether or not to reward the person being referred, but you should always reward the person who is doing the referring. The motivation needs to be big enough that your current users feel totally compelled to share your mobile app with their friends and family. You could offer extra bonus points, unlock further features or offer similar goodies as a reward.
Use notifications to remind users to invite their friends. Offer them something special if they bring more than one user in return. Referrals instantly reach your target audience. Current users who enjoy using your app know at least one person in their friend circle would also enjoy using your app. Friends usually share interests and demographics. When people invite their friends into your app, they’re reaching your target audience for you.
Social apps greatly benefit from word of mouth marketing. The purpose of a social app is to be social. Friends want to be on platforms their friends are on. No one likes to feel like they’re missing out. FOMO is real. A referral program gives a person even more reason to invite their friends. And when all their friends are using a social app, everyone will want to stay on that platform.
Why is reaching your target audience important?
We’ve just gone through the ways you can reach your target audience. But now you’re wondering. Why is this important? Isn’t it better to get anyone and everyone to install my app?
The answer is a definite no. You should spend your limited time and resources on people who will actually install, enjoy and continue using your app.
People whose interests don’t match the purpose of your app will probably end up uninstalling your app. Uninstalls hurt your ASO strategy, causing your app to be ranked lower in app store searches. An uninstall tells the app store search algorithm that people don’t like your app and for that reason, it must be bad. People who aren’t interested in your app will not only uninstall it but they will also not recommend it to anyone. So your efforts in getting them to install your app become a total waste. Your target audience is much more likely to continue using your app and to recommend it to their friends. This is why reaching your target audience and not just anyone or everyone is important and efficient.
