‘Out of the Box’ Competitive Analysis: Supercharging App Marketing Results

‘Out of the Box’ Competitive Analysis: Supercharging App Marketing Results

Lately I’ve been deeply concerned with strategic advertising and marketing, startup advertising and marketing and cellular app advertising and marketing. The data I’ve gathered over time has helped me develop my very own progress hacking techniques.

On this put up, I wish to share a few of this amassed knowledge.

 

Table of Contents

Being a cellular app marketer supplied me with the chance to achieve priceless insights on what’s working and what’s not. I noticed that there’s data after which there’s KNOWLEDGE. Working with sensible cellular app professionals opened the door for me to study the insider’s techniques utilized by high app entrepreneurs.

A few of these techniques have been written about earlier than, however these articles barely scratch the floor of what the processes truly entail.

Most of us skilled entrepreneurs know rather a lot about ASO, paid acquisition and the other ways they manifest in iOS and Android. We’ve all heard in regards to the wonderful story of Yo, the benchmarks of Conflict of Clans and the Cinderella story of Airbnb.

We even realized in regards to the emergence of the cellular app advertising and marketing automation self-discipline. You may most likely title crucial instruments for app analytics, attribution, and retention in your sleep.

You get my level…we all know issues.

However once I’m confronted with a brand new problem, I find yourself studying a brand new tactic and I get enthusiastic about it. This makes me wish to share it with colleagues, individuals who actually get it and might share within the pleasure.

Hopefully this will get you excited too.

LOOKING UNDER THE HOOD – COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

One of the attention-grabbing app firms I’ve been lucky to work with (and nonetheless am) is the drupe Android app. I’m sharing this with you as I’ll use my drupe advertising and marketing expertise to exhibit a number of the techniques and instruments coated right here.

I not too long ago constructed an annual strategic advertising and marketing plan for drupe. I used to be requested to satisfy particular, aggressive KPIs (Key Efficiency Indicators) and I used to be given a funds.

It was as much as me to fill within the blanks.

After all, I knew the techniques I used to be going to make use of. However I had no concept which markets to give attention to, how aggressive I ought to get with paid acquisition, the outcomes I may count on and what’s the optimum combine that might deliver me one of the best outcomes.

I figured that I ought to observe the processes of associated and even comparable apps, and use them to construct an aggressive however possible plan.

My Preliminary Technique

Analyze the highest performing apps which might be just like us (within the Productiveness class) or profitable apps which might be “within the neighborhood.”

Then by uncovering their funds, advertising and marketing techniques, instruments they’re utilizing, progress charges in any given geo (geographic space), I ought to have the ability to optimize our technique.

It might even be a lot simpler for me to handle my expectations with reference to our sources, seniority available in the market, funds, and whether or not or not there’s an opportunity we are able to attain their stature in a given time interval (and even exceed it).

HUNTING DOWN INFORMATION

I centered on about 15 apps. People who have been high performers (e.g., first on the search outcomes checklist, reached the biggest set up base, have been tagged by Google as high builders or Editor’s Alternative, and many others.).

For every app I attempted to seek out the next data:

Preliminary Launch Date

Seniority stage is a essential indicator when making an attempt to estimate achievements. The numbers an app presents are judged in relation to many parameters, considered one of which is how lengthy it’s been round.

Cash Raised

Fairly merely, what’s their funds?

Present Score and Variety of Evaluations

Evaluations are a superb indicator of high quality. The extra critiques an app will get, particularly constructive ones, the upper the app’s high quality is.

We additionally recognized a correlation between the variety of critiques and the precise installs quantity and consequently between the numbers of each day critiques and the variety of new each day installs.

Nothing is 100% legitimate in fact, however it did present a powerful indication, one which I desperately wanted.

Variety of Distinctive Apps Owned by the Writer

It was clear to me that extra apps meant extra sources for installs. Whenever you estimate different apps achievements, and check out to determine what are your odds are in reaching their stage, it’s essential to have a good suggestion of different apps’ further, supportive property.

Platforms They’re Lively on (Android, iOS or Each?)

In case your app works on each working techniques, you will have a bonus over apps that don’t.

Why?

Consider the viral impact… in case your app is nice, folks will share it with their mates.

In the event you help just one OS, it signifies that a good portion of the market can’t be a part of, even when they wish to. Your probabilities of maximizing your potential with one OS are decrease.

Additionally, totally different markets are dominated by totally different OSs.

Whenever you have a look at the main focus geos of a aggressive app, take into account their supported OSs. In case your app is targeted on a single OS, it may nonetheless be a possibility, is determined by the way you leverage it.

Monetization

If there may be some type of monetization, that signifies that the app has most likely reached a sure stage of maturity. It could additionally imply that the technique isn’t solely constructed for progress however is most certainly constructed for progress below constructive ROI (which might imply decrease progress charges).

You have to be conscious of this when inspecting your opponents’ technique.

Each day Set up Vary / Whole Set up Vary

This is among the first issues it’s best to have a look at.

Each day / Month-to-month Set up Degree, Per Geographic Space

I may determine the geos to give attention to if I knew the place different associated apps are focusing, and perhaps discover a development.

Geos imply so much!

Each app ought to verify its analytics and give attention to markets with higher retention charges. Remember that the app’s potential to monetize or to be acquired for an excellent worth is very associated to its consumer base, together with the origin of customers.

Rating effectively in key geos and killing it for the most well-liked key phrases can imply tons for natural installs coming from customers trying to find these key phrases. If that’s one thing you’re after, it’s best to analyze different comparable apps, so you possibly can estimate their effort on this space.

For instance, if app X is the primary to indicate up in a key phrase search, and that it enjoys X each day installs and Y critiques, and the writer additionally has Z associated apps revealed within the retailer, and it has a “high developer” badge, you possibly can have a good suggestion of what it takes to get forward of them and conquer the #1 rank.

From there, I created a spreadsheet that had the next columns:

  • App Identify
  • Cash Raised
  • Preliminary Launch Date
  • Months in operation
  • # of Apps by Writer
  • Working Programs
  • # of Evaluations
  • Monetization
  • Common Each day Installs
  • Whole Google Play Installs
  • Installs within the Final Month
  • Important Key phrase Rank in Key Geographic Space
  • Month-to-month Installs in Geo #1
  • Month-to-month Installs in Geo #2
  • Month-to-month Installs in Geo #3
  • Month-to-month Installs in Geo #4
  • Month-to-month Installs in Geo #5
  • Advertising Instruments They’re Utilizing

GETTING SOME ANSWERS

Now, within the cellular app trade you will discover many instruments that may aid you acquire essential insights on comparable or aggressive apps. Nonetheless, because it looks as if new ones are popping up each day, it’s extraordinarily tough to resolve which particular instruments to make use of.

Additionally, some instruments are VERY costly, actually, approach too costly for an early stage startup firm.

That led me to search for high quality, however reasonably priced options. Some are well-known and generally utilized by many app professionals, whereas others are comparatively new and I take into account them best-kept secrets and techniques:

App Annie

I used App Annie (the free possibility) to seek out the preliminary launch date, in addition to ASO indicators akin to key phrases and rank in a given territories (not all territories have been obtainable)

Sensor Tower

I used Sensor Tower when App Annie did not reveal the apps’ rank in a number of the territories I researched. I may have gotten by with the free model however I didn’t thoughts buying a one month license to make the method simpler.

Google Play

I used Google Play to analysis what number of apps the writer owns in addition to the variety of critiques and ranking. I tracked what number of further critiques have been added to find out the variety of new each day critiques.

Apptopia

I used to be tremendous completely satisfied to seek out this software, although I don’t understand how validated the info is. I’m unsure how they get hold of this data, however they provide the variety of month-to-month installs (previous month) together with how the principle geos are divided.

I used to be thrilled! I used their free trial, which helps you to analysis 10 apps.

X-Ray by SafeDK

A sensible and free software that allows you to search an app by its title and reveal the SDKs it makes use of. It assist me acquire insights concerning the instruments that aggressive apps are utilizing for analytics, attribution, acquisition, who they’re utilizing for monetization, and many others.

It’s true that I may solely get insights round SDK based mostly instruments they have been utilizing, however it was greater than sufficient for me.

Internet Search

Lastly, I did a easy Google search to analysis fundraising, so I may correctly estimate the sources and funds of my opponents.

THE RESULTS

This ‘out of the field’ aggressive evaluation helped me acquire some essential insights.

Geographic Tendencies

I may see geo traits for comparable apps. I realized about potential markets that may be attention-grabbing for us, because the apps we checked out had customers in these markets.

For instance, I noticed that India is a foremost marketplace for Android productiveness apps, launchers and contacts apps. I had additionally determined to additional examine particular European nations that have been initially in my goal geos however for some motive, weren’t among the many foremost nations in different comparable apps.

It’s not that I immediately determined to remove these nations, quite the opposite, I’ll have managed to discovered a bit of “Blue Ocean” however I needed to additional examine.

Cheap Objectives

I fine-tuned my plan so the targets have been possible. I checked out competing apps that had a a lot greater consumer base than us , and I paid consideration additionally to apps which may ‘eat our mud’ when our advertising and marketing plan could be executed and accomplished, based mostly on actual progress charges information.

I shared the info with drupe administration workforce, and it was a lot simpler to know the place we’re headed, and never simply shoot in the dead of night, based mostly on nothing greater than imprecise estimations. We may even superb tune our product roadmap plans, with the ability to forecast key future markets (geos that have been frequent in all different comparable apps)

Instrument Spying

I noticed that high apps have been constantly utilizing the identical instruments (SDKs) for advertising and marketing and monetization.

This made me take a more in-depth have a look at these instruments and decide if we should always implement them as effectively. I truly realized a couple of new, very attention-grabbing, advertising and marketing automation SDK that I didn’t know of earlier than.