Practical information: Here is the ultimate guide to app content marketing!

As of 2018, there are more than 20,000 apps on the App Store, and the competition for app market share is very fierce. In fact, for App publishers, the real competition is whether they can leave an impression in the minds of the audience, so they need to spend a lot of resources to win the time and attention of potential users.

This is where content marketing comes into play. According to a survey by the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing, but generates more than three times as many marketing leads . As a result, as many as 86% of B2C marketers choose content marketing as part of their sales strategy.

Without further ado, here’s the ultimate guide to app content marketing.

1. Identify your audience and goals

All content marketing has two essential elements: a clear audience and business goals. Brainstorming is the first step to start content marketing.

Before making a decision, consider these questions:

• Who is your app's audience?
• How can I find them?
• What is their age group?
• What other interests do they have?
• How will they use your app?
• Why would they use your app?
• What is the target number of downloads for the first three months of launch?
• What is the ideal retention rate ?

The answers to these questions are the foundation of your entire content marketing plan. And it can continue to help you measure the performance of your content marketing in the future. Identifying your target audience from the outset can provide clear direction for your content.

2. App Store Optimization ( ASO )

Every app publisher faces a daunting challenge: making their app stand out among the millions of apps in the app stores. ASO is a way to optimize the App as a whole from the perspective of ranking, browsing, sharing, ratings, reviews and downloads.

Although the space available for displaying content in the app store is very limited, you can and should make full use of content on other online platforms such as websites, blogs or landing pages to increase the visibility of your app and drive app downloads.

3. Create excellent content

With a complete content marketing plan in place, the next step is to create content. “Content” is a broad term that includes blog posts, social media posts, landing pages, eBooks, white papers, case studies, customer testimonials, newsletters, emails, and videos.

Data provided by the Content Marketing Institute shows that the most popular content forms among B2C brand marketers are social media posts and blogs, but don’t limit yourself to these. Be bold and innovative and try other forms.

Here are a few tips to help you create great content:

1) Longer articles perform better

Long articles perform better because they are valuable, highly relevant to readers, and provide unique insights. When using content to promote an app, make sure the content is specifically tied to the purpose of the app so that users can naturally move from reading the content to clicking on the CTA.

2) Coherence is the key factor

Blogging regularly and consistently means staying up to date on the latest industry trends and hot topics, and providing high-quality, authoritative content that everyone is willing to share.

3) Interactive content

Interactive content performs quite well because it can give users a sense of participation and entertainment that traditional static text does not have. It is for this reason that more than 80% of content marketers surveyed said that interactive content can better attract users. At the same time, interactive content can not only stimulate App downloads , but also allow users to continue using the App after downloading it. Quizzes, games , surveys, infographics, and calculators are all ways to engage your audience.

4. Dissemination content

There are three key channels for app content marketing:

1) Social Media: Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat , are the main channels for consumers to interact with brands . 95% of consumers follow brand accounts online. There are currently 2.56 billion social media mobile phone users worldwide, so social media is undoubtedly the first choice for content dissemination. At the same time, social media is a great platform for both organic and paid reach, simply by posting and promoting on your brand’s social media accounts. Please remember to leave a clear and effective CTA , either download the App or jump to the landing page.

2) Content Discovery: Compared to search engines or social media, content discovery has higher page views and lower bounce rates, making it a more effective content distribution channel. When consumers enter “discovery mode,” they are primarily looking for content that is relevant, interesting, and useful to their needs and interests. Content discovery platforms help advertisers push appropriate topics to interested users at the right time, making it easier for users to be attracted by the content and download the app.

3) Native advertising : This year, investment in native advertising exceeded that of display advertising. Web users are twice as likely to click on paid content as on display ads. There is no doubt that native advertising has become an indispensable part of content marketing strategy. App publishers can use native advertising platforms to disseminate high-quality content to target specific audiences and channels, thereby promoting their apps.

5. Evaluate the effect

After you have been running your content marketing for a while, you can start analyzing the data and comparing it with your KPIs. Based on this, we can make large or small adjustments to the content to optimize the marketing effect.

There are many sophisticated tools available to help you analyze the performance of your app marketing. For example, mobile attribution can help you track every app download and attribute this data to marketing activities and calculate conversion rates . These critical data can help you optimize your app marketing campaigns.

In short, although content marketing is a complex business model , it is a logical and measurable process that can be completed step by step. The key to content marketing is to understand your audience, create coherent content, find a series of distribution channels, and analyze and summarize the data to optimize the content and start the next cycle.

App content marketing is all about trial and error. But with the help of advanced technology, organization, and constant adjustments, you can level the playing field for your app's success.

Source: AppsFlyer