15 App Marketing Tips for Black Friday

Black Friday remains one of the best holidays for businesses, and app marketers and developers will also find this to be the case. In addition to other holidays this season, you should engage in Black Friday app marketing to get the best possible results from this particular holiday. Using the right strategies, you can build your user base, drive in-app sales, and increase retention and loyalty among existing users. 

To help you develop a winning Black Friday app promotion strategy, the following are some helpful app marketing tips to get you started.

1. Begin Marketing and Retargeting Before Black Friday

If you want to get the best results from your campaigns, try to develop them at least a month in advance. This will give you ample time to test your campaigns and gauge people’s preferences and behaviors to help with optimization. 

Keep in mind that not only should you begin marketing to new users in advance, but you should also retarget new and existing users to increase conversions and engagement. Retargeting ads that people see well before Black Friday could ensure your app continues to grab audiences’ attention.  

2. Have Specific Goals in Place

Before you develop your app marketing campaigns for Black Friday, you must have specific goals figured out that give your strategy a clear direction. For example, maybe you would want to increase app installs. In other campaigns, your goal may be to boost engagement among existing users. Other app owners might want to boost in-app revenue. Each goal you set will also come with its own key performance indicators (KPIs) and corresponding metrics to help you measure your campaigns’ success. For instance, sales would be the primary KPI to look at if you want to increase revenue. 

3. Launch App Store Ads

Running app store ads can help you boost your visibility on these platforms ahead of the holidays. In 2020 alone, app stores saw a record number of downloads at 218 billion, with consumers spending a total of $143 billion internationally on these apps. These numbers show that if you’re neglecting to maximize your presence in app stores, you’re missing out on the opportunity to reach the widest audiences available.

 Although app store optimization (ASO) enables you to rank well in app stores organically, you should also supplement these efforts with paid ads. Together, ASO and ads can get you to the top of results when people search for apps in your category. 

4. Use Black Friday-Related Push Notifications

To indicate to people when your Black Friday promotions are up and running, use push notifications in the days or hours leading up to them. You can also personalize notifications to let users know when a promotion will begin based on their preferences and past orders. Be sure to remind people when a deal is both about to begin and end, as this will encourage people to return to your app before time runs out.

5. Develop Plenty of Ad Creative

In the days leading up to Black Friday, app usage drastically increases, which means people are likely to encounter your ads multiple times. When putting your ads together, make sure you have plenty of images and other creative elements to incorporate and engage audiences. You can also run mobile A/B split tests with these elements to determine what’s working and what you might want to drop or modify. 

6. Promote on Social Media

 Social media remains one of the most vital channels for app owners to advertise on, as these platforms can further increase and maintain visibility among audiences. You can use Facebook and other platforms to market your apps and gain deeper insight into your prospective and current users. You’ll have the ability to learn about people’s demographics, interests, and other information that can help you further optimize your marketing efforts. These platforms also allow you to share discounts, sales, and promo codes with audiences to drive engagement and sales.

7. Connect With Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms can also help connect with audiences. However, you’ll want to ensure you’re only working with influencers within your particular niche. If the influencer you form a partnership with shares your audiences, that influencer’s endorsement of your app will mean a lot more. Also, keep track of engagement and choose influencers based primarily on this. Selecting a micro-influencer in your niche with a high percentage of active followers will be a lot more valuable than one with a less engaged audience.

8. Monitor Your Campaign’s Performance

After launching your Black Friday app promotion campaigns, keep a close eye on them to ensure they’re working for you. You need to be able to take action quickly to make sure your campaigns continue to progress. By analyzing your campaigns, you can better determine which elements are driving results and which you need to optimize. In addition, make sure you have ample ad creative to switch between if needed.

9. Offer Promo Codes, Freebies, and Rewards

Based on the type of app you’re promoting, you can offer various incentives to drive engagement and sales. During the holiday season, mCommerce apps often offer discounts, cashback, or giveaways. Meanwhile, platforms using a subscription model might provide a discount on these services. Reward programs are also popular for gaming apps, giving users in-game currency or items to keep them loyal. Also, promo codes are still popular to use for both in-app purchases and paid app downloads.

10. Reach Audiences With Email Marketing

Another critical tool to use in Black Friday app marketing strategies is email. Email marketing comes with a potentially high ROI, as it’s inexpensive to use and highly valuable when used the right way. Specifically, you can earn as much as $42 for every $1 spent on these campaigns, making them extremely worthwhile in most cases. You can use email to promote your app leading up to Black Friday, further letting new and existing users know about deals or giveaways, along with other benefits of using your app.  

11. Compare LTV and Usage Between Black Friday and Other Holidays

Many retailers struggle to get around higher customer acquisition costs (CAC) during the holiday season, but this shouldn’t be an issue for you if you optimize advertising to bring in high-value users. To help determine whether your users are truly bringing value, compare usage to lifetime value. LTV is the value that customers accrue over time as they use your app. If you see increased conversion rates and engagement along with a higher LTV from users acquired during your Black Friday and other holiday campaigns, this indicates that your campaigns were a success.

12. Create a Campaign for All Devices

 To further extend your reach, make sure your campaigns are optimized for all devices, including smartphones or tablets. This will help make sure you establish a connection with people regardless of the technology they use, driving app downloads and installs across a wide range of devices. Also, keep in mind that many people over the holidays will receive new devices as gifts, making it all the more important to optimize holiday campaigns for these devices in preparation.

13. Create Offers for First-Time Users

If your goal is to boost downloads and installs for your app ahead of Black Friday, offer first-time users specific discounts or freebies that are unique to them. For example, you might give first-time users a promo code that shaves delivery fees off their order price, or they may get $5 off an order after reaching a minimum order amount. You could also offer discounts on certain products. This will entice more people to give your app a try, particularly if your app is free to download and install.

14. Highlight Holiday Deals With Product Images

In app stores, you can update app store descriptions and other creative to place emphasis on certain Black Friday promotions, deals, and coupons that get even more people to download your app once they reach your store. Images in your store should include text that specifies Black Friday deals and app features, which will clearly show the value of your app. People who see Black Friday promotions will also want to take advantage of your limited-time offers before the holiday ends. 

15. Build Anticipation With Video Ads

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 You can get people even more excited about your app with short video ads that include footage of your app and animations that engage viewers. You can use video to illustrate specific features and your interface, which convinces people your app is intuitive and easy or fun to use. If you’re wondering how long your video ads should be, around six to 10 seconds is the sweet spot to grab users’ attention. Display these ads on multiple platforms, including other apps in your category.

Engage Audiences This Black Friday With Campaigns That Drive Results

By following these tips, you can develop a Black Friday app marketing strategy that truly works for your app. Through a highly targeted and well-optimized campaign, you’ll drastically increase engagement among current users while attracting new high-value users. However, it can be challenging to do everything on your own without some assistance.

To help you get the best possible results from your Black Friday app promotions, turn to App Samurai. Using our secure and reliable mobile growth platform, you’ll be able to advertise and monetize your app and reach your audiences on all platforms. For more information about App Samurai and what it can do for you, contact us today.