A Quick and Dirty Explanation of Mobile App Retargeting

Lots of people have been asking questions about the ins and outs of mobile app retargeting, remarketing and re-engagement. This short explanation is designed to help clarify some of the basic questions people have about this important and fast-growing marketing tactic.

Mobile App Retargeting in Plain English

Mobile app marketing is undergoing a major shift – from focusing primarily on driving app installs, to something that matters even more – turning those installs into engaged and profitable users.

You’ve heard the stats by now – many installed apps are used only once. It didn’t take long for some businesses to figure out that marketing to users after the install was just as important as driving the initial installs – in many cases even more important. And today, thanks to technology advances in in-app attribution and device targeting, app marketers are now retargeting users of every flavor – from their most loyal shoppers to dormant users – with tailored messages that bring them back to the app and drive real business.

Mobile retargeting is a form of advertising that lets mobile app marketers send relevant messages to their customers while they are using other mobile apps or mobile websites. The user sees the ad, clicks on it, and gets directed to the advertiser’s app, sometimes to a specific section or deep link. Some app marketers are starting to put as much emphasis on retargeting as on driving installs, due to its high ROI. Rather than paying several dollars to acquire a new potential user, marketers can spend of fraction of that to re-activate lapsed users, increase conversions, and grow users’ lifetime value.

In fact, Apsalar just introduced a feature called SmartTags that makes remarketing even easier by enabling a brand to use one tag to redirect people to up to five different locations based upon their install status.

Mobile retargeting enables you to drive engagement across the entire app usage lifecycle. You can define user segments and display targeted ads to each segment, encouraging them to return to your app and ultimately convert into buyers. Whether it’s re-engaging inactive users or driving repeat sales from your best shoppers, retargeting is a versatile strategy that can help you achieve a range of sales and marketing goals.

Use Cases

Here are some examples of marketing goals and how you can use retargeting to achieve them:

Prod inactive users: Remind them with ads that bring them back to your app to drive ongoing engagement.
Upsell active users: Promote premium services, app updates or new apps.
Remonetize recent buyers: Message to sell them related items.
Heavy shoppers: Drive repeat sales or actions; cross-promote new products.
Users about to purchase: Find users who have added items to carts and reconnect with them before they purchase elsewhere.
Rectify incomplete conversions: Bring back users to complete an action, such as a tutorial or registration.
Segment target lists to develop messages for like users: Develop ad creative for each user segment.
Deliver campaigns via real-time bidding exchanges: User sees your retargeting ad in other apps or on the mobile web. User clicks the ad and returns to your mobile app.

The more detailed the users’ in-app engagement data, the more specific the retargeting ads can be, allowing you to tailor ads to users in different stages of the purchase funnel. The most effective retargeting programs leverage an analytics solution that tracks all post-install behaviors, not just one event type. This
provides you with more targeting options for each user, and also allows you to create larger, more sophisticated user segments (groups of users with similar attributes) that update as users take action to enter and leave the cohort.

Take a Strategic Approach

An effective retargeting strategy begins with an analysis of user attributes and segment users based on the action you would like them to take. Using variables such as how recently they used the app, products they’ve purchased or viewed, or subscription status, build user cohorts that eligible to take an action that is valuable to your business. Once you have defined goal-based user segments, you can create unique ads that are relevant to each cohort and the business objective you’d like them to achieve.

You can get an easy to download version of this content here.

New Presentation on the Cross-Device Consumer

We've put together great data from the most authoritative sources in the industry for this one. If you are looking to get up to speed on US mobile and cross-device behavior, start here!

Cross-Device Consumers in America - 2015 from Jim Nichols

My Wonderful Experience with Elance Designer Emagegraphic

Digital has had transformative effects upon my professional life, and its global reach has helped me capitalize on amazing resources I never would have found without it.

In my new job role, I work with a fantastic US designer who I will write about in another post soon, But this post has been about my experience using an Elance resource found when I posted my first job on that large and growing service.

A big part of my approach to B2B marketing is content development. I believe it is the great equalizer - helping innovative young companies compete head to head with their well-heeled established competitors.

I was looking for an efficient and cost effective way to deliver a broad range of content to the digital marketing industry. So, on a recommendation from a friend, I decided to try Elance. I posted a job and received a variety of proposals for the work. Among them was a Pakistani design firm called Emagegraphic.

Elance enabled me to review past work from all of the designers who expressed an interest in the project, and several had strong work, Emagegraphic really stood out for me. It was the range of styles and attention to detail that impressed me most. The portfolio offered everything from B2B brochures to bodybuilding products to prayer books.

You don't fly blind with Elance.The service shows ratings and comments from people that have worked with the designers so that you have a better sense of their strengths (or red flags.)

I did a jump ball between them and another designer, awarding the job to both resources. While both did a good job, Emagegraphic impressed me with how they followed the creative direction, went an extra mile to really give great fit and finish to what they did. Interactions with Raheel, the head of the company, were cordial, professional, and clear.Turnaround times were great. And the finished product was a delight. Attention to detail deserves specific mention because I produce long form content and edits are often numerous. But Emagegraphics did it all right the first time.

Simplify Your Switch from Ad-X Attribution and Measurement from Jim Nichols

Since then, the team there has developed about 15 items for me - each one a great piece of work. And over time, they've created a set of content development aesthetic standards that I didn't even know to ask for but which have made each document better than the last. Raheel understands what a brand is, and is able to deliver brand-compliant - and brand enhancing - work every time.

Four ways to improve dmps from Jim Nichols

We have a great working relationship, and I think part of that is recognizing my responsibility to provide clear direction and pay promptly. Many Elancers use the service as a primary source of income, so I would imagine many have tales of people who don't pay on time, or even at all. I wanted to be different. By contrast, sometimes I pay before they have completed the final round of changes, particularly if my carelessness led to an extra round.. For me it is an expression of trust, as well as a recognition that people have bills to pay. And, indeed, we've built up a strong trust so that I know that deadlines will be met, and they know that Paypal payment will be prompt. After all, it's a do unto others system.

How to Choose a DMP (Data Management Platform) from Jim Nichols

True confession: part of the reason why I occasionally pay early is that I want to be clear that I am looking for a longer term relationship with someone - one that lets each side benefit and gets past some of the doubts that can come from being 5,000 miles apart. And the designer is assuming far more risk in these relationships than the buyer. If I can put a mind at rest paying a few hours before something if finished, then they know that I want to create win-wins.

And I can also say that I trust Raheel to always deliver.

In total, my experience with Elance has been stellar. But I think THEY THE SERVICE would be the first to admit that what makes a great experience are buyers and sellers that are aware of their responsibilities and work toward building strong relationships. Emagegraphic has made my Elance experience stellar, and if you are looking for new ways to buy creative and tech services, I really do recommend you try Elance and Emagegraphic in particular. Raheel and team do outstanding work every time, and deliver exactly what and when they promise. Just don't monopolize ALL of his time as I need to keep working with him! ;-)

Raheel didn't ask me to write this - I just want to see him succeed even more, and if my little blog here can help, well then there you go!