What’s mobile app marketing: Trends that will define mobile in 2024
In order to properly adopt trends in mobile app marketing you first need to understand what it entails and how each trend may relate to your particular brand.
While there are many ways to market your brand, you'd be hard-pressed to find one more relevant in 2024 than mobile app marketing. Whether it is driving user retention with app features, or utilizing gathered customer data for better personalization, having a mobile app is a must for aspiring brands. So, let's take a more in-depth look into what mobile app marketing is all about and outline the top trends that will define it in 2024.
Understanding mobile app marketing
Mobile app marketing is all about convincing people to install your app and to keep returning to it. While a simple idea in its nature, it can be difficult to tackle. Namely, having a mobile app isn't really a luxury nowadays. Brands have long recognized the necessity of having an app to help maintain their customer base. In fact, mobile app revenues generated more than $935 billion in 2023. A notable increase from $693 billion in 2021. And, all things considered, this number is only likely to be bigger in 2024. So, while it is important to tackle app marketing, it is equally important to recognize that the competition is fierce. And that without understanding what it entails, you will have a hard time overcoming it.
Different aspects you can tackle
If you have any prior experience with marketing, you likely appreciate that mobile app marketing is not a one-and-done deal. Everything, including mobile apps, requires ongoing effort and optimization. You need to implement different ideas, see how they perform, and learn from your successes and from your mistakes. And you need to focus on various aspects. Let's outline the most important ones.
App Store Optimization (ASO)
For people to find your app, it will need to show up in their app store search results. And just like with Google and SEO, this is more a question of effort than a question of luck. ASO involves optimizing the mobile app's metadata, including app title, description, keywords, and visual assets like icons and screenshots. Doing so is necessary to improve its visibility and ranking, to increase download numbers.
Social media marketing
Of course, funneling people to your app doesn't end with ASO. Another fairly common trope in marketing is that every brand needs to have a social media presence. And, if you are smart, you will look to integrate your app with your social media as much as possible. This includes leveraging social media platforms to create awareness and engage with users. You do so by making organic posts, paid advertising, influencer partnerships, and user-generated content campaigns.
App install campaigns
Every once in a while you will need to freshen up your marketing efforts. And when that time comes, you may need to run an app install campaign. You will likely run targeted advertising campaigns across various channels such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, X Ads, or Apple Search Ads to drive app installations. Doing so will not only find you new customers but also re-engage old ones. Especially if your app has something new to offer.
App referral programs
While install campaigns can be useful, they can never substitute the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing. This is why it is important for brands to adopt referral programs, even when promoting apps. You need to do what you can to motivate existing users to refer their friends and contacts to download and use the app by offering incentives, discounts, or rewards for successful referrals.
App reviews and rating management
Having people talk about your app should be one of your main goals. As such, you'd be wise to try and make the most of your reviews and ratings. Firstly, you need to encourage satisfied users to leave positive reviews and ratings on the app stores. Secondly, you need to actively manage and respond to user feedback and concerns. Properly managing reviews and ratings will not only build trust with your customers but also present you as an active, caring brand.
App monetization
If you are solely using your app to help promote your brand, you won't have to worry much about app monetization. But, if you are keen on using it to make money, you will need to ensure that you choose the right monetization model for your app. Each model has its pros and cons. And depending on what your app is like, certain aspects may work more in its favor.
Push notifications
When used properly, push notifications can be a powerful tool. By sending timely and relevant push notifications you will encourage them to revisit the app, complete certain actions, or engage with new features. But, if you pick the wrong time, or phrase your push notifications poorly, you can easily lead your users to uninstall the app.
Trends that will define 2024
Now that we have a general idea of what mobile marketing entails, let's outline the key trends in mobile app marketing for 2024. As you can imagine, mobile marketing relies heavily on emerging technologies and social developments. So, by understanding what they are, you will easily see why these specific trends are so prevalent in 2024.
AI integration
Using AI for mobile apps is an even emerging trend that we feel will soon become the norm. From app design to maintenance, data collection, customer service, content creation, and as a stand-alone feature AI has had a large impact on IT as a whole. And that impact is only going to increase in 2024.
Depending on what your app is like, we would advise that you consider different AI tools. If you are strictly focused on marketing, we can recommend Sprout Social and Seventh Sense. But, if you have a more specific goal in mind, we would strongly encourage you to research it thoroughly. As you'll learn, a good AI tool can be just the thing to give you an edge over your competition.
Influencer marketing
It might surprise you to learn that mobile app marketing is heavily reliant on influencers. Especially in 2024. But, while it may seem that you should look for an influencer right this instant, we would advise that you wait. Keep in mind that influencer marketing isn't simply about finding the most popular influencer and sponsoring their content so that they mention your brand.
Your goal should be to build a relationship with an influence whose content naturally connects with your brand. We would advise that you start looking for an influencer only when you establish yourself as a brand. By having a clear idea of what your brand is about, you will achieve two things. First, you will have an easier time presenting yourself to an influencer and convincing them to support you. Secondly, you'll be able to more easily determine which influencer is best suited for you. Keep in mind that 49% of creators say long-term campaigns are their favorite way to work with brands. So even influencers recognize the value of having a brand as a long-term partner.
Before you contact them, make sure that they have a decent online following and that they are professional in their conduct. 70% of consumers say they’d stop following an influencer if they said something that contradicts their personal values.
Voice search
A trend that might catch some of you by surprise is the prevalence of voice search in 2024. But, if you consider the ongoing social and IT trends, you'd hardly be surprised that it is so. Voice recognition technology is better than ever. And by using Alexa and Siri, we've grown accustomed to using them over the years.
Consider that 25% of the global population uses the voice search feature on mobile devices. This puts the global voice recognition market to be around $26.8 billion in 2024. Now you might think that these are predominantly old people who see poorly and can't handle modern technologies. But, in fact, these are predominantly 18-34 years old. Of them, 77% report using voice search on smartphones, 37% on tablets, and 34% on desktops. And 52% of voice assistant users use this technology daily or every other day, even while using social media like TikTok and Facebook.
So, a big part of your audience likely uses voice search on a daily basis. The way to make use of this is twofold. First, make sure that you include VSO (Voice Search Optimization) in your marketing effort. Secondly, see if you can add a voice feature to your app. Again, these seemingly small changes can give you a distinct edge over your competition in 2024.
AR experience
This is another seemingly unimportant trope that is likely to yield considerable results in 2024. Namely, AR technologies are nothing new when it comes to mobile apps. Plenty of shopping and gaming apps make some of AR. But, even today, most people consider them to be a fun addon and not a core feature.
Now, of course, you shouldn't horn in an AR feature just to give yourself a unique marketing talkpoint. Instead, consider carefully what your app is about and whether it can benefit from an AR feature. Modern tools will make AR apps easier and cheaper to create. In fact, most states estimate that between 2024 and 2028, the AR and VR market is likely to double. And seeing that today's AR market is worth $25.84 billion, this will be a considerable increase. So, if you want to make use of AR in the near future, start considering how your users can benefit from your app having that feature.
Visual content
If there is one marketing trope that has remained over the past years it's that visual content has become king. Written content still has a role to play in modern marketing. But it is the visual content that has risen to absolute domination. Especially visual content on mobile devices. The numbers are simply staggering. For instance, if you choose to advertise with video content you can boost your revenue by up to 49% faster than other types of content.
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise if you consider that 30% of mobile users watch only 14% of horizontal video ads, whereas, most users watch up to 90% of vertical video ads. All this to say that modern users are far more likely to view short videos than any other type of content.
If you have prior marketing experience, all of this won't come as much of a surprise. So, we won't advise you to adopt visual marketing in 2024, as that should be obvious. Instead, we would advise that you utilize video content to better bridge the gap between your website, social media, and app. While there are numerous omnichannel strategies for app user acquisition few make full use of videos. And seeing how effective they are in 2024, we consider this a major flaw. So, if you wish to increase the number of app downloads, we would strongly suggest that you reevaluate how you use videos.
As a seemingly niche platform, LinkedIn has experienced quite a significant growth in the past couple of years. While before it was primarily focused on job and professional development, it is fast emerged as an important social media platform for advertisers. It is estimated that in 2024, 50% of display and 25% of digital ad spending will go to LinkedIn. So, if you are considering adding a new social media profile to your roster, we would advise that you adopt LinkedIn. Regular posts, comments, and reactions from your channel need to become a must.
Data privacy concerns
Lastly, it is important to note that data privacy will be a major concern in 2024. AI tools, while useful in many ways, do present a new danger. People are becoming aware of how potent AI tools can be in collecting and storing customer data, even without customer consent. This is why navigating data privacy regulations for app marketing will become a necessity in 2024. Keep in mind that there are several laws passed in the US in 2023 that revolve around data privacy like the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA) and the Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act (MTCDPA). These will come into effect in 2024, and it will be up to publishers, data managers, and app designers to keep in line.
Final thoughts
While we can give you other mobile app marketing predictions we feel that the ones we've given paint a clear enough picture. Mobile apps are slowly becoming a common trend in our everyday lives. And along that line, it will become a necessity for brands to design and manage their apps with due care. So, if you are considering how to improve your business in 2024, we would strongly suggest that you develop a good app. With well-made in-app stories, we are sure that you'll be able to onboard and keep any customer who finds your brand interesting.
