9 Awesome Shopify Mobile App Marketing Strategies

Can you possibly imagine to sell a new product without marketing it first? The same is true for your Shopify Mobile App. If you are developing a new Shopify mobile app and not having plans for promoting it, then you literally running the risk of losing the app to the competition. Today there are more than 2 million apps on App Store alone. This means that you cannot leverage your Shopify mobile app as a virtual store for your clients unless you have a dedicated Shopify mobile app marketing strategy. Further, mobile app install ads are important part of your app marketing strategy.

Launching your Shopify mobile app is as important as mobile app development. Launching gives your Shopify mobile app the necessary support to survive the competition. Your mobile app needs a proper mobile app marketing strategy to bring your app in the eyes of your customers.

According to Jaiden Vu, Founder, and CEO of Vantura Cosmetics – It is not the best product that wins but the best-known one that wins.

Building an eCommerce mobile app is just the first step towards your mobile commerce success journey. The next step and undoubtedly an important one is designing a Mobile App Marketing Strategy.

Also read: 3 Reasons why Social Media Marketing is necessary for eCommerce

What is Mobile App Marketing?

Mobile App Marketing or Mobile App Promotion is a marketing strategy that is used for reaching the targeted audiences at different stages of the conversion funnel. Mobile app marketing begins with introducing your Shopify mobile app to customers. It follows by prompting them to install it. Through the easy sign-in process, you encourage them to complete the registration process and finally keep them engaged by sending push-notifications.

The whole idea behind mobile app marketing is to give voice to your app and keep your users engaged. It’s necessary to create enough hype around your app that people cannot just can’t avoid it.

App promotion is not limited to selling the unique features of the app. It extends to spreading the word about the benefits that the app offers to the users.

 Why do I need a Shopify Mobile App Marketing Strategy?

There are four basic reasons why you need a Mobile App Marketing Strategy for your Shopify Store:

1. For driving mobile app installs
2. To keep your users engaged
3. For retaining your customers
4. For launching new products

Driving mobile app installs for your Shopify mobile app is the biggest challenge that you face. And, it is obvious. There are more than 1000 app submissions daily on the App Store alone. Add to this, the fact that most of the users use not more than 3 apps on a daily basis.

The chances of your app standing out are very little without a solid mobile app marketing strategy.

The other problem that mobile app developers face is that they lose app users over time. Studies suggest that nearly 80% of users never use the app after the first few days of use. So, even if you have enough app downloads, you cannot expect to convert them without keeping them continuously engaged.

Cart abandonment is major trouble for online retailers. According to eCommerce personalization expert, Barilliance mobile phones have an 85% shopping cart abandonment rate. This means you will lose a whopping 85% of your customers if you don’t have a marketing strategy.

Shopify Mobile App Marketing Strategies

Thanks to Digital Marketing, Shopify sellers today have a number of tools for promoting their e-commerce mobile app. Listed below are some ways through which you can promote your Shopify mobile app:

1. Google Mobile App Install Ads
2. Facebook Mobile App Install Ads
3. Deep Linking
4. Deferred Deep Linking
5. FB Remarketing Ads with Deep Links
6. Content Marketing
7. App Store Optimization
8. Social Media Optimization
9. Shopify Store Optimization

In many ways, the marketing tools/techniques that promote your app build upon your existing customers and help attract new ones.

Google Mobile App Install Ads

Mobile app install ads are meant to drive bulk app installs within a short period. Mobile app install ads are a powerful medium to introduce your app and prompt people to download it. Users can download the app directly from the Ad itself. 

Also read: 8 eCommerce holiday dates you should not miss for your business!

You can promote your mobile app through Google’s mobile app install ads. Your mobile app install ads appear on Google Play, Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Display Networks. 

Whenever a user will search Google, or Play Store, or YouTube with your targeted keywords, your mobile app install ads will appear on the page. The user will be prompted to check the app. Also, you can track the number of mobile app install over time and the origin of their installs. 

Facebook Mobile App Install Ads

Facebook mobile app install ads remain one of the top sources for mobile app installs. With Facebook, you are in more control of who will see your ad. You can precisely target your intended audience on the basis of age, city, sex, etc. 

Facebook mobile app install ads enable you to track every app download and the sources from which the downloads have been done. In this way, you can suitably modify your targeting campaign.

Facebook enables the marketers to set up 14 Standard App Events from which the marketer can accurately target the audience. All this at a very low cost. It costs around $1.2 for every Shopify mobile app install.

Deep Linking

Ever heard of the term? Never. No problem, but I am sure you have used it earlier. So, let’s begin by getting to know – What is deep linking?

Deep Linking is a technology through which the user is directly taken to the page within the app in which he is interested, rather than taking him to the homepage of the app.

A deep link appears in the form of a unique URL. The URL takes the user to the product page within the app from where he can make the purchase, thereby maintaining his interest throughout. 

Deep linking iOS and android devices is an effective tool for boosting conversion rates. It offers customers what they need by making the least efforts, giving the best shopping experience ever.

Deferred Deep Linking

Deferred Deep Linking can be understood as an advanced version of Deep Linking. Unlike deep linking, deferred deep linking allows the user to get to the desired page within the app even when the app is not installed on his mobile.

When the user hits the URL, he is redirected to the app store to download the app. When the app is downloaded, the user is redirected again, this time directly to the desired product page within the app.

Also read: 7 Tips To Develop a Successful Marketing Strategy

Deferred Deep Linking is a great way for boosting your app downloads. When a user sees an ad on their Facebook or Google Search page, in which he is interested he is taken directly to the app store from where he can download the app.

FB Remarketing Ads with Deep Links

Remarketing or Retargeting Ads target those customers that have shown interest in your product but left the cart without making a purchase.

Through remarketing ads, you remind the customers of their leftover deal or the season discount they will be missing. This prompts them to complete the transaction. 

FB Remarketing Ads lets you create personalized ads on the Facebook page for products that were seen earlier by your customers. By clicking them, the customers are directly taken to the product page within the app from where they can complete the purchase.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a brilliant tool for promoting your brand new Shopify mobile app and driving mobile app installs. Not only your mobile app but with content marketing, you are also able to promote your brand.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and brings in 3x more leads.

It’s very important that you create a buzz around your Shopify Android/ iOS app. While doing so, most of the vendors end up sending a wrong or distorted message through their article. Many of them are not aware of the industry standards or the buyer persona they are targeting.

App Store Optimization

When there are 1000s of apps on Play Store and App Store, you cannot expect that your app will be installed the moment you launch it. You need to make your app discoverable on the Play/ App Store. App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process through which you improve the ranking of your app to make it discoverable upon search. Ultimately, the goal is driving more mobile app installs.

What do I do for improving my Shopify mobile app ranking on the Play/ App Store?

App Store Optimization (ASO) basically depends on three components:

1. Relevancy of the content
2. Indexation
3. App Quality

Social Media Optimization

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn have tremendous reach and coverage.

Tap the vast potential of social media by creating and optimizing the accounts of your store on social media platforms.

Here content relevancy and quality is the key to gaining visibility. We do this by analyzing the important keywords that are most searched over social media and putting them in the right places in your content. Also, your social media accounts are optimized with engaging videos and beautiful images.

Shopify Store Optimization

Gaining and maintaining a powerful web presence for your Shopify store begins with your store’s SEO. You need to be in the eyes of your customers in order to make a sale.

How can you improve your Shopify store ranking on search engines?

1. Site improvement measures
2. With relevant keywords
3. By Analyzing your competitor’s strength
4. By linking to other sites
5. Content marketing

Conclusion

It comes down to this – Ecommerce mobile app development is just the first step in a long-drawn mobile commerce success journey.

Without a well laid-out Mobile App Marketing plan that makes your app stand out in the market, the success of your Shopify store hangs in the air.  

Rather than as an expense, you should view marketing as an investment.

According to Tom Tancredi, “Companies should be willing to spend half or more of their app development budget on marketing.”

Of Course with the right marketing tools, the returns are way more than investment. And, only highlights the importance of following a dedicated Shopify mobile app marketing strategy.