5 Major Mistakes In Mobile App Marketing

common mistakes mobile app marketing smartphone applications

Over the last decade, mobile has risen to become most people's primary tool for a vast range of activities, such as reading the news, watching movies, interacting on social media, shopping, communicating, and even finding a route from point A to point B. 

To tap into this massive new market for mobile advertising, companies everywhere are producing mobile apps. The app download charts may be dominated by social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, but a huge range of businesses now offer a mobile app, from fast food providers like McDonalds and Subway to popular poker rooms, like PokerStars. 

This year mobile app downloads from the Apple App Store, Google Play and other third-party app stores hit 108 billion, with an estimated total revenue of $18.6 billion. However, not every app on the market is a stunning success. Because of the personal nature of the mobile medium, there are more opportunities for marketers to make mistakes, potentially losing a customer in the process. 

To help you avoid making those blunders, here are some of the common mistakes made in mobile app marketing. 

1. Underestimating App Churn 

The cold hard truth is that 71% of app users churn within 90 days and yet most companies still concentrate on total app downloads, rather than user retention. 

Retaining your app’s users requires you to have an agile “use case,” constantly updating your understanding of what your customers want from your app and fine-tuning it to match their expectations. 

Some mechanisms can be used to re-engage your customers, such as exclusive offers or content that is only available through the app. Remember, marketing this kind of offer is as important as having it in place. Using methods like push notifications to remind your customer of your app’s benefits, and being able to demonstrate that you are adapting it to their needs is, vital to keeping those retention numbers high. 

2. It’s Not Just A Smaller Desktop 

While using a smaller version of your brand’s desktop might seem like the most convenient method of creating a mobile app, it’s actually a trap that you need to avoid. 

Mobile App user interfaces (UIs) need to be explicitly designed to take into account reduced screen space and alternate methods of input. Cluttered screens, tiny menus, confusing navigation and poorly translated attempts to mimic desktop content will quickly frustrate users, causing them to abandon your app. 

The best mobile apps offer an uncluttered and easy to navigate UI that is optimized for finger- friendly navigation. Creating an app specifically designed for mobile devices also allows you to take advantage of the mobile platform’s unique abilities, such as location tracking, to offer enhanced functionality. 


most common mistakes mobile application marketing

3. A Mobile Website Is Not A Mobile App 

Native apps are designed to be used even when there is no data connection available. Creating an app that is simply a launcher for a mobile-optimized website means your app will not work in mobile signal dead-spots, on the subway, in-flight and in a myriad of other places. 

Developing a mobile app is a complicated process, especially if you are aiming for a multiple platform app, but the reality is that your customer base doesn't care about you development difficulties, they care about your app's functionality. 

One of the ways to reduce development hardships is to produce an app for a single platform initially and then cross-platform at a later date. This allows you to test what does and doesn’t work for your customers and then build those lessons into other iterations of your app from the ground up. 

4. No App Marketing Plan 

The best app in the world is of no use if none of your customers know it exists. Publishing your app on an app store does not guarantee that it will reach your target audience. The key to getting the aggregate download number that every app strives for is to make sure you are incorporating all your existing marketing efforts into promoting your app. 

The first step in highlighting your app is to make sure you are optimizing your app store presence by paying attention to your app’s keywords title and description. Leverage existing communication channels, such as social media accounts, and email blasts to let your customers know you have an app. 

Having customers leave positive reviews is also key to encouraging new customers to download your app, as most potential users will check the reviews before downloading. Unhappy customers are already motivated to leave a negative review, but including in-app prompts reminding satisfied customers to leave positive reviews can help to counterbalance that.


mistakes made mobile application advertising

5. Ignoring Feedback 

Most people have their mobile device on them at all times, making it the ideal technology for you to collate user feedback and learn from that data. Creating an in-app communications tool to allow for customer feedback means you can address their frustrations before your app gets uninstalled. 

Customer feedback can also be translated into valuable data on new products, services, and functions. If 90% of the feedback generated is requesting a particular service, then you can be reasonably sure that the resources you sink into developing that service won't be going to waste. 

Building A Better App 

Mobile apps represent a powerful and personal way to connect with your customer base, but cutting corners on aspects like marketing, UI design, and user retention is an excellent way to erode that opportunity. 

Avoiding common mistakes, like the ones listed above, allows you to increase the chances of your app being a success and adding another powerful marketing tool to your company’s arsenal.


I hope you enjoyed this blog post about the common mistakes people make in mobile app marketing with smartphone applications.

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