If you still don’t know what we are talking about, please read our previous post about boost campaigns, in order to understand plainly what you are getting into.
If you have already read it and still want to move forward, these will be super helpful tips in the creation and execution of your next user acquisition strategy:
1. Have your numbers clear and defined.
Remember your goal is to be in the rankings, and in order to get there, you will need to achieve a minimum daily number of installations. If you plan a campaign without a defined strategy or thinking that undergoing won’t make a difference, all of it will be a waste of money. Plan how many installations you’ll get every day, as well as the budget you will invest in this purpose.
For certain countries and categories, you’ll need bigger budgets to see results, because the higher the smartphone penetration is in the market, the more installs are needed to reach a particular rank. Also, if you have a lot of competition, it is going to mean a lot more installations. Consider if it’s worth or not spending your budget targeting large countries or categories.
2. Try and get potential quality users.
Even though you are going for volume, pick an ad-network that can provide possible engageable users with a targeted audience. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get a high retention rate, you can at least try and see if you can get something else out of this. Meaning, possible loyal users. Some networks will offer you fake installations in order to help your numbers: I know it’s tempting, but let’s be clear: these ones are not going to help your long-term strategy.
3. Ensure you have all your ASO strategy finished and polished.
This is also one of the strong points in boost campaigns. With all the acquired traffic you will be receiving, your visibility will be increased and your app will rank higher for certain keywords and categories.
Keep in mind that an attractive app will be more likely to be downloaded that one that doesn’t look neat. Find the most competitive and attractive keywords, analyze suitable categories for your app, optimize app name, description, and visuals, etc.
4. Do not launch a bugged app that doesn’t work or crashes.
Users are cruel and impatient: if your app crashes, the results can be nasty. Is your app dependant on the communication with your servers? Make sure you have the capability to sustain tens of thousands of installations and users testing your app! It won’t matter to appear on the top if you start receiving a lot of bad reviews from the acquired users!
5. Run tests in smaller countries or categories.
It’s an interesting practice to try a burst campaign on the smaller country, where your ad-spend won’t be as big. Besides acquiring a significant audience in that other country you will be able to learn what’s the user’s response if there was a technical problem to be solved, etcétera. If you see good results and think you’re ready for the big play, move onto more important targets.
6. Combine burst campaigns with additional activities.
Such as PR, social promotions, etc. Since PR is usually connected to specific events, deciding on a burst campaign is usually part of a wider plan.