Mobile App Marketing: Strategies, Channels & Tools for App Growth

Today, there are 2.3 million apps on Google Play and approximately 2 million apps on the Apple App Store. This market has really grown nearly 3.5x in seven years and this trend is projected to reach $673.79 billion in revenue by 2027. Of course, this growth brings a huge opportunity and intense competition. With millions of apps competing for user attention, simply launching an app is no longer enough.

Success nowadays actually requires a thoughtful and data-driven app marketing approach that spans every phase of the user journey. This means from the app development discovery and downloads to in-app engagement and retention, app marketers must combine creative strategy, technical tools, and ongoing optimization to stand out and scale.

This guide, therefore, will walk you through the complete approach to mobile app marketing. It will cover funnel stages, winning strategies, the best app marketing tools and proven examples from top performing companies. 

What Is Mobile App Marketing?

Mobile app marketing is the act of promoting and positioning your app to reach the right customers at the right time. These encompasses all the optimization techniques from initial user discovery, strategies that drive install, user engagement, and tips that push your app to success. 

With the right app marketing approach, it means your application will stand out in the crowded marketplaces and continue to attract and retain users over time. 

Is Mobile App Marketing and Mobile Marketing the Same?

Mobile app marketing and mobile marketing are not the same even though many marketers use mobile app marketing and mobile marketing interchangeably.

Basically, mobile marketing is a broader term that involves all the marketing activities targeted at mobile device users. This can include strategies like SMS marketing, mobile web marketing, in-app advertising, push notifications and more. The aim of mobile marketing is to engage users on their mobile devices regardless of the specific platform or applications they’re using.

On the other hand, mobile app marketing entails promoting and driving engagement with mobile applications. It can include activities such as app store optimization, user acquisitions, in-app advertising and retention strategies. 

The aim here is to increase the number of people downloading the app, improve user engagement and enhance user retention. 

We have a guide on mobile advertising, which is similar to mobile marketing. You can check it out if you're interesting in mobile marketing in general.

The Difference Between App Marketing and App Advertising

Before we dig deeper into promotion tactics, it’s important to find out how app marketing differs from app advertising which is another misused concept.

App advertising refers specifically to paid promotion methods. These include using display banners, in-app ads, text ads, search ads, social media placement, and programmatic campaigns to drive awareness and install.

Meanwhile, mobile app marketing is a broader technique that involves using both organic and paid promotion methods to attract, retain and convert users. 

To make it clear, here is a comparison table that differentiates the two: 

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How Does the Mobile App Marketing Funnel Work?

Mobile app marketing funnels are basically ways that show how mobile app marketers reach and convert new audiences. This means from the very first moment they see your app to deciding to become a loyal and valued user. Usually, the funnel follows a basic progression as shown in below:

Impressions -> clicks -> app store -> download -> install -> in-app events

To explain this better, let's break it down into three stages. 

Awareness - getting your app in front of your ideal user

The awareness phase of mobile app marketing funnel is the initial step that seeks to attract a new target audience to your app. Remember, people aren’t aware that your app exists. Your goal, therefore, is to get it in front of the right audience through high-impact channels such as paid ads, influencer marketing, SEO for landing pages or app review blogs.

Indeed, this is where the first impression happens and creative elements such as copy, visuals and messaging must clearly communicate your app’s value. 

Acquisition - clicks, app store, download, install

The target audience normally enters the acquisition stage, also known as conversion stage, after clicking through your ad or content. It’s exactly the phase where they’ll engage with your app store listing and decide whether or not to install the app. Therefore, you must refine every touchpoint right from the app title, description, icon and screenshots to preview video and user ratings.

What’s essential here is the user flow. If the user experiences unnecessary permissions or confusing app store messaging, you risk losing the customer. Furthermore, strategies such as A/B testing your creatives, running retargeting ads for visitors who didn’t convert and offering time sensitive promotions can help boost your install rate.

It’s important that you track metrics like install rate (click-to-install), cost per install (CPI) and app store conversion rate. Remember even a 1% increase in your conversion rate at this stage is very impactful on your overall app marketing budget. 

Retention - in-app events & promotions

What most marketers and app developers don’t understand is that getting the target audience to install your app is only the beginning. Retention is actually where the long-term value is created. Market research has it that keeping a customer is cheaper than acquiring a new one. So, in this stage, the focus should be to keep the existing users active, engaged and satisfied through interactions within your app.

The best tactics to use here are personalized onboarding, push notifications, rewards, and regular content updates. Basically, retention app marketing is important especially in a market where user drop-off rates are high. To stop this, here are a few recommended strategies to get you going. 

Onboarding experience

The first impression means everything. If you don’t show value at first glance, the target audience won’t try it the second time. So, as much as possible, you should keep everything short, offer something that grabs attention quickly and provide helpful content. 

Push notifications

Undeniably, notifications can be stressful and according to a report, 10% of users disable them when receiving one per week. 40% disables them when receiving 3-6 notifications per week. But the secret to this is sending thoughtful notifications at the right time because nobody would say no to a 50% discount on their next purchase. So when you know the right time to send them, push notifications can be really helpful to re-engage with your target audience. 

Paid re-engagement marketing campaigns

Sometimes users require an extra nudge to come back. However, you don’t need to waste a lot of money engaging every user. Target those that frequently used the app but suddenly stopped. 

For instance, you can consider a user who hasn’t initiated your game in the past 10 days but used to pay for membership every month. In this case, you may consider giving them a welcome bonus like 50 free spins or unlocking a premium feature for 24 hours. 

If you have an ecommerce app, you may identify those who have been buying your products but haven’t made a purchase for the last two months. Offer them an attractive discount for their next order. 

AI and Chatbots

In most cases, it’s challenging to respond to every question asked by the customer. To avoid making them frustrated and waiting for too long, you may consider adding conversational AI chatbots. These are AI that offer immediate answers to the questions asked and it helps create a sense of human interaction. 

Personalization 

Personalized marketing in today's age helps make customers feel special and it’s easier to do it on your app. You can address your customers by name, provide birthday discounts, and display products that will match their recent searches or purchases. 

What Are the Best Mobile App Marketing Strategies?

Now, there are strategies that are used to power each of the above discussed phases. These strategies are actually the engine that drives users from the first impression up to lifelong engagement. Each of these methods is important and play a different role depending on where the user is in the funnel. 

Some are the best for discovery whereas others are the best when it comes to conversion. You’ll also find a few others specifically designed to keep users coming back. So, let’s define each of these mobile app marketing strategies and help you know where each is most impactful.

1. App Store Optimization (ASO)

App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process whereby you improve the app’s visibility in the app store search results and boost the appeal of your app listing. The aim? To drive more installs. The same as SEO for websites, ASO will ensure that your app appears for relevant search items and that the users will be compelled to download it once they land on your page.

To succeed with ASO, you’ll need to pay attention to these areas:

• Keyword optimization: You need to do market research and target only keywords that your users are likely to search. Once done, include them in your title, subtitles and description.
• Creative assets: Focus on visuals. Make your icon recognizable, include screenshots that clearly show the key features and have an app preview video that clearly demonstrates how the app works.

2. Paid User Acquisition (UA)

UA is the practice of using paid channels to drive new installs. It can be social media ads to display networks and programmatic buying platforms. Unlike ASO that mainly focuses on organic traffic, this method will help you reach out to many new customers. Key channels for UA include:

• Ad network: You can take advantage of platforms such as Google App Campaigns, Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram), Unity Ads for games, and Blockchain-Ads for fintech and crypto audience. But the powerful platform here is the Blockchain-ads, thanks to its Wallet Targeting and real-time bidding tools. 
• Paid social & app store ads: These offer a demographic and behavior targeting that can help you reach niche users. They include TikTok, X, Snapchat, and Apple Search Ads and Google Play promoted listings. 
• Programmatic and DSP campaigns: Usually, Demand Side Platforms (DSP) help automate media buying and allow you run scalable marketing campaigns with performance-focused bidding strategies (CPM, CPC, CPA).

3. Influencer and Affiliate App Marketing

This strategy uses the credibility and reach of third parties to promote your app. Normally, the influencers are content creators on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram who promote your app to their followers. On the other hand, affiliate marketers are partners who drive traffic or install in exchange for a commission.

What makes this strategy highly effective is trust. As stated by the Digital Marketing Institute, 71% of consumers will trust influencer recommendations more than the branded content. This trust usually converts into action. Affiliate app marketing is also effective and low risk. You only pay for actual conversions or installs. 

To get the most out of this strategy, here is what you need to do:

• Influencer campaigns: Partner with celebrities or content creators with many followers on social media and ask them to do demo your app, create tutorials or share. 
• Short-form & UGC content: Encourage content creators to generate attractive content and on platforms like TikTok and Instragram reels.
• Affiliate Program Setup: Try using platforms like Blockchain-Ads to help manage your affiliate campaigns. 

4. Social Media and Content Marketing

In this strategy, you combine the power of community with the consistency of valuable content. . Organic social media builds brands' trust and helps create a two-way relationship with the users. Meanwhile, content app marketing that is blogs, how-tos and case studies help educate and engage users. 

Apps that publish regularly on social media platforms will always be remembered. When combined with interactive content, it helps increase engagement and drives referrals. If you have complex apps that need explanations, then content marketing will be useful. For a quick guidance on how to get started, do the following:

• Organic social posting: You can share the app’s update and tips on social media platforms like X, Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Interactive content: Try using pools, live streams and contest to encourage community engagement with your app. 
• SEO benefits: Take advantage of SEO and share quality content to help improve visibility in search engines. 

5. Email and Push Notification Marketing Campaigns

Email and push notifications are direct ways to communicate with your users instantly. They’re effective for driving repeat engagement and nudging users towards in-app actions. For email app marketing, you can use onboarding sequences, product updates and promotions. 

Push notifications are the best for real-time re-engagement but the timing and personalization are important. To use them effectively, here’s all you need:

• Email campaigns: Share information about your app via email and remember to include personalized promotions based on user behavior.
• Rewards: Send time sensitive messages to users to drive an action. You can include a limited time discount or it can be a reminder to complete a task. 
• Use the right tools: Platforms like Blockchain-Ads help automate campaigns and track open/click rates. 

6. Mobile App Retargeting

Retargeting strategy helps you re-engage users who showed interest but didn’t complete a desired action. It can be an action like downloading or completing a purchase. This is best done using targeted ads across web and mobile platforms. 

For the best results or maximize performance, here is what you need:

• Cross-Platform reach: You can run campaigns across web, mobile and in-app to cover all the user interests.
• Behavior-based ads: Try personalizing the ads based on the user’s last activity. 
• Use Blockchain-Ads: This platform stands out because of its tracking wallet activity or on-site behavior to serve hyper-targeted ads. 

7. Referral and Loyalty Programs

This strategy allows users to promote your app while still using it. They actually tap into your existing user base and fuel organic growth. Here’s all you need to make this strategy effective:

• Referral campaigns: You can offer in-app rewards, discounts, or bonuses to users who will invite their friends. Usually, this strategy helps generate 3-5x higher conversion rate than other channels.  
• Track and optimize: Use in-app analytics to help measure referral funnel success and identify which rewards drive the most engagement. 

How Do You Promote a Mobile App Before and After Launch?

Did you know that successful mobile app marketing doesn’t start on launch? The app development marketing actually starts long before. Basically, the stage of your app lifecycle requires a different promotional focus and using the right strategies at the right time will make or break your desired results. Here's a pictoral explanation of the different phases of your mobile app launch with relation to marketing:

Below, we’ll share how you should effectively promote your app before, during, and after the launch.

App Pre-Launch Promotion Strategies

This phase is all about preparation. It’s when you build the idea, validate it and lay the necessary foundation for a successful launch. The main aim here is to build awareness, capture early interest and collect feedback before you go live. Strategies to implement in this phase include:

• Landing pages: Create a landing page to build excitement and collect email addresses. You can add CTAs like ‘’Get Early Access.
• Social media campaigns: Start building your community early by sharing insights into your social media platforms. This will help generate the hype. 
• App store optimization: Begin researching your keywords early.

App Launch Marketing Strategies

Your app’s official launch should be your chance to make a strong first impression. If you do what is right, it can help boost visibility and drive a spike in early installs. However, you’ll need to use the following strategies:

• Paid user acquisition (UA): Start by launching targeted ad campaigns on channels such as Google App Campaigns and Meta Ads. But for a powerful result, try Blockchain-Ads due to its wallet targeting technology.
• App store optimization (ASO) enhancement: Implement the visuals and keywords in your application store listing. But make sure that the app's screenshots, icons and preview videos are of high quality.
• Social media launch campaigns: Create a launch announcement series across all platforms and be sure to include the trailers, walkthroughs and testimonials. 
• Press outreach and product hunt launches: Share your app to product hunt, BetaList or similar platforms. You may also reach out to bloggers who write about new apps. 
• Referral incentives: Introduce a ‘’refer a friend’’ promotion to encourage your first users to spread the word. 

App Post-Launch Retention Strategies

Once the hype cools down, the real work begins at this stage. The aim here is to keep users engaged and reduce churn. So, everything you do must focus on relationship building, personalization and re-engagement. Here are the strategies on how to get it done:

• Lifecycle messaging: Try using email and push notifications to remind users of key features, unfinished actions or updates.
• Performance optimization and A/B testing: Consider continuous testing of onboarding flows, paywall screens, and UI elements to improve retention. 
• In-app events and rewards: You can consider celebrating user milestones, launch in-app challenges or run limited-time promotions to increase session time and loyalty. 
• Retargeting campaigns: Try engaging users who perhaps installed but later went inactive. You can use personalized ads through Blockchain-Ads to bring them back with attractive offers.

What Are the Best Channels for Marketing a Mobile App?

Mobile marketing channels are basically distribution platforms or mediums that allow you to reach your target audience and promote your app. Meanwhile, mobile marketing strategies refer to the approach you take to promote your app. 

Typically, marketing channels are divided into two main categories, organic and paid. Organic marketing channels are the ones that help you get to potential users without directly paying for exposure. They require time and effort. These include:

• App store optimization
• Social media marketing posts
• Word-of-mouth
• PR & product review sites
• Email marketing
• Search engines via SEO

Paid marketing channels involve the use of money to push your app in front for a wider audience. Examples include:

• Paid social ads 
• App store ads 
• Programmatic advertising
• Influencer partnerships
• Affiliate marketing 
• YouTube pre-roll ads 

So which channel is the best? Here is the comparison table

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Remember organic channels are the best when you want to build a long-term relationship with users. Using it can help establish credibility and trust. If you have a limited budget, feel free to use these channels.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to scale fast, boost install, or test new markets, then try using paid channels. These channels are also great for time-sensitive promotions, seasonal campaigns or A/B testing creative at scale. 

What Tools and Platforms Help with Mobile App Marketing?

Nowadays, you require the right tools to effectively execute a marketing campaign, analyze performance and scaling growth. These platforms help mobile app marketers to track user behavior, optimize visibility, automate campaigns and personalize engagement. Below is a breakdown of the most effective tools and platforms you can consider.

App Analytics: Firebase, Mixpanel, Appsflyer, Adjust

These ones help you understand how customers are interacting with your app. They enable event tracking and attributions. A few of these include:

• Firebase: This is Google’s free analytics suite ideal for mobile and web. It helps offer real-time insights, A/B testing and crash reporting.
• Mixpanel: This is an advanced behavioral analytics tool that helps track in-app actions, funnel drop offs, and retention cohorts.
• Appsflyer: One of the best platforms for tracking marketing ROI and installing sources across paid and organic channels. 
• Adjust: This one helps combine attribution, analytics, fraud prevention and automation in one unified platform. It’s actually one of the best for growth marketers and app developers managing high volumes of traffic. 

ASO Tools: Sensor Tower, AppTweak, MobileAction

These tools play a great role in improving your app’s visibility and conversion rates on the application store. They give you keyword suggestions, store performance, and competitor rankings. These include:

• Sensor Tower: This is a competitive intelligence platform that helps track keyword ranking, ad creatives and top charts.
• AppTweak: AppTweak will give you keyword suggestions, metadata insights and localization support. 
• MobileAction: This one offers ASO reports, competitor insights and download estimates. 

Campaign Tools: Branch, OneSignal, Iterable

These are the platforms that help you run, manage and optimize lifecycle campaigns. You can use them to deliver personalized emails, push notifications and in-app messages. A few include:

• Branch: You can use this one for deep linking, attribution and cross platform campaign tracking.
• OneSignal: This is a strong platform you can use to send push notifications, in-app messages and email campaigns. 
• Iterable: With strong automation features, this life cycle marketing platform is ideal for building multi-channel drip campaigns based on user behavior. 

How Do You Measure Mobile App Marketing Performance?

If you want to grow an app, you must measure what matters. The performance of your mobile app marketing is not just about downloads. It is all about how users engage, convert and stick around. Therefore, tracking the right metrics will help you easily identify what’s working and what isn’t. Below is a table showing key performance indicators:

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Common Mobile App Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

It’s important to note the common mistakes to avoid because even the best marketing strategy can fall short if these pitfalls are ignored. Here is a quick look at these mistakes and how to avoid them. 

Lack of Clear Onboarding or User Flow

Having an onboarding experience that is confusing, slow or irrelevant can make users disappear. To avoid this, it’s recommended to use short and interactive walkthroughs, eliminate friction, personalize onboarding and test to optimize onboarding. 

Overlooking ASO or Metadata Optimization

Many marketers and app developers spend a lot on ads but fail to optimize their app’s title, description or visuals. This will make you lose organic traffic from searches within the app stores. Therefore, try performing regular keyword market research and update titles and metadata. Be sure to include high resolution screenshots and use localized content. 

Ignoring User Retention After Acquisition

Some marketers only focus on acquisition and fail to engage users post-install. This can result in high churn, low lifetime value and perhaps weaks monetization. You can avoid this by setting up automated lifecycle campaigns, introduce in-app events and monitor churn signals.  

Overlooking Shifts in Mobile Trends

‍The mobile landscape changes quickly, from new ad formats and privacy rules to the rise of fresh engagement channels. If you stick with the same playbook for too long, you risk falling behind competitors who adapt faster. Keep an eye on what’s shaping user behavior and experiment with updates to your strategy. For a deeper look at what’s shaping the industry right now, check out our Mobile App Trends Guide.

Case Studies: How Top Apps Achieved Massive Growth

One of the best ways to know what works in mobile app marketing is by studying the success stories of others. Below are a few case studies and the specific tactics that make them work. 

Case Study 1: Duolingo's Gamification Strategy

Duolingo’s growth was boosted by gamification features like streaks, badges, leaderboard and personalized reminders. These features did contribute in the user engagement with Duolingo reporting 103 million monthly active users and up to 34.1 million daily active users in 2024. This was actually a 51% increase over the year. The company also surpassed 6.6 million paid subscribers by the end of 2023 and generated a subscription revenue accounting for the majority of its $748 million in revenue in 2024. 

Case Study 2: Crypto.com Paid User Acquisition Strategy

Crypto.com partnered with Blockchain-Ads to run a 90 day paid user acquisition campaign that aimed at high-value crypto traders. Blockchain-Ads used WalletTargeting and on-chain analytics and built custom audiences and targeted users interacting with Binancem Coinbase and DeFi protocols. With a $40,000 monthly ad spend, this campaign delivered 4,782 new traders, $12.8M in trading volume and over 28,278 transactions.

Case Study 3: Temu's Paid + Referral UA Campaign

Temu’s growth used different marketing strategies like paid advertising, referral programs, email marketing and personalized marketing. The company targeted young shoppers through social media marketing ads, influencers and partnerships. They also considered gamification features that helped them create a viral loop that boosted customer acquisition and retention. These tactics helped it grow its active shopper base from 4.6 million in 2021 to over 82 million by the end of 2023. 

Final Tips for a Winning Mobile App Marketing Strategy

Undeniably, to enjoy the mobile app marketing benefit starts from aligning the right strategies. The idea is to learn how mobile app marketing works and ensure each phase is tackled correctly. Start by prioritizing ASO, retention and data-driven decisions. Once done, test everything from creatives to channels. But remember, for scalable growth, always consider using Blockchain-Ads for precise and wallet-based targeting.