Developers Need to Think About Immersive Mobile Experiences

In today’s app landscape, it is difficult to reach and acquire quality users in a way that’s truly cost-effective. Without users – and the revenue opportunities they create – all of the time and money invested in building an app goes to waste.

Developers looking for a new acquisition opportunity that offers value in exchange for users’ engagement should consider mobile video. The very nature of mobile video makes it a high-engagement tactic. The ads are always user-initiated, non-intrusive and contribute to a seamless user experience, exposing new audiences to apps they otherwise may never find. Let’s walk through the best ways to leverage mobile video to acquire new app users. 

Simply knowing that you want to leverage mobile video for user acquisition isn’t enough – you must lay out your success metrics, even if they may be a little obvious. That means doing more than merely measuring installations, which are a mid-funnel action.

Conversion is a great initial metric to examine, and the lifetime value (LTV) of a user is equally if not more important. Other KPIs that measure the sustainability of your user acquisition strategy include in-app behavior metrics, such as engagement, retention and purchase data. 

By monitoring user behavior, whether it be successful post-install conversions or unsuccessful post-video view drop-off, you can diagnose specific areas of improvement and then put those insights into action by iterating on content, placement, or bid strategy.

Now that you know how you’ll gauge success and you know your audience, it’s time to consider the advertising creativity that will get the best results.

While it’s true that full-screen ads command a user’s attention, the main reason that mobile is a more focused experience than desktop is because mobile devices are used on the go. Sessions are shorter and more fragmented, therefore succinct videos that are under 30 seconds in length are the most successful. Think of these video ads like movie trailers: they should educate the user, highlight the app’s most compelling features and immerse the user within the app. This creates a delightful experience that engages the users.

Delivering this engaging experience in high quality formats at scale is important for user acquisition campaigns. HD video can be a key component for delivering the kind of quality that entices viewers. If you’re working with a supply partner that provides video pre-caching, consider leveraging the HD video experience. The general rule of thumb is to keep the video file size under 300MB. When developers invest in creative resources to create pixel-perfect video trailers, they’ll be successful in growing their user base.

Lastly, if you’re looking to leverage mobile video for user acquisition, it’s important to identify supply partners with strong mobile in-app inventory. What good is having a beautiful, creative ad and clearly defined success metrics if you rely on sub-par inventory to deliver the message?

User acquisition campaigns achieve their best results when delivered in an app experience. Unfortunately, the rush to capitalize on mobile audiences has led many vendors to advertise that they offer mobile app inventory, even though their supply is overwhelmingly composed of desktop inventory. Look for mobile-first supply partners that concentrate on top-ranking mobile inventory, especially in-app market placements.

Ultimately, mobile video can help grow a user base, provided you measure the right KPIs for the campaign, choose the right supply partner and deliver a replicable, high-quality video experience to engage consumers. App developers who deploy these strategies are sure to see higher completion rates and conversions in this very crowded, competitive market.