As the holiday season (including Black Friday) creeps ever closer, it’s time for apps to prepare for one of the most lucrative and competitive times of the year. While twinkling lights and festive decorations set the stage for celebration, it’s also the season when consumers are in the mood for shopping, gifting, and indulgence. This heightened enthusiasm creates a golden opportunity for businesses to harness the power of seasonal user acquisition and creative to boost their sales and brand visibility.
In this blog, we’ll explore the art and science of leveraging user acquisition and creative to ensure your app stands out amid the holiday season’s festive chaos.
By the end of this journey, you’ll be well-equipped with the knowledge and tools to create a holiday experience for your app that both captivates your audience and drives business growth.
Relevant Creatives can Upgrade your Seasonal User Acquisition Campaigns
As we said in our previous blog, adapting your creative is imperative for getting your ASO ready for the season. Still, it is also important for improving user acquisition campaigns as well. Holidays provide a unique opportunity to tap into the festive spirit and capture the attention of potential users who are actively seeking seasonal content. By incorporating holiday-themed elements, such as festive visuals, special offers, and holiday-related messaging, your app can stand out in a crowded marketplace. This not only attracts new users but also helps retain existing ones by creating a sense of engagement and relevance.
Aligning your creative with the holiday season demonstrates that your app is up-to-date and in tune with current trends, making it more appealing and shareable on social media platforms. Referencing the holiday season demonstrates that your app is up-to-date and in tune with current trends, making it more appealing and shareable on social media platforms.
To optimise the impact of your marketing strategy, it’s crucial to feature your seasonal products and promotions prominently in your visuals. In the context of retail apps, effectively highlighting your seasonal discounts and special offers can serve as an ideal means to introduce new users to your offerings, all while capturing the essence of the current season.
A great example comes from the leading UK Cashback app, Quidco. It ran effective seasonal Facebook ads, incorporating a ‘Black Friday’ theme which prominently featured their ‘Black Friday Cashback Offers’. By adapting the ad to a seasonal message, it not only capitalised on the Black Friday shopping frenzy but also aligned Quidco’s brand with the highly anticipated event. This example shows that your campaign creatives do not need a huge investment in conception and design. A straightforward reference to your relevant and seasonal deals will indicate that your app has something new and value-driven to offer, to both a new audience and existing users.
Increase your Budgets for your Seasonal Campaigns
Allocating your budget strategically for your seasonal user acquisition campaigns is imperative to finding success not just in the app world but in any industry. As the holiday season will attract a lot of competition, it’s important that your marketing strategy has money to back it up. This may be your most lucrative period, so making sure that you’ve allocated enough budget to stand out is crucial. In the case of budget constraints, it’s often more effective to focus on one or two paid user acquisition channels that align with your specific goals and target audience.
For example, travel apps see quite a large amount of usage during the summer months as well as in December. For travel apps, the period following Christmas holds high promise, as many individuals are eager to plan their adventures for the upcoming year. On the other hand, shopping apps need to be proactive in the first half of November and December, increasing their budgets to ensure they capture a share of the lucrative Christmas and Black Friday spending spike. Successful budget allocation during these critical times can make all the difference in your marketing success so make sure to plan your budget in advance to take full advantage of these seasonal peaks.
Use Apple Search Ads to Accelerate Your Seasonal User Acquisition Strategy
A great way to spend your budget is by utilising Apple Search Ads. These ads allow you to promote your app at the top of relevant App Store search results, making it easier for users to discover and download your app. There are a few things you need to watch out for to effectively improve your user acquisition:
- Keyword Research – Identifying relevant keywords to suit the season can make all the difference between an effective strategy and an ineffective one. You can use third-party ASA & ASO tools to discover new keywords and get insights into keyword popularity in your industry.
- Seasonal Custom Product Pages – Changing your Custom Product Page (CPP) to suit the season is a perfect way to get your users into the holiday spirit. These pages are designed to provide a tailored and optimised user experience for potential users who click on your ad.
Though Apple Search Ads can be a low-cost channel generally, you’re likely to see increased competition and therefore increased costs over the seasonal periods. This will apply across all channels, so make sure you take this into account when planning and investing in those creatives to drive higher conversion.
Conclusion
As we approach the holiday season, app marketers need to prepare for the unique opportunities this time of year offers. The festive spirit and increased consumer activity present a golden opportunity to enhance user acquisition and boost brand visibility. Leveraging user acquisition and creative is the key to ensuring your app stands out amid the holiday chaos.
Incorporating a seasonal feel into your app’s creative is a crucial strategy for marketing success. Not only does this attract new users, but it also keeps existing ones engaged. Remember, your budget allocation is imperative during this season, especially for industries experiencing high user activity like travel and shopping apps. Lastly, Apple Search Ads can be a valuable channel for promoting your app during the holidays to capture that high-intent audience.
By leveraging these strategies, you can create a holiday experience within your app that captivates your audience, drives business growth, and ensures your app’s success in the competitive holiday season. If you want a few more tips on how to improve your seasonal user acquisition then check out our last year’s blog here.
