Best Mobile App Marketing Experts

What a good app marketing package includes

App marketing gigs range from listing improvements to ongoing campaigns. Check that the package states:

• ASO: title, keywords, screenshots and description.
• Stores: App Store, Google Play or both.
• Ads: platforms and whether ad spend is included.
• Tracking: installs and in-app actions.
• Launch or campaign plan.
• Reporting: installs, retention and costs.
• Duration.

Screenshots do much of the selling in app stores. Ask for screenshots that show the main benefit in the first two images, with short captions, because many people never scroll further.

How to brief an app marketer

1. The app: what it does and who it is for.
2. Competitors in the stores.
3. Current numbers: installs, ratings and retention.
4. Goals: launch, growth or a new market.
5. Budget for the service and ads.
6. Assets: brand files, screenshots and video.

Fix the first-time experience before spending on growth. If new users get confused in the first minutes, more installs mostly create more uninstalls. A marketer who asks about retention first is a good sign.

Ask happy users for ratings at the right moment, such as after they complete something successfully, and follow each store's rules for review prompts.

Localize your store listing if you target several countries. Translating the title, screenshots and description, and choosing keywords people actually search for in each language, often brings more installs than ads alone. Ask whether the marketer can handle localization or recommend a translator who knows app stores.

What drives the price

• number of stores and languages
• ASO work and creative assets
• ad management and ad spend
• tracking setup
• launch planning
• the marketer's experience with apps like yours

Keep ad spend separate and visible, and judge campaigns by users who stay, not only by the cost per install.

Red flags

• Offers of installs, downloads or reviews in bulk.
• Guaranteed top rankings.
• Reports with installs but no retention data.
• Store or ad accounts in the marketer's name.
• No tracking beyond the install.

Store rules change, and apps can be removed for manipulation even if a marketer did it on your behalf. Protect your app by only approving methods you understand.

For the app itself, see our mobile app development guide and app design guide. For measuring behavior, read our web analytics guide.

Plan how you will bring users back. Push notifications, emails and in-app messages can remind users of value they have not discovered yet, but too many messages lead to uninstalls. Ask the marketer for a simple plan that respects users and follows each platform's rules on notifications.

Quick pre-order checklist

• The store listing and screenshots will be optimized.
• Tracking covers installs and in-app actions.
• No fake installs or reviews will be used.
• Accounts and ad budgets are in my control.
• Results will include retention, not just installs.