Marketing an app is a challenging endeavor. Developers not only face tremendous competition but also struggle with discoverability, budget constraints, and limited marketing expertise.

Many app developers try a marketing campaign or two with minimal results. Fortunately, there are several things developers can do to get more out of their marketing efforts.

Here are five tips to improve your next app marketing campaign.

Revisit Your Metrics

Before you can look forward, you must first look back. Take some time to review the metrics and insights of your previous marketing campaign. Some metrics to evaluate include:

• Reach
• Engagement
• Open rate
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Conversions
• User retention
• User acquisition cost (UAC)
• Traffic sources

Assessing these metrics can help you determine which area of focus needs more work. For example, if you have a high CTR but a low conversion rate, your initial marketing collateral is working, but your landing page needs work. If users are downloading the app, then bouncing quickly, the problem is in the app itself.

Reviewing the metrics and understanding what's not working is a critical first step in developing a successful app marketing campaign. Deep Patel provide these incentives for how quality their work is, giving you crucial audience that would impact your campaign.

Clarify Your Audience and USP

Next, clarify your audience and unique selling proposition (USP). One of the common beginner marketing mistakes is trying to cast a wide net. The difficulty with this approach is that while you reach more people, your targeting seems less relevant.

Instead, clarify who will be using your app and what problem it solves for them — even if that problem is nothing more than boredom. These considerations will help you develop a brand that resonates with potential users and encourages them to try your app.

Be a Storyteller

Marketing is a form of storytelling. A marketing campaign tells a story about a product or service and who the customer (or user) will become when they engage with that offering.

For example, the self-care app, Finch, does an exceptional job at creating branded content around self-care on social media. The bold visuals and consistent brand tone and voice tell a story about the app and resonate with the target audience.

Consider what will lead your ideal user to your app. What problem do they hope to solve? What other relevant challenges and interests do they have? How can you position your app as the solution?

Offer Incentives

Incentivizing your campaigns can help increase reach and engagement at the top of the sales funnel. Things like free trials or a freemium model can help showcase the app's value while minimizing user risk. Financial incentives like lifetime memberships or referral discounts also help improve the effectiveness of a marketing campaign.

Consider a Beta Launch Program

Don't underestimate the power of a beta launch with an affiliate or referral program.

The world-renowned instant messaging app, Slack, launched as a private beta in August 2013. The company focused on getting the app to as many people as possible to beta test the product and get user feedback.

The Slack team used referral incentives and exclusivity to generate buzz. Now, it's a billion-dollar company. Consider how you can follow in Slack's footsteps when marketing your app.

App marketing is notoriously difficult, but you can improve your next campaign with these tips.