What is App Engagement?

Engagement is the number of active users in your app. Considerable number of users returning to your app within 3 months (since its launch) can surely be regarded as a ground breaking achievement. Identifying the time and minutes of use is a key factor helping you to decide whether to make changes in your marketing strategies, user experience or other features.

Keep track of the percentage of returning users in the initial period. Compare this with the following months and you will get your user retention rate. Downloads are important but time spent on apps is more important in the present times. If your app takes longer time to use then you might require changes to improve user experience and engagement.

User engagement depends greatly on the type of app.  Taxi booking apps will have shorter periods of time spent on the app but there would most likely be see more sessions (if it has successfully attracted users’ interest levels). This will indicate that people are falling back heavily on the app’s services.

Another distinguishing character of app engagement can be found in content driven news apps. Publishers of similar apps are on the lookout for more sessions as well as more users spending longer periods of time.

Create an App that you will love to use

You must love what you do. Believe in this motto while developing and publishing a mobile app. When you do you have an edge over your competitors. If you love your own app you can rest assured that your users (at least a small percentage) will also love using it.

Give your app the most stunning UI and UX features and let the users fall in love with your app.

Companies giving importance to audience engagement reflect on growth and improvement. The maddening race in the present times has led business houses to put persistent efforts into branding and market positioning. It has become necessary to engage oneself in latest technological pursuits to present one’s business in a bigger and better manner. There are various techniques in regard to mobile apps and customer engagement:

Social Media Promotions

Social media has gained importance over the years and turned into a powerful means of marketing, branding and promotion. With several micro blogging websites and social media communication platforms in the run people have become busier, chattier and great networkers.

Users of all age groups stay hooked on to their profiles and social media accesses. This (social media activity) has been utilized by numerous businesses to gain momentum. Mobile app development companies are not falling short of promoting their products with the help of short videos, teasers and other forms of social media advertisements. If you want to keep your user engaged to your app then you must use social media ads. Social media ads placed across Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and other platforms can be of great help in holding up user engagement. Today’s users usually remain addicted to using the social media websites. Spreading the word about your app features and functionalities can heighten your app’s presence on the internet.

In order to take part in advertising and promotional campaign on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram you need to register yourself before setting up your advertisement work. Social media ads support deep linking which is effective in boosting your app’s presence on the internet. Your app gains a worldwide user base because users click on your ad and get redirected to your apps download zone (the play store and the app store).

Related Blog: 5 Simple Ways to Retain App Users And Increase Mobile App Engagement

Identify the Shift in App Marketplace

A major shift has taken place in the world of mobile apps. Most of the apps published today (whether on Apple’s app store on Google’s play store) are ad-supported or free versions that come with future updates (containing ads). Developers do not only stick to selling but take part in various other app monetization processes.  Developers have started focusing on monetizing app engagement.

This is a tremendous shift as previously app developers were solely inclined towards developing great apps but with time consumer preferences have seeped in and considering user experiences have become integral part of app development.

A Harris Interactive study carried out in 2010, found that 95% of the entire U.S. adult population having Smartphone devices preferred free apps. This was a trend also found with affluent users.  96% of individuals in the earning bracket of $75 thousand plus were found to prefer free apps.

Ads in apps increasingly give rise to user-engagement metrics. Developers can measure app engagement in numerous ways such as – user sessions spent on apps, regularity in which users update their apps and number of times an app gets referred to the user’s friend. Each of these actions has direct impact on monetization efforts and mobile app revenue statistics. A developer can assess these metrics and survey figures (based on user engagement) before deciding whether to continue a free version of their app or to choose a paid one. User engagement is a reflection of the market trend and the app marketplace is a volatile zone where decisions need to be made instantly to gain maximum.

Push Notifications

An app requires pre-paunch and post launch promotions. Push notifications promote apps before their release in the market. You must be ready with your users much before you present your app in the market. Making people aware of your app is important to gain a stronghold in the marketplace. Push notification sent to users is meant to gain user retention and build a sense of curiosity. Users must remain hooked which is important since mobile users are impatient and believe in fast action and attention. Your app’s details must be finely placed in the minds of the users. This will help you to get impressive number of downloads when your app is launched.

Promotional Campaigns for User Re-Engagement

As an app publisher you will be constantly worried about gaining or losing your users. Your fears are quite natural and they will continue to hog you even if your users have downloaded your app. You need to perform a comprehensive mobile app engagement campaign. Re-Engagement Campaign is an integral part of app promotion. It is an effective means to regain user interest in your app. Re-engaging him/her will let him stay on your app for a longer span of time.

The mobile market asks for persistent user re-engagement efforts in order to make huge profits and bring in huge ROI (Return-On-Investment). CTR (Click through Rates) is also a valid means of re-engagement.

Agencies working in app development for several years gain huge practical knowledge. Outsourced agencies like us boast of app developers who are highly skilled and work on varied range of app development projects. We have dedicated Android and iOS Developers who are highly specialized in handling all kinds of projects that demand extreme client satisfaction.

Gamification Approach for Promotion

Promotion is the only way to gain people’s attention towards your app. The more buzz around an app is created the more downloads it receives. It is comparatively easier to generate more downloads for your app than keeping your user hooked onto your app. The general trend is such that people download an app but if they fail to find it interesting enough they uninstall the app without further consideration.

Gamification and promotion trend is an interesting way to grab your user’s attention. Gamers will always love to play games that have amazing graphics and sound support. General users also find high level of interest in apps that are loaded with stunning graphics and excellent visual navigation features. When your users feel better by getting awards or winning game levels your app gets returning visitors. Promotion increases the scope of an app and makes its presence felt strongly. This is useful in gaining engaged customers.

Building a good quality product is not sufficient anymore. It is important for businesses to focus on optimization, promotion and viral marketing techniques for mobile app engagement. Mobile app developers around the world are working on growth hacking methods to make their app existence longer. Adopting market relevant app features will help you retain your users. Setting real business goals is the key to success.

The post How Important is Mobile App Engagement? appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

In-App advertising : Banner advertisements is based on revenue earned from the ad network depending on Cost per Click(CPC) or Cost per Mille (CPM)

In-Game product or brand placement : Revenue can be earned directly by promoting brands by placing their advertisements / branding directly in the UI / game play environment.

Incentive based advertisement : Allow the player to earn virtual currency, game play requisites or access to the game by watching advertisements.

Purchase / pay per download : Upfront charge for download and access to the game. This is the most straightforward system and works well for niche, in demand games and apps.

Freemium / upgrade model : Free to download and use a limited part /tries of the game. Player is charged for full access and unlocks all features, characters, levels etc. This is probably the most sensible model for new games or get traction with new users.

In-app purchase : Gamers pay to unlock virtual objects or virtual currency. This model works for complex / popular games in which the gamer would need to purchase some virtual objects to progress (faster) in the game.

Subscription model :  This could be an monthly or annual subscription for access to a package that could be virtual objects, extended access to the game or a combination of these. This generally works well for device/ platform based access.

Online gaming industry has started to increasingly deriving revenues through ‘Paid by Ecosystem’ and ‘Paid by Online Gamers’.

Most developers are still dependent on the advertisers and publishers for monetization. Today, online gaming industry has started to adapt to the market and is increasingly deriving revenues through ‘In-app advertisement’ and ‘Incentive based advertisement

As the market grows in terms of volume and usage over the next five years, it is expected to move to a ‘Freemium’ model to recognize a better balance of revenue realization from the ‘Ecosystem’ and ‘Online gamer(s)’. ‘Freemium upgrades’ and ‘In-app purchases’ are expected to see an improved growth in future.

The post GAMING AND MONETIZATION appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

In the future, India is expected to move towards value driven consumption and comprehensive local content development. The industry is expected to gain momentum and reach a market value of 1 billion USD with 310 million online gamer(s) by 2021. This 28% CAGR growth will be driven by

• Rising Disposable Income
• Youthful demographics
• Affordable new Technologies
• Localized content
• Internet Penetration
• Smartphone Penetration
• Ability for masses to make Digital Payment
• Growing local Developer ecosystem

The key driver of market volume was proliferation of low cost smartphones amongst urban and rural population. 75 percent of the market is dominated by entry-level or sub-INR 10,000 smartphones.

As compared to 31 per cent today, the internet penetration is expected to reach 53 per cent of population by 2021. The smartphone users, projected to be 470 million by 2021, are expected to enable this rise in internet penetration. The availability of affordable smartphones is expected to prompt a shift from the current feature phone users to smartphones.

The surge in volumes of mobile internet users is likely to be complemented by a five times rise in data consumption and 1.6 times increase in disposable income of our country. Hence, the market is expected to be enhanced with young population, high internet volumes, engaged online users and improved paying propensity by 2021.

With background of such developments, the industry is expected to gain momentum and reach a market value of USD one billion and 310 million online gamer(s) by 2021. This growth is expected to be further supported by the comprehensive rise in digital payment user base, launch of new technologies at affordable rates, increase in local developer base and focus on development of content with local themes, Indian languages and global standards.

If the game bug has bitten you and you are wondering whether it is the right time to start your first game, we feel this is as good as it gets. While there will be many opportunities opening up in the future, the proverbial saying that the early bird catches the worm always holds true.

The post An Overview Of Online Gaming In India appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

The post How to Promote Your Mobile App? appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

This solutions will save money and yield stronger results and can turn those losses into gains. If you need any help regarding Marketing can contact us here: http://www.radikal-labs.com/contact or click here http://www.radikal-labs.com/consulting for free consulting services.

The post The 8 Most Common Ways That Small Businesses Waste Money on Marketing appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

1. Add Social Sharing Buttons to Your Website
2. Write a good and long content
3. Post High Quality content Frequently with catchy headlines
4. Focus On-Page SEO of Your Website
5. Target Long tail keywords: (Rank Higher Using Long-Tail Keywords)
6. Guest Blogging
7. Exchange blog posts with other sites
8. Join Blogging Community
9. Post Content to LinkedIn
10. Use Schema Microdata
11. Inbound Links
12. Focus on email marketing
13. Make sure your site is responsive and Fast
14. Create a community
15. Blog commenting
16. Be active on social media
17. Online advertising (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram)
18. Submit your blog Post to Stumbleupon, Reddit
19. Create YouTube Videos
20. Competitor analysis
21. Use Webinars to Generate Leads
22. Go to conferences
23. Engage in The Discussion/Question answer/Quiz
24. Include your URL in your signature.

Contact us for any of SEO, SEM, SMO and other organizational needs at www.radikal-labs.com/contact

The post 24 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

If you need help or advice with your SEO strategy, inbound marketing or anything digital, let us know! We would love to hear from you. Contact our team today.

The post How SEO has changed in the Last 10 Years appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

Engagement in an app is calculated by the number of active users on a mobile app. There are distinguishing views (given by various industry experts) on mobile app engagement. Some have stated the importance of the first 1 week after an app gets launched. Others have found the first few months as very crucial to develop and plan the success route of an app through user retention and engagement techniques.

An app is called ‘sticky’ when both areas of retention and engagement are successfully met with. Loyal users are the ones who get interested to re-visit the app at regular intervals. User conversions and must be the prime objective for mobile app developers/publishers. Keeping users engaged and ensuring repeat usage is the key to success for mobile app development companies.

Problems

 You must know that it is difficult to achieve sufficient mobile app engagement and retention rates. In acknowledging this you will be able to move forward with your marketing and app promotional strategies. You might make minor tweaks in UI or UX of your application and attain success. Secondly you can start promoting about the app’s special features across social media to create a buzz. Thirdly you can post videos as part of your promotional campaign to inform people about your brand. These are simple ways to initialize your app engagement process.

Mobile users are impatient which makes them abandonment apps once they do not get connected. Interest levels of users must be gained during the starting days. Users tend to download numerous apps but sooner they lose interest they delete these apps. If an app is opened once a week chances of user abandonment increases by 60%. The reality is that app developers are up against a competitive market in which users have a lot of choice.

Do not lose hope as there certainly is some good news in the means of app marketing strategies. There are several ways to increase both app engagement and user retention which is done by building more active and loyal app user bases.

1. Reducing App Abandonment

Introducing onboarding experience for users can help reduce app abandonment rates. There are various types of mobile onboarding user flows such as the progressive and traditional ones. One good example of effective UI testing quality of onboarding is Robindhood app –

The app addresses user’s concerns surrounding security. Robinhood is impressive in its clear cut onboarding. Giving importance to user sentiment is important and app developers must take note of the way it has been addressed by Robinhood app.

The most difficult steps to begin are sign up and filling up too much information in the related fields. Users can get easily confused with the features and app’s functions due to security concerns. This can lead to users abandoning your app.

Experiencing an app for the first time is the most important user experience. An Effective form of onboarding has also shown signs of increasing user lifetime value by up to 500%. Here are a few ways that can help you create an intelligent frictionless app onboarding process.

• Build an easy account creation process by reducing number of steps for signup
• Do not include too many information fields.
• Offer some attractive features and functionalities.
• Include action-centric gestures which is important for an enjoyable app experience.

2. Push Notifications

Push notifications tend to increase user retention to a great extent. Mobile statistics have shown a growth of user retention from a 56% to a highly impressive 180%. Users choosing push notification alerts exhibit 88% higher app engagement than users not opting for it.

Push messaging serves important functions for mobile apps. Besides reminding users that they have downloaded your app it also alerts them in case they are competing with other players from their industry on their devices.

Push notifications encourage increased app usage with the help of targeted messages that are based on users’ behavioural data and preferences. Applications that serve certain specific functions and are not meant to drive daily usage can help engage users by including certain promotional services, offers and discounts to compel users to return to the app.

3. Personalization

 Personalization introduces unique experiences for users. An app needs to be more aligned with the experience of a user according to his/her needs and preferences. Once this is achieved it becomes easier to focus on their use of the application.

Personalize the user experience by displaying relevant content within the app. Including the user’s name on the screens and in messaging can be an effective means of personalization.

However as an app developer/publisher you need to go deeper into this territory to ensure relevance of push notifications. Relevant content sent to users keeping in mind his/her individual preferences will usher success in personalization drives. Push messages tailored according to user interests have reportedly been found to bring in 54% conversion rate whereas broadcast messages have maintained as meagre conversion of 15%.

However you need to be careful while implementing push notifications. Improperly and irrelevant texts and notifications will irritate users.

4. Incentivization

 If you want to increase mobile app engagement and user retention you must provide users with incentives to return to your app and continue using it for a longer period. Special points, rewards, access to specialized content, coupons, offers, special promotions and classified information will help you drive conversions and encourage engagement.

Nature of your app will also determine the success of incentivization. Apps having in-app purchases as their monetization model will benefit greatly from limited period offers and discounts. In case of freemium apps you can incentivize users by giving them usage-based rewards.

5. Product Iteration

Apps are iterative. Whether they are less viable in the marketplace or are mature, polished, and fully functional products app are full of instructions and call to actions. Updates and new features like personalized content help users to remain interested and engaged in your app. As an app developer it is your innate responsibility to introduced specialized updates for your apps. This brings in increased engagement and also retains your existing users.

You can set effective road maps for your app by using analytics, tracking user behavior, assessing and replying to user feedback. You will know what your users want and what features are driving better usage by including updates. You will become valuable to your users when you constantly satiate their needs and preferences by understanding their usage behaviour.

Acquiring users is important. App engagement and user retention are equally important. Converting users to become your most loyal and long-term customers will be potential revenue generating forces for your app.

Read Also: How to Retain Users with Cost Friendly Features?

The post 5 Simple Ways to Retain App Users And Increase Mobile App Engagement appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

Assess User Habits

Business organizations tend to target specific consumer groups to build a niche audience. Digital marketers track their clients’ social networking and internet surfing habits. After assessing these habits marketing professionals take part in real user engagement. Setting broad audiences across social media usually makes way for very little business potential as consumer communication and reach become distant and noncommittal.

It is advisable to have a set of two strong media footholds. Concentrating your marketing efforts will rightly define your business objective. With concentrated efforts you will gain organic brand awareness which will create a place for you in the industry.

You must be able to perform a one-to-one communication with your audience. Your consumers will never want you to treat them like your money making machines. Today’s users ask for individual attention. Your personal marketing approach will earn you a good name. Customer loyalty can be earned when you earn their loyalty. Connect with your users directly through your social media website. Making them feel comfortable will win you stronger ground than annoying calls and boring emails.

Facebook

• After creating your Facebook Page treat it as your business’ home base

• Share content and ask people to do the same on daily basis. Although it is not enough simply to have a Facebook Page. There are a lot of areas you need to work on. Having a good cover picture is important. Putting up relevant posts with relevant images and links is equally important.

• Start building connections. What good does sharing content mean if nobody gets to see it? The more your posts become visible the more you gain a stronghold on the marketplace. Having huge user base can be rightly upped from social platforms.

• Engage your followers. Create texts and imageries that attract user attention. See what is trending and generate social buzz accordingly.

• Do not neglect friends of fans. Social media stands on the concept of references of references.

• Consider posting Facebook ads at regular intervals.

Facebook is currently regarded as the moist popular social media platform that engages millions of users worldwide. Attracting even a small percentage of the whole will make you become a billionaire. Here is a statistical data suggesting the overall Facebook demographics according to internet search patterns.

Understand Your ideal audience

Before you start making a buzz on the social media you must understand all about your audience – that is who your fans, friends and followers are. They must have certain criteria that meet your business needs. They must be able to generate more users for you. Before you engage in marketing efforts you need to understand:

1. Whom am I selling to?
2. What criteria does my product meet?
3. What requirements does my product meet?
4. What is my current targeted demographic?
5. Who are the people who do not gain from my product and why?
6. Who will be the maximum gainer?

These are some basic questions that can help you target your product’s reach. You can also asses your competitors and use the available information to channelize your prospects. There are numerous survey firms that provide help to companies.

Discovering the right demographics will set your strategy right. Narrow down your broad audiences.  Make a list of your own on the basis of gender, income, age, location and education. Setting categories will bring out a refined and narrowed down audience for your targeted marketing approach.

Platform Usage

You can refer to several data-backed websites providing information on demographics of social media websites. Pew Research Center is a veritable means of Internet, Science and Tech surveys. Whether it is an Instagram, a Pinterest, Twitter or a LinkedIn Demographics data required by you, you have Pew’s excusive online survey data to fall back on.

Learn about your user’s internet habits such as why a user likes or comments on social media certain posts. Do they share content? Why do they do so on certain posts and why not on the others? Get a wider view of users’ personal networks such as friends, family and co-workers. Learning about their networking habits will let you formulate your marketing strategy for your target demographic.

As a business owner you must personally handle and also understand the ways of blog posts, tweets, image shares, content tagging, retweeting, timings for maximum communication. These metrics will help you optimize your brand and create a successful brand awareness across social media platforms.

You must know what is the exact number of hashtag used in social posts. Perfecting your social media actions will make you heard louder and better. Your Instagram account must be used for putting up relevant images and engaging captions with custom hashtags. Here is a list of a few social media demographics made available by Pew Research Center:

Twitter — 23% of all internet users/20% of entire adult population

Instagram — 28% of adult internet users/24% of entire adult population

LinkedIn — 25% of adult internet users/22% of entire adult population

You must post regular updates to see your social media marketing strategy fly high. Monitoring is an equally important task to perform. Connect with your web audience and engage in a never ending flight to networking. Understanding the habits of your target audience will make you gain the best ROI in the long run.

The post Choose the Right Social Media Platform for Your Brand appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.

Targeting the Initial Stages of App Usage

The most commonly found trend is that app usage tends to decrease (a sharp drop of 77% users) within the first three days of usage. A proper targeting done for user retention within the period of Day 1 to Day 3 will ensure growth and success. This has been validated by Andrew Chen, Supply Growth at Uber who has stated, “…to bend the retention curve is to target the first few days of usage, and in particular the first visit. That way, users set up themselves up for success.”

The 10 leading apps that compete with each other tend to see a steep rise of more than 70% within 3 months. To achieve user retention similar to the one mentioned above you need to aim first 3 days of app usage.

Increase Motivation by Introducing User Actions

Users must be able to get motivated while using your app. By including a call to action (CTA) button you can surely engage your user. To pull up your retention quest you must search and introduce the core actions related to user retention. Secondly you must urge users to heighten their motivations and complete their actions. Lastly make it easier for your app users to complete the entire process. Make simple changes in your UX and UI that does not include too much effort but bring in maximum impact.

Increase User Ability

Your main aim is to introduce more actions having lesser value. Increasing user abilities can be brought about by making in-app changes. Mobile ‘Onboarding’ screens can be considered a veritable step to increase user ability. Removing extra steps within the app increases core actions’ count.

Keep your ‘user cognitive load’ simple. Using ‘menu’ instead of three horizontal lines is easier to understand for users. Icons must be easily understood as it affects a user completing his/her tasks and finding the desired content. Labels can be added to menu (although it is widely considered intellectually less sharp). A menu must portray its purpose. This is important to position positive usability change.

Clarity is important for user retention. Labels in menu options no matter how less intellectual it may sound can up your user action, user ability and make your user stick to your app.

Straighten out your Logins

Mobile users are not known to prefer completing registration forms and sign up procedures. Typing passwords looks like a hassle due to the small screen size of mobile devices. User ability can be enhanced by allowing users to see their passwords whenever they sign in, register or sign up.

Let your users enter correct information easily. Faster logins will leave out users from getting irritated.

Include easy thumb access for Navigation

Mobile screens are navigated 90% by thumbs. Keeping all the controls (and moving the existing ones) in reachable positions on mobile screens will make you win on user operation. This would reflect on your user retention quest.

Refine User Responsiveness and Layouts

Simple changes in layouts can have great impacts. For example just change the way your content is displayed – such as in grid, list view or in map format. Surveys have proved that mobile customers find it easier to see search results in a list view. Map and grid views stand lower than list view which has reportedly increased core actions by 15%. Your main aim is to let out information quickly and in a more sorted manner to your users.

Reducing decision taking actions will make users stay interested in your app. Do not make them take too many choices.

Mobile users are generally known as more impatient than web and desktop users. They (an overwhelming 78% of users) expect their apps to load faster than a mobile website. They also expect responses to be quicker. Mini9mum number of distractions and increased speed and efficiency of an app make users stay.

Increasing Motivation

Users need to get motivated and they will take actions that are greatly related to user retention. Some of the techniques in user motivation are advertising, ASO and smart copywriting. Users will get delighted when you present them with surprises. Introducing new features will catch them by surprise.

Rewards can also boost your user motivation factor. Working in line with user habits is a great way to boost users completing actions.

Small changes are able to bring big benefits. You must track user actions and implement intelligent tweaks such as gamification which will have positive effects on your user retention. Make early changes and keep a track of everything taking place between your app and your user base. Persistent efforts in putting in small changes will bring in big changes.

The post How to Retain Users with Cost Friendly Features? appeared first on Radikal Labs: Latest News on Web, Mobile App & Game Development Services.