The NBA Finals never fail to captivate basketball fans and casual viewers alike with dramatic moments from tip-off to final buzzer. With excitement and interest in the 2024 championship series sure to reach a fever pitch, it will be the perfect opportunity for mobile apps to boost user acquisition through creative campaigns leveraging the unparalleled hype around the Finals.

The Finals transform the sports calendar, igniting passions from small-town gyms to massive watch parties worldwide. But it also presents massive implications for the mobile marketing industry. As fans analyze rosters, dissect matchups, and watch incredible performances, search terms like “nba”, “mavericks” and “celtics” see huge spikes. This surge of search interest provides a major opportunity for sports, entertainment, betting apps, and mobile games to engage these audiences.

In fact, the pervasive coverage of the NBA Finals has become one of the top events each year for driving downloads, engagement and in-app purchases across sports and entertainment apps. As Finals traffic grows, forward-thinking mobile marketers will capitalize on this moment with optimized search rankings, targeted paid campaigns, unique in-app events, and custom product page strategies.

In this post, we’ll examine NBA Finals mobile marketing strategies through the lenses of keyword trends, share of voice, and product page best practices. We aim to help apps maximize this once-a-year opportunity to acquire new users and revenue. So read on to see how one of the biggest tournaments in global sports can translate to peak performance on mobile.

Three-Pointers, Alleys, and Oops: Targeting the Right Keywords for Each Big Moment

Each year come mid-June, certain keywords will begin to rapidly rise as the NBA Finals grab national attention. Terms like “nba finals”, “boston celtics”, “celtics”, “dallas mavericks” and “mavericks” all experience a marked increase in searches.

As the Finals have started this June, search interest in terms related to the Celtics, Mavericks, and championship series itself are poised for a massive surge. Historical mobile search data shows clear spikes for keywords like “NBA” as over 10 million fans in the US alone seek information on schedules, rosters, odds, and more heading into each year’s marquee event.

Keyword Tracking – ASO Intelligence

Related to the 2024 contestants, interest in “Boston Celtics” and just “Celtics” jumps exponentially as the league’s most-winning franchise vies for its 18th banner. Meanwhile, searches for “Dallas Mavericks” and its abbreviated version “Mavericks” balloon as fans young and old unite to cheer on the underdog organization led by European superstar Luka Dončić.

With digital audiences intensely tracking every matchup and storyline, these team-specific keywords present a prime opportunity for mobile marketers to reach deeply engaged NBA fandom. Apps and games related to player stats, championship history, or fantasy/betting angles should focus ASO and ad campaigns on terms poised to see massive breakouts when the Finals tip-off arrives. Capitalizing on these predictable search surges will drive downloads and maximize in-app revenue throughout basketball’s biggest moment.

Balancing Organic and Paid Keyword Strategies for the Mavericks and Celtics

This year’s March Madness saw a clear divergence between the apps optimizing organic placement versus paid promotion surrounding basketball-related keywords.

For “NBA”, the official NBA: Live Games & Scores led the pack organically given its direct association. NBA 2K Mobile Basketball Games and NBA Live Mobile Basketball also ranked well organically. Meanwhile, an unrelated mobile game, Drift Max Pro Drift Racing, stood out in paid rankings by paid marketing efforts.

When fans searched “Boston Celtics” and “Celtics” the top organic performer was Boston Celtics’ official mobile app. Again, NBA: Live Games & Scores successfully ranked also for these keywords. In paid results, NewsBreak: Local News placed bets on basketball audiences, elevating their visibility.

Keyword Trends – ASO Intelligence

Looking at “Dallas Mavericks” and “Mavericks”, we again see the official mobile app of the merch ranked in the first place. Meanwhile, paid pushes from different sorts of apps cast a wider discovery net.

This case study offers lessons – to rise up in early June, balance organic keyword targeting with paid supplementing where strategic for broader exposure, and capture feverish fans.

More Than a Series: Crafting In-App Events to Expand Finals Fan Engagement

Mobile marketers took advantage of in-app event badges during the NBA Playoffs to engage eager basketball fans. These strategic activations yielded key metrics.

Bally Bet Sportsbook, Betway Casino & Sportsbook, ClutchBet Sportsbook, Digits: Sports News & Stats, and Flashscore Live scores utilized “Live Event” markers to highlight their live streaming of playoff matchups. Real-time viewing boosted stickiness.

In-App Events – App Intelligence

Bet On Sports, DraftKings Fantasy Sports, DraftKings Pick6 Fantasy Game, DraftKings Sportsbook & Casino, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, and Tipico Sportsbook Sports Bet all featured “Special Event” badges promoting playoff-themed promotions and challenges within relevant verticals of sports betting and fantasy. Perks like odds boosts kept communities immersed.

Meanwhile, the NBA – Live Games & Scores app itself optimized event notifications to showcase playoff narratives and milestones through “Premiere” spotlights of historic moments unfolding.

The use of strategically programmed in-app events effectively showcased timely offers and content tied to intense playoff action. Analytics revealed measurable spikes in repetitive user behavior seeking the thrill of competition throughout this period. Event-based strategies can drive annual spikes in user value.

Conclusion

As this analysis of mobile app performance during the NBA Finals 2024 illustrates, the postseason presents an invaluable annual opportunity for basketball, entertainment, and betting platforms to immerse avid fans and acquire new users through strategic marketing.

The insights demonstrate that well-optimized promotion techniques – like relevant keywords, targeted paid campaigns, in-app events, and tailored creative assets – have measurable power to heighten discoverability, trials and recurring user behaviors covering this pinnacle period of competition. The momentum generates enduring loyalty as platforms authentically partner every step of the playoff journey in ways that resonate.

If you want to step up your ASO game, schedule a demo now and get unlimited access to AI-powered organic mobile app growth tools!

The post From tip-off to buzzer beater: How to leverage NBA Finals 2024 hype for mobile UA appeared first on MobileAction.

Pride Month transforms community spirit, igniting passions from local gatherings to worldwide shows of support for LGBTQ+ rights. However, it also has massive implications for the mobile marketing industry. As supporters engage with information on local events, pride histories, and equality campaigns, search terms like “pride”, “pride month”, “lgbtq”, and “lgbtq+” see huge spikes. This surge of search interest presents a major opportunity for companies, advocacy organizations, and mobile games to connect with engaged audiences.

In fact, the pervasive Pride has become one of the top events each year for driving downloads, engagement, and in-app purchasing across related app categories. As month-long celebrations grow, savvy mobile marketers capitalize on the moment with optimized organic rankings, targeted paid campaigns, unique in-app events, and creative custom product pages.

In this post, we’ll take a deeper look at Pride Month mobile marketing strategies through the lens of organic and paid keyword trends, in-app events, and default and custom product pages best practices. Our goal is to help apps maximize this once-a-year window for acquiring new users and revenue. So read on to see how one of the biggest commemorations in social justice can translate to peak performance on mobile.

How Pride Month becomes the talk of the mobile app world

Each year, come mid-June, certain keywords see their search scores begin to rise as Pride Month captures global attention rapidly. Terms like “pride”, “pride month”, “lgbtq”, and “lgbtq+” all experience a marked increase in searches.

ASO Intelligence data shows that “pride” is searched at much higher rates during the opening weeks of June celebrations than during normal monthly volumes. This is understandable given the significance the month places on commemorating social progress.

Keyword Trends – ASO intelligence

Similarly, the all-encompassing term “lgbtq” peaks in searches as supporters seek local events, histories, and discussions around iconic displays of community and activism.

Interest is also strongly boosted for “pride month” itself as the movement’s premier commemorations bring diverse identities into the global spotlight.

What’s clear is all these keywords hit their apex points around the end of June as festivals and marches around the world energize communities. With demand so high, mobile marketers must optimize to answer searched questions and satisfy engaged audiences seeking to learn more during this meaningful time of celebration and advocacy.

Maximizing Visibility with Targeted Pride Keywords

Search by Keyword – SearchAds Intelligence

The dating app Taimi—LGBTQ+ Dating & Chat invested in over 1000 paid pride keywords. According to SearchAds Intelligence data, this effort led to a notable 47.2% impression share for searches related to these terms.

Similarly, the “HER: Lesbian & Queer LGBTQ Dating” app focused its marketing on 98 pride-themed keywords. This drove an impression share of 5.7% for searches containing these keywords in the Lifestyle category.

By delving into pride-related paid search terms, these apps raised their visibility and engaged sentiment-driven audiences. The data offers valuable perspectives on successfully utilizing niche keyword targeting around LGBTQ+ events and milestones to boost discoverability.

Beyond Hashtags: Leveraging In-App Events

Mobile marketers took advantage of in-app event badges during June to engage busy allies of the LGBTQ+ community. These strategic activations yielded key metrics.

TikTok, Pinterest, Tinder, and Feeld spotlighted “Special Event” markers for their Pride Month hashtags and curated galleries of progress. The sense of community drove significant interaction and time exploring shared experiences.

BIGO LIVE and HER highlighted “Live Event” badges for streamed Pride parades and virtual meetups. Custom events like speed dating kept audiences invested.

BLK and Chispa utilized “Major Update” notices to showcase custom profile options celebrating identities. The celebratory features boosted self-expression and discovery within inclusive spaces.

Strategically planned in-app events effectively showcased timely offers and content tied to global Pride commemorations. Analytics revealed measurable spikes in repetitive user behavior seeking an ongoing sense of belonging throughout June. Event-based strategies can become an annual rhythm for maximizing engagement among advocates year-round.

In-App Events – App Intelligence

Showcasing the Spirit of Pride – Default and Custom Product Pages

Custom and robust app product pages provide valuable opportunities for mobile marketers to stand out from competitors and match their messaging to key audiences. Well-optimized pages highlighting an app’s value proposition, unique features, engaging visuals, and authentic customer reviews help increase visibility and lower acquisition costs. This is because customized pages allow targeting niche search queries and community hashtags, showcasing custom copy and assets better suited for each meaningful promotion and moment.

CPP Intelligence

Our CPP intelligence shows one clear winner from a creative optimization standpoint: Taimi, an LGBTQ+ Dating and chat app, for last year’s Pride Month. By providing in-app previews in iPhone mockups, Taimi explained the main value of the application clearly and strongly with the captions they wrote at the top of each product page.

CPP Intelligence

This year, we can easily say that Taimi has leveled up his creative strategy and even surpassed last year’s creative success. In this product page design, where rainbow colors are preferred as the background color, we see the brand name and the main value offered by this brand on the first page. An image of a member of the LGBTQ+ community accompanies these texts. In the following product pages, other features of the Taimi app are introduced.

As another strong product page example, we can show the HER: Lesbian & Queer LGBTQ Dating application. Some pages from HER app’s product page are as follows:

CPP Intelligence

In sum, for mobile app marketers, utilizing the full capabilities of creativity to craft audience-focused, aesthetically pleasing product pages is a must for driving discovery, boosting conversion, sustaining retention, and growing an app’s community over time.

Conclusion

As this analysis has shown, Pride Month presents a tremendous annual opportunity for Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Social Networking apps to engage captive audiences and attract new users through optimized mobile marketing. The data demonstrates that organic and paid keywords, in-app events, and default and custom product page creatives all have the potential to significantly boost discoverability, downloads, and engagement during the LGBTQ+ community’s biggest festival.

If you want unlimited access to insights on organic and paid keywords, in-app events, and default and custom product page creatives, schedule a demo and take your app marketing to the next level!

The post Apps in action for Pride: Apps join the celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community appeared first on MobileAction.

What are the 4 ad placements of Apple Search Ads?

Search result ads

You can reach customers through search results ads at the moment they are searching for apps to install. If a user searches on the App Store, your ad might show up at the beginning of their search results. This advertising strategy is highly targeted, engaging users who have actively picked up their device, launched the App Store, entered a search term into the search field, and executed a search. Reaching customers searching for a relevant term right at the moment they are looking to install.

Today tab ads

 When you launch the App Store, the Today tab is where customers start their journey. Consequently, advertising on the Today tab is beneficial for anyone looking to increase visibility by showcasing their app to as many visitors as possible. As you only pay when someone taps on your ad you can benefit from lots of free impressions for your app. This approach is especially powerful for boosting awareness around new content releases, special occasions, and seasonal campaigns.

Search tab ads

 Ads on the Search tab allow you to boost awareness and downloads by placing your app at the top of the suggested apps list. These ads reach users before they conduct specific searches, appearing prominently at the top of the suggested apps list on the Search tab. By appearing just before people search you can influence what they do next and potentially drive more searches of your brand.

Product page ads

Ads on product pages are displayed in the “You Might Also Like” section on the pages of other apps within the App Store. When setting up these ads, your ad can run across app categories, or you can refine the categories where it runs. This allows you to choose the where your ads will be shown, targeting categories or apps that align with your desired audience.

Why app marketers should consider a multi-placement ad strategy

We regard a multi-placement ad strategy as essential in 2024 for the following three reasons:

Increased visibility

Utilizing multi-placement ads expands your app’s visibility, introducing it to a wider audience. This strategy facilitates a broader awareness of your app, attracting users with different interests and building a diverse user base around it.

Increased scalability

Marketers are always looking for ways to expand their campaigns and while the volume of search terms on the App Store is vast, it’s important to look for opportunities outside of search results ads to scale that can support your search strategy. You might have built out your search strategy and are looking for new ways to grow, outside of adding new keywords. Exploring new ad placements can help boost visibility, potentially leading to more searches for your brand. It can also have an impact on your organic installs.

Increased efficiency

By strategically utilizing diverse ad placements and applying an effective approach, you can more efficiently direct users to your product page. Numerous marketers have noted lower CPAs and heightened brand recognition after launching multi-placement ads on Apple Search Ads. As you only pay for taps you are able to get lots of extra free impressions. By looking at a blended CPA across ad placements and monitoring the impact on organic you can see the significant impact of a multi placement approach.

Best practices on applying the multi-placement strategy

Our experts suggest these four tips for a successful strategy. They are based on their proven experiences in achieving good results.

1. First and foremost, ads in search results are essential to capture existing demand. Without them, you risk overlooking users searching for keywords tied to your app, potentially missing out on tapping into pre-existing market demand. Thus, incorporating search results ads is often a key strategy in any ad placement plan, aiming to attract users actively looking for what your app offers.
2. To enhance your search strategy further we recommend adding incremental budget to set up a Search tab campaign as your next step. When users navigate to the Search tab, it usually signifies a strong intention to find and download an app. Having your ads in both these placements, helps you capture the full spectrum of demand for your app, positioning it right where users are most likely to take action. This is a great place to start if you are testign out new ad placements for the first time or have a limited budget to test.
3. Pairing a strong search strategy with ads on the Today tab can significantly boost brand recognition. As the Today tab is what users first see upon opening the App Store, it offers prime visibility. Advertising here can increase your brand’s exposure and familiarity, which can sway users’ decisions in your favor when they come across your app in search results. From personal experience, one client saw a noticeable improvement in search ad performance and brand awareness after advertising on the Today tab, leading to overall positive outcomes.
4. Incorporating product page ads into your strategy offers additional advantages. These ads can place your app on the product pages of competitors or related apps, providing an opportunity for users to discover and learn more about your app. These users are still searching for information so it’s a great opportunity to connect with a highly engaged audience. This visibility, combined with the detailed information presented on various custom product pages, can positively affect users’ perceptions and encourage downloads.

Make the change with MobileAction and SearchAds.com

SearchAds.com, recognized as an Apple Search Ads Partner, provides a comprehensive campaign management platform designed to facilitate the automation, optimization, and monitoring of Apple Search Ads campaign data from one central location. The platform empowers professionals in user acquisition and app growth to manage all aspects of their Apple Search Ads campaigns. Its objective is to streamline the campaign management process, offering data-driven solutions that reduce the time and effort required by professionals in user acquisition and app growth.

Search Ads Intelligence by MobileAction offers comprehensive insights into  all four Apple Search Ads’ ad placements. It allows you to view the impression shares of your competitors or any app across all ad placements. Additionally, you can identify which apps dominate a particular ad placement or understand the level of competition within your category for that specific placement. To try Search Ads Intelligence and take a look at your competitors’ dominance in different ad placements, schedule a demo now with our experts.

The post Multi-placement ad strategy: Your go-to 2024 Apple Search Ads Approach appeared first on MobileAction.