App Marketing Companies

Our Methodology for Evaluating Application Marketing Companies

To provide you with the best options, we carried out a complex, multifactor analysis of the top companies. We evaluated their state-of-the-art ideas, the experts working with them, and the technology they leverage. We considered the three following major issues to be the most important for a company providing the best app promotion services: a company’s current success in the industry, its online reputation, and the revenue generated for clients.

Finding out which company to trust is more difficult than it appears.

Many companies tried to keep up appearances. That’s why a multifactor analysis is the only foolproof way to make an assessment. The comments on a company’s own website might be mostly positive, so we also checked social media accounts. Also, a company might have a large number of projects in their resume, but how many of those were successfully completed?

We took a deep dive into all these issues, along with the response frequency, team management style, strategies employed by the mobile marketing agencies, and eventually, value for money.

Here are the areas we investigated to produce the results you’ll see in our reviews:

1. Area of expertise, how they acquire and keep users
2. Metrics-based current success
3. Reviews and ratings, customer support
4. Cost ratio and value for money

Following this methodology provided us with critical insight into whether the app companies tick all the boxes that make them dependable and profitable, while also pointing out each agency’s main asset.

15 Best App Marketing Companies (Our Pick)

• Preapps – $150 – $199 / hr
• Udonis – $100 – $149 / hr
• Appular – $100 – $149 / hr
• Arpu Brothers – $100-$149 / hr
• Mobitimizers – $100-$149 / hr
• App Masters – $100-$149 / hr
• Localytics –  $100-$149 / hr
• Fetch – $100 – $149 / hr
• Moburst – $150 – $199 / hr
• Tech Magnate – $100-$149 / hr
• TapTap – $25 – $49 / hr
• Appency – $25 – $49 / hr
• Comboapp – $100 – $149 / hr

Area of Expertise, User Acquisition, & Retention

Depending on what an individual mobile app marketing company specializes in, you must decide on iOS or Android marketing, or both. With over 2.1 million apps available in Google’s Android App Store, and 2 million others for Apple’s iOS devices, visibility and user engagement are more important than ever.

Regardless of how much work you’ve put into your app, people can’t download it if they’ve never come across it. Luckily, you’ve got plenty of time to capture your users’ attention—adult Americans spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on their cell phones, with 90% of that time spent in apps.

This is why hiring one of the top mobile marketing companies is essential. ASO is listed as a service in our table, but be aware that there are a lot of factors that play into improving one’s app store visibility. App name, app description, app logo, proper app category, app design, and most of all, keyword optimization all play a part in ranking your app in the App Store, Google Play Store, Windows Store, or BlackBerry World, depending on your operating system.

The two most popular mobile operating systems are Android and iOS, with Android app marketing at the top of the list.

Given the above-mentioned factors, it’s no surprise that you need experts to handle your app promotion and increase the number of downloads. However, acquiring users is just the beginning.

The really tricky part is providing a reliable basis for durable user retention and engagement. Most users don’t use their app more than once during the first month after the download. This is why user retention makes all the difference between an average and an exceptional app marketing service.

Android vs. iOS

In mobile technology, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are the two main operating systems. Android is Linux-based, customizable, and more popular. Still, iOS’s unique design is considered more user-friendly.

In 2017, Android became the world’s most-used OS, surpassing even Windows, one of the first signs that mobile devices are overpowering desktop technology. But since Android is used by so many different manufacturers, while iOS is tied to a single company, Apple enjoys a significant market share.

Also, the iOS app market is strict, and the tougher standards you’ll need to meet might result in a better user experience.

Some companies provide both iOS and Android optimization, while others specialize. Regardless of whether you choose Android or iOS app marketing, you should keep in mind that switching OSs would require your users to download the app twice, which is unlikely to occur.

So choose wisely and consider some of the factors below before deciding which OS you’ll be using for your app.

Targeting Your Audience via Social Media Channels

Properly optimized app store content is only one of the many things you’ll need marketing companies to handle in order to make your app more visible. The next problem is learning exactly where to find the most convertible users. Believe it or not, more than 50% of users discover apps through friends and family, the people they regularly interact with. For this reason, many app marketing strategies include targeted user engagement services via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.

Start Before You Develop the App

First, you need to understand that your social media campaign usually starts long before you develop the app. Build hype, get your app’s name out there, and make sure future users are aware of your app pre-launch. This is easier for existing businesses with a preexisting follower base.

But if you’re just getting started as a new app business, you’ll need to use social media and get exposure.

Choose the Right Social Media Platform

On Facebook, you get to access the biggest number of users and post an unlimited number of videos and photos, with no restricted character limit. For the best app marketing, you can also run sponsored campaigns and target audiences based on gender, age, location, and particular interests.

Instagram is great because it has the highest user engagement, and you can post photos and videos—and even check user engagement via story polls.

Twitter has an advanced search query for finding people interested in your app, be it fitness or a plant recognition app. This query uses hashtags, relevant keywords, and locations to connect to users.

An experienced company is especially important if you have a limited ad budget, since using resources intelligently is always smarter than covering more ground. For a higher app marketing ROI, focus on user engagement and retainment by telling them why they need you and how you can help them achieve their objectives.

Improving User Engagement & Customer Satisfaction

Once your company of choice has successfully acquired laser-targeted users who are genuinely interested in your app and are likely to keep using your services, it’s time to take care of post-launch user-engagement.

There are several ways in which you can let users know what new features/updates you have in store for them once they have downloaded your app. What’s more, you can assess just how satisfied your customers are, as well as how these app marketing companies’ post-launch services can approve.

In-App Messages

These are sent to your users while they are actively using your app to promote updates, offer suggestions, or confirm purchases. They are known to increase your conversions by up to four times. This is a great way to request user feedback and reviews and learn how you can improve your services.

Some app agencies might advise you to be careful with this and request messages rather than numbered reviews. That’s because a single one-star review takes a lot of five-star reviews to fix with some strong app marketing.

Push Notifications

These are similar to in-app messages, but the user doesn’t have to be online; he or she only needs to have downloaded the app. Then, banners or alerts will appear on your user’s home or lock screen.

If used properly, they are known to increase user engagement by as much as 88%. Pay special attention to rich push notifications or ones that feature pictures, videos, or sound files. Users love these, and your engagement can increase by 30%. That’s why every media and app video agency offers a lot of rich content.

 Metrics-Based Research on a Company’s Success

Dumping a flood of cold traffic on your app is a sloppy excuse for good service. You need active users that will stay with you in the future. Once potential users notice your high-ranking app and maybe decide to download it to serve their particular interests, they’re likely to use it only once during the first six-month period.

So how do you get around this and engage your users? Find a company that knows how to market apps and ensure users download the app, use it in abundance, and finally, bring forth lasting revenue.

We filtered through these top companies not solely based on the number of downloads, but also on the following factors—all of which will make your app a success in the long run:

• User Acquisition Rate – This represents the number of users who download your app once they’ve been properly targeted based on needs and interests.
• User Retention Rate – This is the number of times users return to your app once they’ve downloaded it. Highly engaged users access an app more than 10 times a month.
• Sessions Length (or Time Spent in App) – Most people, like a gaming-oriented app marketing agency, don’t want users to put their apps down. However, if users want to use a banking app, for example, the session length should be as short as possible to guarantee customer satisfaction.
• Customer Lifetime Value – The most important aspect we checked, this is something only the best marketing companies can master. It measures how many users keep using your app and stay with your brand, in spite of all the competition. It’s a good way to assess whether your app marketing business plans can withstand the test of time.

That’s it when it comes to acquiring users and making sure the app promotion agencies you hire help you keep them. Which brings us to...

Reviews, Ratings, & Customer Support

We took special notice of all the available comments, client evaluations, and published case studies to determine customer satisfaction. For more objective insight, we utilized all the available resources both on a company’s own website and online company evaluation platforms.

We considered awards, acknowledgments, and certifications, but we didn’t give them nearly as much weight as customer reviews, testimonials, and most of all, client interviews. The awards received by these app advertising companies several years ago must be compared against their current growth rates, and the same goes for lists of famous, influential clients.

We paid special attention to each company’s social media presence, making sure the company doesn’t have a bad history on the free, massive platforms where customers can comment publicly and easily.

The way you and your marketing company communicate will be based primarily on the processes they’re already instituted. Even the best app marketing ideas can be useless if not properly communicated. Misunderstandings, impatience, weak communication, and a generally bad attitude can sour professional relationships.

In order to make sure your business relationship is professional, straightforward, and enthusiastic, we went through company reviews on Trust Pilot, Google, and more to ensure the customers of these companies are satisfied with their service, communication style, professionalism, and overall attitude.

We also signed up anonymously for the services of all the evaluated companies, flooded them with various questions and requests, and observed their behavior. Only the mobile app advertising companies with the most polite, specific, helpful, and patient answers qualified for our site.

The companies we listed were tested for the following company culture features:

• Effective, Two-Way Communication with Clients — This guarantees the agency is open to suggestions and questions, and regularly checks in with clients.
• Response Frequency – This measures how long the company takes to answer your questions. Are they available when they say they are?
• Adherence to Deadlines, and Living up to Prognoses – We checked online reviews and ratings in great detail and interviewed multiple clients. We made sure to only list the app marketing companies that honor their agreements.
• Transparency in Reporting – And finally, this gives important insight into company strategy. We studied several published case studies and portfolio analyses.

Value for Money, Market Research, & Evaluation

On our companies’ evaluation list, the last bit concerns the way we ranked them based on the price of their services, compared to the value you get from hiring them. This was no small feat since pricing methods vary among companies, and their expenses depend on each app marketing strategy.

The app marketing industry has skyrocketed since mobile devices became the lead in total traffic. It is more competitive by the minute, and most app agencies’ fees have risen accordingly.

You don’t want to go cheap, because looking to spend the least possible amount is likely to be damaging in the long run. Still, a high price doesn’t necessarily guarantee the best service. That’s why we chose to assess the value compared to the price, prioritizing cost-effectiveness.

You’ll need a clear idea of your available budget and a general idea of your strategy. The marketing agency will provide a rough estimate of future expenses and their potential growth, leveraging their years-long experience.

What to Expect from the Best App Marketing Company

A Realistic Analysis of a Client's Potential On the Market

Conducting an analysis of a client’s potential on the market is a significant indicator that you are working with a legit, experienced company that keeps its word by making informed choices and providing realistic progress predictions. A good head start saves both time and money—that’s why these early stages of cooperation are crucial.

Successfully Identifying Key Performance Indicators

Successfully identifying key performance indicators is the process of selecting the right metric for your particular marketing strategy and leveraging previous experiences. This is then incorporated into a reliable business plan. 

Developing and Implementing a Reliable Growth Plan

Such a plan involves increasing your total number of users by finding the best ways to promote your app, preferably on a low budget. 

Tracking Growth

Professionals ought to react to the slightest fluctuations in user behavior and adapting in a timely manner. Doing so allows for more successful app-user communication and a longer relationship. 

Providing an Established Time-Frame for Expected Results

This tactic involves doing the work effectively in a timely manner. That’s why we only listed experienced and reliable companies that stick to their timelines.

Now you know about the results and the process these companies must use to provide you with top-notch mobile app marketing services. These performance factors altogether will help you see the most success at the lowest cost. To make sure the companies can deliver, we interviewed multiple clients. We also checked company portfolios and asked them about their growth-tracking and key performance indicator assessments. In addition, we compared the number of completed projects with the number of projects in every company’s resume.

What You Need to Know Before Hiring an App Marketing Agency

In the app promotion industry, there are shopping, game, health, and other marketing companies. In order to avoid wasting time and money, and to generate the highest marketing ROI possible, you’ll need to know your app niche and where you can find the largest user base. Then, you’ll have to determine the scope of your ambition and your capabilities.

Define Your Goals & Objectives

What do you want to accomplish with your app? What channel will you be using to market it? Will you need additional services? Some basic characteristics of your target audience are also a part of this assessment.

Do You Prefer Companies Near You, or Are You Comfortable With Outsourced, Remote Teams?

Even if an app marketing agency is from the US,  it may work with outsourced teams, at least in part. Quality-wise, this makes no difference since they typically use exceptional team management apps like Asana or Trello. Besides, a more diverse team often brings higher quality because the combined experiences these people offer is wider.

What Is Your Budget?

Keep in mind that costs tend to increase over time. You need to know your limits without being too cheap with your app marketing. The industry is very competitive, and the prices are bound to be high.

App Marketing Agency vs. Company

You will find us and most other people using these interchangeably, but there are a few differences. Marketing companies deal mostly in specific services like app marketing, while app agencies provide a number of services, like app development and marketing.

Final Words

Good preparation will put you on the path to success. By now, you should be able to tell whether you know enough about your app to start this process. You’ve researched your ideal target audience via social media and other channels. All of this information is used by successful app marketing companies to produce a clever business plan designed just for your app.