Have you ever wondered why some users download your mobile app or game but never use it? Or why do others install the app, use it for a while, and then disappear? These users have shown interest, but haven't yet become active players. Therefore, turning this interest into engagement is crucial.
This is where mobile app retargeting comes into play. By strategically re-engaging these high-intent users, you can transform initial interest into active players.
This blog explores practical strategies for retargeting high-intent users, those who have shown interest but haven't fully engaged. By implementing these tactics, you can enhance your user acquisition efforts, reduce churn, and ultimately drive growth for your game.
What are High-Intent Users?
High-intent users are individuals who have demonstrated a strong interest in your app or game but have not yet converted into active users. These users have engaged with your game in ways that indicate a higher likelihood of future conversion.
Behavior Indicators
Identifying high-intent users involves analyzing specific behaviors that suggest a deeper interest in your app or game. Key indicators include:
App Installs Without Subsequent Engagement: Users who have installed your app but have not opened or used it.
Frequent Visits to the App Store Page Without Installation: Users who repeatedly visit your app store page without completing the installation.
Recognizing and targeting these high-intent users is important because they’re the most likely to convert into active users if you reach out to them in the right way. By focusing your efforts here, you can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your user acquisition campaigns.
How Does Retargeting Work For High-Intent Users
In mobile gaming, acquiring users who have shown interest but haven't yet installed your game is crucial. Retargeting high-intent users who have visited your app's Play Store page but haven't installed it can significantly enhance your user acquisition efforts. Here’s how you can turn that initial spark of interest into active players for your game:
1. User Behavior Tracking
Everything starts with understanding your audience. Don’t just rely on surface-level stats; dig into the data from your ad networks and analytics tools.
Look for patterns: Who’s checking out your store page? What features are they hovering over? Are there common points where they drop off? By building detailed user profiles, you’ll get a clear sense of what excites your audience and where you might be losing them.
2. Audience Segmentation
Once you have a handle on user behavior, break your audience into smaller, meaningful groups. Perhaps you have users who have installed the app but haven’t used it, or others who keep coming back to your store page but never complete the installation. Segmenting like this allows you to tailor your messages, making each user feel like you’re speaking directly to them, which can be the push they need to take action.
3. Personalized Messaging
Forget generic ads, personalization is everything. Use what you know about each segment to create messages that truly resonate. For example, you might highlight a new feature, offer a special reward, or remind them of progress they could be making in your game. Push notifications, in-app ads, and even email can all be effective channels, but make sure your message matches where the user is in their journey
4. Performance Measurement and Optimization
Don’t just set your retargeting campaigns and forget them. Monitor key metrics, such as click-through rates, installs, and engagement. If you notice one segment isn’t responding, tweak your message or try a different channel. Regularly testing new creatives and approaches will help you figure out what truly works for your audience and what doesn’t
By following these steps, you’ll be in a much stronger position to convert high-intent users into loyal players. Retargeting isn’t just about chasing installs, it’s about building a relationship, understanding what your audience cares about, and showing them why your game is worth their time.
Ready to see which tools can help you put these strategies into action? Let’s take a look at some of the best platforms for effective retargeting.
Tools and Platforms for Retargeting
Leveraging the right tools and platforms is key if you want your retargeting campaigns actually to bring users back to your mobile app or game. With numerous options available, it can be overwhelming to select the best fit. The good news? Today’s leading platforms are packed with features that help you track user behavior, break your audience into meaningful segments, and deliver personalized ads that really resonate with high-intent users.
Below, you’ll find some of the top platforms used by marketers and developers to boost retention and drive growth:
Demand Side Platforms (DSPs)
If you’re serious about re-engaging high-intent users—whether they’re players who dropped off your game or users who stopped using your app—advanced Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) can take your retargeting to the next level. These platforms enable you to target precisely the right people, at the right time, with messages that align with their interests and behaviors.
AppLovin MAX
AppLovin MAX is a favorite among many app and game marketers for a reason. Its unified auction system connects you to a vast network of demand sources, ensuring your ads receive the best possible placements.
What really sets MAX apart is its segment targeting; you can create campaigns for specific user behaviors, such as people who have installed but never played, or those who have visited your store page but didn’t make an installation.
Plus, with built-in A/B testing, you can experiment with different ad creatives and strategies until you find what works best for your audience. This approach helps you efficiently re-target users who showed interest but haven’t fully converted, fueling steady growth.
Smadex
Smadex is all about performance. Its AI-powered engine analyzes user behavior to identify your high-intent audience, allowing you to serve up ads that are more likely to capture their attention.
The Creative Studio enables you to design dynamic, personalized ads, such as banners, videos, and interactive formats, that feel relevant to each user. Smadex is also SKAN-ready, ensuring you stay compliant with privacy regulations while maintaining campaign effectiveness.
ironSource LevelPlay
ironSource LevelPlay is a robust mediation platform designed to help you get the most out of your user acquisition and retargeting efforts. You can create dynamic user groups based on factors such as app version, device type, or engagement level, and then deliver personalized ad experiences to each segment.
The real magic lies in LevelPlay’s bidding system, which encourages competition among ad networks, ensuring your users see the most relevant and engaging ads possible and, in turn, boosting your conversion rates.
Remerge
Remerge specializes in mobile app retargeting and is a go-to solution for marketers who want to reconnect with users who have shown interest but haven’t fully engaged. By utilizing first-party data and advanced segmentation, Remerge enables you to deliver highly personalized ads that encourage users to return and complete the actions you value. Their analytics tools give you a clear view of what’s working, so you can keep optimizing for better results.
Also Read: What is a Demand-Side Platform (DSP)? A Complete Guide
How Segwise Enhances Retargeting Efforts
To effectively track user behavior and measure the success of your retargeting campaigns, leveraging Segwise, an advanced analytics tool, is crucial. Segwise helps you understand user interactions, identify patterns, and optimize your strategies for better performance.
Segwise offers a robust solution with its AI-powered Creative Agent, designed to enhance your user acquisition efforts. Here's how it can assist you:
Automated Creative Tagging: The AI Creative Agent automatically tags various elements of your ad creatives, such as visuals, text, and calls to action, across different formats like videos and playables. This automation saves you time and ensures consistency in your creative assets.
Performance Insights: By analyzing the tagged creative components, Segwise provides insights into which elements resonate most with your high-intent users. This data-driven approach allows you to understand what works and refine your creatives accordingly.
Custom Dashboards: Segwise enables you to create custom dashboards that aggregate creative data from multiple ad networks. This centralized view helps you monitor performance metrics and identify winning patterns across your campaigns.
By integrating Segwise's Creative Agent into your retargeting strategies, you can optimize your ad creatives, improve engagement with high-intent users, and enhance your overall user acquisition efforts.
To effectively implement retargeting, it's essential to follow proven strategies that drive conversions. Now, let's look at some best practices for retargeting high-intent users.
Also Read: Creative Analytics Explained: How To Track, Measure, And Improve Ad Performance
Best Practices for Retargeting High-Intent Users
Retargeting high-intent users effectively can significantly boost your user acquisition efforts. Here are some best practices to help you re-engage users and drive better results in mobile gaming campaigns:
1. Timely Engagement
To maximize the effectiveness of your retargeting efforts, it's crucial to reach out to users shortly after their initial interaction with your app. This approach helps maintain interest and keeps your game at the top of the user's mind.
For instance, if a user installs your game but doesn't engage within the first 24 hours, sending a personalized message can encourage them to start playing.
2. Use Tailored and Dynamic Creatives
Personalization is key in retargeting campaigns. By showcasing features or gameplay elements that are relevant to each user segment, you can increase the likelihood of re-engagement.
For example, if a user showed interest in a specific character, highlighting that in your ad creatives can capture their attention. Dynamic creatives that adapt to user behavior and preferences can further enhance the relevance of your ads, making them more compelling.
3. Implement Accurate Attribution:
Properly integrating your Demand-Side Platform (DSP) with your Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) ensures a robust attribution system is in place. This setup allows you to accurately measure the impact of your retargeting campaigns and understand which strategies are most effective in acquiring new users.
Conclusion
Mobile app retargeting is a powerful strategy to win back high-intent users. By analyzing user behaviors, such as app installs without engagement or repeated visits to the app store page, you can pinpoint users who are more likely to convert. Targeting these users with personalized messaging and effective ad creatives can drive higher conversion rates, ultimately boosting your user acquisition efforts.
So, are you ready to take your user acquisition strategy to the next level? Start your 14-day free trial with Segwise today and experience how an AI-powered platform can transform your retargeting efforts and help you acquire more users.
FAQs
1. How does retargeting differ from remarketing?
While both aim to re-engage users, retargeting typically involves serving ads to users based on their app behavior, whereas remarketing often uses email campaigns to re-engage users. Retargeting is more immediate and personalized, leveraging data to drive user actions.
2. Can retargeting be effective for all types of apps?
Yes, retargeting can be tailored to various app categories, including e-commerce, gaming, finance, and lifestyle. For instance, e-commerce apps can remind users of abandoned carts, while gaming apps can notify players of new levels.
3. Why is retargeting important for mobile apps?
Retargeting is crucial because it focuses on users who have already shown interest in your app, making them more likely to convert. It helps reduce churn and maximize the lifetime value (LTV) of your users. Additionally, retargeting is often a more cost-effective approach.
