Promotions, offers, and special deals are about as natural to apps as a tail is to a dog. Most apps in particular follow the free-to-use model, making their money instead through in-app subscriptions and purchases. 

The execution of special offers is critical as it isn’t simply enough anymore to throw a random promotion up and hope it works. Here’s a guide to getting the most out of your own promotions.

Research Your Audience

When they say that knowing your audience is important for business, that no longer just means having a target age range. Ask any app expert and they’ll tell you that, before even one line of code is written, knowing exactly how your users will make use of the software is essential. 

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For promotions, knowing exactly what your users will be excited about helps form the concept more precisely, which will make it more effective overall. For instance, online casinos know that account verification and deposit rules on bonuses are two common pain points for players. That’s why extremely focused offers, like free spins no deposit with mobile verification by casinos like MrQ, can see better returns than just offering general free spins. 

Themed Promotions

While it may seem obvious to some, this is an aspect that many overlook in app design. It is particularly relevant for games and branded media properties that can more easily draw on concepts and assets from their properties. It is unusual in that, if done correctly it is something that blends seamlessly into the overall flow and will be unnoticed. On the other hand, a generic implementation can stick out badly and take users out of the experience.

One overlooked example of excellent design in this aspect is the coins of TikTok. At first glance, it’s a minor detail, but given that TikTok has generated so much revenue from in-app purchases with next-to-no push on the company’s part. As for theming, coins simply make sense for the app, as users can use them to tip creators in the same way as buskers on the street.

Timing is Everything

When it comes to timing your promotions correctly, this isn’t as simple as putting up something with hearts on Valentine’s Day or running pumpkin-covered competitions and events for Halloween. Timing in modern app promotion is much more involved. and comes down to much finer timescales.

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For instance, if you have a promotion targeting the ultra-healthy for a subscription, sending the notifications out earlier in the morning to fit the early-riser lifestyle may work better. For apps selling luxury products, perhaps aiming for 6 pm on payday would be the peak time. These are all factors to consider for maximum effectiveness.

Which factors you make use of will depend very much on your exact product however some combination of all the factors above will almost always apply in some way. Experiment, explore and test out all the combinations you can for success.