With election season well underway, the marketing landscape changes drastically. Tight marketing budgets and fierce competition for digital ad space are often the result of stock market volatility and fluctuating consumer confidence. For mobile app marketers, this presents a unique challenge: how do you keep growing and keeping users engaged when the traditional advertising channels become more expensive and less effective?
Inbound marketing strategies are the answer. Inbound marketing is a cost-effective way to grow mobile apps, even during the turbulence of the election season, by focusing on creating value and building relationships with users.
Election periods typically bring a whirlwind of change to the marketing world. As political ads flood the aMarketing usually goes through a whirlwind of change during election periods. Consumer attention is broken down as political ads fill the airwaves and digital spaces. Then there is election uncertainty, that prompts businesses and consumers to be very cautious about their spending.
This caution manifests in several ways:
These conditions are perfect for mobile app marketers. As the usual channels for user acquisition become more expensive and less effective, inbound marketing shines as a new strategy.
InInbound marketing is all about creating experiences that are valuable to people and your business. You don’t interrupt potential users with ads, but rather attract them with content and experiences that are relevant to their needs and interests.
During the election season, inbound marketing becomes particularly powerful for several reasons:
If you align your inbound strategies to election season context, you can keep growing your app and even speed up your growth without spending an extra dime.
Now let’s explore some concrete inbound marketing strategies for the election period.
It’s important to create valuable, non-political content that resonates with your audience’s current needs. Think about how your app can help solve or ease someone’s stress during this potentially difficult time.
For example:
But the key is to connect your content to the larger context of the election season without talking about partisan issues. This means you can stay relevant while actually delivering real value to your users.
Organic search traffic is becoming more and more valuable as paid advertising gets more competitive. Focus on optimizing your content for search engines by:
Don't forget to mix timely, election-related content with evergreen topics to help you reap long-term SEO benefits.
During the election season, interactive content can greatly increase user engagement. Consider implementing:
Not only does this engage users, but also it gives deep insights into what your audience prefer and what they would like to do with the app you promote.
During election season, personalized communication is even more important. Use email marketing and push notifications strategically to:
Think about timing and frequency too: this high-stress period may not have been easy for the users, and they can be even more sensitive to notifications during this time. To see which approach is the correct balance, test it against other approaches.
As budgets tighten, it’s more important than ever to get the most bang for your marketing buck. Here are strategies to consider:
? Focus on channels with lower Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Concentrate on organic social media growth, content marketing, and SEO, which typically take less budget upfront.
? Retarget high-intent users. Use inbound methods like personalized email campaigns or exclusive content offers to re-engage users who have shown an interest but are yet to convert.
? Leverage referral programs. Bring in new users by encouraging your existing users to invite them. People are more likely to trust what friends and family have to say about products than the ads.
? Don’t neglect user-generated content. If you don’t encourage reviews, testimonials, and social media shares, you are missing out on social proof and organic reach expansion.
? Don’t make decisions without data. Don’t guess which channels and content types are most effective. With analytics, you can identify what works and what doesn’t so you can optimize your budget allocation.
Tracking the right metrics and optimising your inbound strategies will help you ensure your inbound strategies are effective. Key performance indicators to monitor include:
Gather and analyze the data using tools like Google Analytics, your app’s built-in analytics, and marketing automation platforms. These metrics are ones that you can review regularly in order to quickly see holes in your planning and then pivot your strategy accordingly.
The political landscape can change quickly during election season. Be prepared to adapt if big things happen, including major changes in public sentiment. Stay agile.t.
Your mobile app doesn’t have to stagnate during election season. Inbound marketing strategies can help you move past budget constraints and increased competition, and create stronger, longer lasting relationships with your users. Additionally, the skills and methods you learn will continue to serve you well with your app after the election is over.
Whether the political climate is red, blue, or purple, be ready to take your mobile app’s growth to the next level. Go deeper into these strategies and find out how to tweak them to fit your app and audience. If you want personalized insights and expert guidance on how to implement these inbound marketing tactics, get in touch with the team at Creative Clicks.
