App user acquisition cost has been steadily rising for some time now. That’s why developers are looking for cost-effective or free ways to acquire new users. This includes ASO to get discovered by new users organically, promotion on Facebook and other social networks, as well as ads. So if you’re using all these, you’re on the right track. But there is one more thing you should be doing and that’s in-app cross-promotion.
Cross-promoting an app is different from other types of app marketing because you are not trying to get another app’s users. Instead, you are partnering with another developer or company to exchange ads and send users to each other. Cross-promotion is not about stealing users from a competitor, but cooperating to introduce your app to new users.
So, why should you be doing cross-promotion when it’s not undermining your competitors? Simply because cross-promotion is a good way to get new users. It’s been proven that users feel comfortable about moving from one app to another. If they trust an app and a developer, they will check out something that their favourite app recommends.
If you are a mobile game developer, cross-promoting with another game developer can help you not only tell new users about your game, but also increase your revenue. That’s because gamers coming from another game are more ready to make in-app purchases if they like what they see. So, cross-promoting gives you paying users much quicker than organic user acquisition.
Remember that cross-promotion is not a replacement for organic user acquisition. You can only start cross-promoting when you have a solid user base you can drive to your partner.