TikTok continues to grow despite the very unlikely and tame threat of a US ban, with millions of active users and billions of video views daily. As a marketing platform, it’s a game changer, offering unique opportunities for brands to reach and engage with their target audience. If you want to promote an app, TikTok is the place to be. But as with any other marketing channel, it’s essential to have a strategy in place for driving app installs, and TikTok in-app sales or other in-app conversions. In this article, you’ll find some key tips and strategies that will help you drive TikTok app installs and in-app conversions this year!

Source: Unsplash

Why TikTok?

Before getting into it, let’s first understand why this platform is so important for app marketers. TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, with 38% of those users under the age of 24. This makes TikTok’s user base one of the youngest of any social media app – a key demographic for app marketers. This young, highly engaged audience is the most tech-savvy of any generation, and more likely to use mobile apps than any other age group. This makes TikTok a prime platform for driving app installs and generating in-app sales.

TikTok also has an incredibly high rate of user engagement, with users spending an average of 95 minutes per day on the app. During this time, users are in a continuous cycle of engagement, constantly discovering and consuming new content. This presents a unique opportunity for app marketers to reach and engage with their target audience in a way that is unmatched by any other platform.

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Understanding TikTok’s algorithm

To effectively drive TikTok in-app sales and app installs, it’s important to understand the platform’s algorithm. Unlike other platforms, TikTok promotes content from diverse accounts based on user preferences and behaviors, not just follower counts. The algorithm weighs user interactions, video details, and personal settings to curate content, ensuring a mix of posts from various creators. This approach levels the playing field, offering equal viral potential for accounts of all sizes. Brands can further leverage this by targeting specific user demographics and interests and optimizing their ads’ reach and engagement.

Struggles with app marketing in the past 12 months (with examples)

Promoting your app this year may come with some unique challenges. While there have never been more opportunities to reach potential users, there is also more competition than ever before. As the app market continues to grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to gain traction in a saturated space. Here are some of the struggles app marketers are facing currently.

Ad fatigue

With users becoming more selective with the content they consume, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for app marketers to capture and hold a user’s attention. As a result, ads may not connect with users as effectively as they used to, making it harder to drive app installs and conversions.

Tracking limitations

With stricter privacy regulations and changes to online tracking, app marketers are now facing limitations on how they can track user behavior and measure the success of their campaigns. This makes it harder to accurately target and retarget potential users. SKAN’s privacy functionality makes everything more difficult for advertisers to track.

Increased competition

As more and more apps enter the market, the competition for users’ attention and downloads is fierce. There are over 3.55 million Android apps on the market and 1.6 million apps available for iOS. This means that app marketers need to constantly find new and innovative ways to stand out from the crowd.

Ad blockers

37% of Internet users now use ad blockers, which means it’s becoming increasingly difficult for app marketers to reach their target audience through traditional advertising methods. This forces them to get creative with their marketing strategies and find alternative ways to promote their app.

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High cost of user acquisition

With the increased competition and limited attention spans, it’s becoming more expensive for app marketers to acquire new users. In fact, a recent study found that the average global cost per install (CPI) for iOS apps is $3.60 and $1.20 for Android apps.

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How TikTok will help app companies scale in 2024

Getting your app to generate revenue requires a two-pronged approach: acquiring new users and getting the most out of your existing ones. TikTok has the potential to help app companies in both of these areas, making it a valuable platform for app marketers looking to scale their business this year. Here are some of TikTok’s app campaign optimization features that will help you scale your app and increase your users’ Lifetime Value (LTV):

The learning phase

When a new AEO campaign is initiated on TikTok, it doesn’t instantly reach its peak performance. Instead, it enters what’s known as the “Learning Phase”. During this period, TikTok’s algorithms gather data signals from users performing the targeted actions.

This means that initially, while the system is learning, there might be fluctuations in the campaign’s performance. However, as more data is collected and processed, the campaign’s targeting refines itself, improving its efficiency. Advertisers must exercise patience during this phase, resist making frequent changes to the campaign, and allow it to gather momentum for the best results.

Two AEO solutions

TikTok offers two main AEO solutions: “AEO once” and “AEO every”. The “AEO once” solution targets users who are likely to make a singular purchase or action within the app. It’s particularly effective for apps that depend on a one-time significant event, such as signing up for a service.

On the other hand, “AEO every” seeks users inclined to make multiple purchases or actions. This is ideal for apps that rely on recurrent user engagement, such as gaming apps where users might make multiple in-app purchases. Depending on their monetization model, app companies can choose the solution that best aligns with their objectives.

Flexible bid strategies

One of the hallmarks of TikTok’s AEO system is the flexibility it offers in terms of bid strategies. Advertisers can opt for “Cost Cap”, where they set and control the bid for their AEO conversions. This is especially suited for those who want a tight rein on their campaign costs.

Alternatively, they can go for the “Lowest Cost” strategy. Here, TikTok’s system autonomously sets the bid, aiming to achieve the lowest cost per conversion while maximizing the daily budget. This diversity in bidding options allows app companies to tailor their campaigns based on their budgetary considerations and desired outcomes.

iOS 14 dedicated campaigns

With the introduction of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, there was a paradigm shift in how apps could track and target users. To navigate this change, TikTok rolled out its iOS 14 Dedicated Campaigns. These campaigns are specifically designed to comply with Apple’s ATT so that advertisers can still target iOS 14 and create a broad and diversified user acquisition strategy.

Sources: Pexels

3 examples of powerful TikTok campaigns

Sometimes it’s helpful to see real-life examples of successful campaigns on TikTok before you launch your own. Here are three examples of different types of app campaigns that have produced impressive results on TikTok:

Jodel

Jodel is an app that connects local communities with a lively mix of news, questions, and real-life happenings. Determined to acquire new users in Germany, France, and Sweden while also improving their overall user retention rates, they set their eyes on TikTok. But they wanted to do this without blowing their budget, aiming for a cost of €1.79 to €2.24 per install.

Jodel’s big break came when they paired with a TikTok marketing agency, House of Marketers. They matched them with 60 carefully chosen TikTok creators to launch an influencer marketing campaign across the app. They then took full control of their TikTok ads and the results were incredible. The impact was like a domino effect – 73 million views and 85,644 installs, all while keeping the cost at a smooth €2.29 per install. With the right people spreading the word, Jodel found its way into smartphones and social feeds across Europe, all while keeping its CPI remarkably low.

@emmasliebe #jodelapp #kennenlernen #neuestadt #studentenleben @Jodel ♬ original sound – Emma Josephine

Dragon City

Dragon City, a free mobile game, aimed to expand its user base and engage players via TikTok, targeting males (16-25) in LATAM and the USA. They sought a savvy marketing agency to enhance visibility and secure cost-efficient TikTok app installs, eyeing a CPM of $4 to $5. They were connected with 20 TikTok influencers, launching a powerful UGC campaign.

They made sure that the chosen influencers captured the game’s dynamic spirit and appealed to the desired demographic. With the power of authentic user-generated content and a robust paid media campaign on TikTok, they were able to reach their goals. Their TikTok-native content acquired 6 million video views across two continents, culminating in 209,000 engagements, and surpassing projected CPM targets by an impressive 50%. TikTok gave them instant access to their target audience, resulting in a surge of organic downloads. The Dragon City team was delighted with the results and continues to lead successful TikTok campaigns, who are also in partnership with House of Marketers.

@jigshaw.puzzle I’m addicted istg #dragoncity #fyp #xyzcba #foryoupage ♬ original sound – 🦖 Shaw 🦕 (🎈⭐)

Airalo

Airalo, the first-of-its-kind eSIM store offering cost-effective data plans for international travel, wanted to make waves on TikTok. They aimed to boost app installs by connecting with US travelers aged 18-35, all without the excessive advertising costs. They wanted to reach a community passionate about affordable globetrotting and TikTok looked like the right place to do just that.

They decided on a simple strategy: collaborate with micro-influencers in the travel sector who specialize in budget-savvy tips. These influencers shared Airalo’s value through genuine travel stories and money-saving advice, speaking directly to like-minded individuals within their circles. The campaign was a resounding success, generating over 2.1 million views and an impressive 12.3% engagement rate. The most notable win was their low CPI, with the campaign driving TikTok app installs at an impressively low rate of just $0.23 per install. Airalo continues to tap into the power of TikTok, now with a growing community of enthusiastic travelers eager to experience the world without breaking the bank.

@travel_withlexie Looking for an inexpensive international phone plan? I use Airalo every time I travel and love this alternative! #airalo #esim #traveltips #phoneplan #internationaltravel#greenscreen ♬ original sound – travelw/lexie | tips&guides ✈️

Start a TikTok app installs campaign

Ready to start your own successful TikTok app installs campaign? Most top marketing agencies have a dedicated team of experts who specialize in creating impactful app marketing campaigns on TikTok. Through content and ads. Their experience and knowledge of the platform allow them to create optimized strategies that target your desired audience while staying within a reasonable budget. They’re creative, data-driven, and always up-to-date with the latest trends on TikTok.

Get in touch with them today to learn more about how they can help you reach your app install goals on TikTok.