User acquisiton is often the primary focus for app developers, who are constantly bidding against hundreds of other gaming companies on social media with the same goal: to reach users with a demonstrated interest in mobile games that are most likely to make in-app purchases. Given this intense competition for a very specific kind of customer, it’s surprising that many social media campaigns aren’t optimized toward yield or revenue. More frequently, app developers target towards Cost Per Install (CPI) and then lower their spend volume too soon because they don’t have the budget to continue accruing a large number of installs per day.
Revenue Optimization is a strategy that many gaming companies tend to overlook, and that’s not the only thing. With all this focus on user acquisition, app developers seem to be missing a major component of digital advertising — namely, re-engagement. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be an easier conversion to get someone to use an already downloaded app than try to get them to download it for the first time? It’s already on their phone. Or, say your game’s been around for two years, and you’re running FacebookLookalikes instead of acquisition campaigns. At that point, you need to think beyond “How do I get them to install?” to “How do I get them to spend more money?”
