Have you ever read a more complicated sub-heading than that one?! Just trying to sum up this topic was challenging enough, so if you’re an app owner, I can see how the thought of putting those tactics together might give you a headache. So we’ve broken it down for you here, so you too can harness the power of this joined up UA strategy.
Firstly, let’s begin by saying that this strategy play is based on a great collaboration between Redbox Mobile and Kayzen (Mobile Programmatic Platform), in which the Redbox team is using Kayzen’s adtech to add an extra dimension to a proven UA tactic on the App Store: custom product pages with performant ASO keywords.
The extra dimension is in-app ad content using Video+, Kayzen’s proprietary product that extends video by integrating interactivity and data to enhance performance with Smart Ad Sequencing, delivered via the Kayzen platform and algorithm.
Video+ Smart Ad Sequencing can boost conversion to 'interest' by 3x and App Store custom product pages can improve install CR by +25% - so here's a way to harness that combined fire-power.
What is in-app programmatic?
To begin, just what are the benefits of Kayzen's Mobile Programmatic for App Owners and Marketers?
- Targeted Reach: With in-app programmatic advertising, you can reach the right audience at the right time, based on their interests and behaviours.
- Real-Time Bidding: Programmatic RTB streamlines ad buying with real-time automation and offers you detailed performance insights for quicker, informed campaign optimisation decisions.
- Cost-Effectiveness: RTB allows you to optimize ad spend by setting budgets and adjusting bids in real-time for maximum value.
- Safe Environment: In-app is a controlled environment, managed by the app owner (such as a news app or retail app); this greatly limits the chance of your ad being seen alongside undesirable or offensive UGC.
Understanding Kayzen's Video+
Video+ is Kayzen's innovative two-stage ad format that merges the immersive impact of fullscreen video with the precise attribution of performance campaigns—all within a single ad impression. This format not only offers two powerful engagement opportunities per impression but also allows you to integrate your branding and performance efforts using interactive end cards for measurable success.
Just like how aligning your in-app video content with your ASO keyword and custom product page strategies can create a virtuous circle of optimal performance, Video+ turbocharges your video campaigns. Whether you're looking to boost brand awareness, drive sales, or engage your audience like never before, Video+ provides the tools and reach necessary to achieve impactful results.
Turbocharging your Smart Ad Sequencing with Video+
Employing Video+ in your Smart Ad Sequencing strategy enhances the precision of your campaigns, targeting users at various stages of the conversion funnel with more granular audience segmentation and timely message delivery. This approach not only engages users in a playful or informative manner through quizzes, coupons, galleries, and editorial content but also utilizes sophisticated machine learning to turbocharge each step from initial engagement to final purchase, ensuring meaningful interactions and measurable results.
- Initially, the strategy involves running a wide-reach “attention” campaign in which users are first shown an in-app video ad to gain their attention. These ads can be skippable or not.
- We encourage advertisers to add an end card to their video ad; this is a call-to-action that’s specifically created to enable us to drive engagement and better understand the user.
- The purpose of the wide-reach “attention” video campaign with the end card is to identify “engaged users” who go ahead and interact with the campaign and end card, which links to a relevant custom product page.
- Users identified as “engaged” by the algorithm are targeted once more by Smart Ad Sequencing to increase interest and improve the chances of conversion. This second-stage engagement might come in the form of a video with a quiz end card and move users to the “interest” stage of engagement.
- Kayzen’s data demonstrates that Smart Ad Sequencing improves conversion rates by 3x between the “attention” and “interest” stages of the funnel. That’s significant!
What next?
The big advantage of utilising the Video+ ad format is that it provides an opportunity to scoop a wealth of additional audience data that can be used by the Kayzen algorithm to instantly segment users, and take them down different paths to the App Store. You can link your Video+ ads to up to 4 different App Store URLs, each a unique custom product page, designed to be highly relevant to each of the 4 user segments defined by the Kayzen algorithm.
Data from Redbox Mobile demonstrates that implementing a custom product page strategy for the App Store can improve conversion rates by +25%. Seamlessly connecting your Video+ ads to an on-brand custom product page that leans-in to the preferences of your potential new user will deliver user growth and also improve your knowledge about your target audience.
Acing Attribution
When setting up this strategy, it’s critical that apps use a mobile measurement partner (MMP) attribution to track the entire user journey, from initial exposure to the first in-app ad, through the Smart Ad Sequencing stages, to the App Store download and subsequent in-app events. Analysis of this data will help us evaluate the value of users attracted via this joined-up strategy.
Creating a virtuous circle of success
When linking your programmatic Video+ and Smart Ad Sequencing strategy with your App Store conversion strategy, there’s a great advantage in harnessing the power of your high-performing keywords and search terms, from your organic and paid media.
If you know what drives the best conversion for you on the App Store, you should be creating Video+ campaigns that reflect and leverage that; similarly, if your Video+ campaign reveals new messaging strategies that drive interest, develop App Store custom product pages that seamlessly build on that.
Hmmm, that seems like a lot to handle?
Well, that’s true - keyword performance analysis across paid and organic is a constant task, since user behaviour is always changing; keeping your mobile ad creative messaging up to date with performant keywords and your wider above-the-line ad strategies, is yet another plate to keep spinning.
Honestly, that’s why businesses like Redbox exist - working with a growth agency is the most efficient way for an app brand to manage this process, whilst also tapping into the latest industry best practices across ASO metadata, creative and paid media planning. Synchronising your in-app programmatic, app store paid media, creative assets and ASO through one set of hands proves immensely valuable in reaching more users and converting, and acquiring them for the longer term.
More about that ASO strategy with Redbox
It's necessary to build your keyword metadata strategy to complement keywords used in programmatic ads and vice versa. Keyword tracking is a constant effort, since user search patterns frequently change and this will change how your keywords are segregated into different groups to target specific users. You can read more about keyword management here. At Redbox, our experienced ASO team identifies the keywords that drive valuable installation for your app brand based on various factors, like search volumes, and relevancy amongst others. We’ll also plan ahead to ensure that your organic keyword strategy keeps pace with the key messages from your other media investments.
To more accurately target users via Kayzen's Video+ campaigns, these keywords are unified and used within your interactive video content. As mentioned earlier, user interactions with Video+ content are captured, and data stemming from these interactions is analysed by the algorithm to further understand user behaviour and which segment they belong to.
Approaching your custom product page creative strategy
We’ve explained above how Video+ users are segmented and then placed on a specific path to the App Store, but how best to leverage that custom product page opportunity?
Key to a successful custom product page strategy is to ensure that you are developing and testing product page sets regularly, to get those incremental growth gains. The creative strategists at Redbox have a detailed approach to the testing roadmap and often work upstream with app clients to develop screenshots and product pages that are aligned to developing strategies and adjusted to increase conversion rates. Your custom product pages need to do more than just look good; they need to perfectly align with the search expectations of your target audiences, and synchronise with the referral path, such as your in-app programmatic campaign.
For more about custom product pages, check out this Redbox vodcast.