Mobile App Marketing
User acquisition, app store optimisation and retention for apps that need active users, not just installs.
FDC's mobile app marketing covers the full path from the app store listing to an active user: app store optimisation, paid user acquisition on Meta, Google, TikTok and Apple Search Ads, and the retention work that turns an install into someone who keeps using the app.
Campaigns are measured on cost per install and on what those users do next.
Book a strategy callMobile app marketing has three parts. App store optimisation makes the listing findable and convincing, so organic searches turn into downloads. Paid user acquisition buys installs from the audiences most likely to use the app. Retention brings people back after the first open, through onboarding, push messages and re-engagement campaigns.
Most apps over-invest in the second part. Installs that never open the app a second time make cost per install look good while the business gets nothing from them.
For a fintech app in MENA, FDC's campaigns drove 500,000+ downloads. For a ride-hailing app, cost per install fell by 25%+. For Finafy, a UAE credit card comparison platform, daily applications rose 5x in under a month after launch, and its social audience grew from about 700 to 20,000.
These are individual results for individual apps, not benchmarks. What they share is a launch plan that combined paid acquisition with creative tested and refreshed as the campaign ran.
Campaigns start with tracking: install and in-app events have to reach the ad platforms, or the algorithm optimises for the wrong user. Creative is then built for each platform, with several hooks tested at once, and budget moves toward the audiences that complete the in-app action that matters, such as a sign-up or first transaction.
The app store listing does the selling for every channel, paid or organic. Title, subtitle, keywords, screenshots and preview video are written for the searches people actually make, then tested. A stronger listing lowers the cost of every paid install that lands on it.
- App Store Optimisation (ASO)
- Titles, keywords, screenshots and preview videos for Google Play and the App Store.
- User Acquisition Campaigns
- Install campaigns on Meta, Google App Campaigns, TikTok and Apple Search Ads.
- Launch Campaigns
- Pre-launch teasers, launch-week pushes and the first month of acquisition.
- App Creative
- Video and static ads made and tested for each app platform.
- Retention and Re-engagement
- Onboarding, push messaging and campaigns that bring lapsed users back.
- App Analytics
- Install and in-app event tracking, funnels and cohort reporting.
The steps the work runs through, in the order they happen.
01 / 04
App audit
Review the listing, tracking, reviews, competitors and current acquisition costs.
02 / 04
Tracking and ASO
Connect in-app events to the ad platforms and improve the store listing.
03 / 04
Acquire users
Launch install campaigns with several creative angles and audiences.
04 / 04
Retain and grow
Improve onboarding and re-engagement, and move budget to the users who stay.
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Book a strategy callMobile App Marketing case studies
Scroll through 4 campaigns
Mobile App Marketing work FDC has shipped
See the full portfolio
Frequently asked questions
What is ASO?
App store optimisation (ASO) is the work of improving an app's visibility and conversion in Google Play and the App Store, through the title, keywords, screenshots, video and ratings, so more people find and download it without paid ads.
Which platforms do you run app install campaigns on?
Meta, Google App Campaigns, TikTok and Apple Search Ads. The mix depends on the app, the market and where its users already spend time.
How do you measure app marketing success?
Cost per install is the starting point, but the real measure is cost per active user or per in-app action, such as a sign-up, first deposit or first order.
What results have you achieved for apps?
500,000+ downloads for a fintech app across MENA, a 25%+ reduction in cost per install for a ride-hailing app, and 5x daily applications for Finafy in under a month after launch. Each is an individual result, not a guarantee.
Can you market an app before it launches?
Yes. Pre-launch work builds an audience and tests creative so the launch week has demand ready, as FDC did for Finafy.
Do you market apps outside the UAE?
Yes. FDC runs app campaigns across MENA and in other markets, planned around each market's platforms and audience.
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