Launching a mobile app can be one of the most exciting moves that an affiliate can make. Being able to interact with your audience on a deeper level via your app and mobile services can be infinitely beneficial for your audience, and it can have a positive impact on other elements of your business as a whole, too.

Putting together an app can be a huge investment, though. That’s why it’s essential to have a clear plan in mind when developing your app to help you monetise it from the get-go.

In this blog post, we’ll be going over the top things to know about monetising your mobile app. We’ll be looking at best practices, key strategies and content styles to focus on, in order to help you get the best return on investment with your app this year.

Content

1. Affiliate adverts can make a huge impact
2. Data monetisation can be key
3. In-app content is vital for modern apps
4. Other advert styles can work wonders
   1. -Banner adverts
   2. -Reward adverts
   3. -Interstitial adverts
   4. -Native adverts
5. Sponsorships can be impactful
6. Work with RevGlue to enhance your business today

Affiliate adverts can make a huge impact

To start off with, introducing content about your app into an affiliate marketing strategy is an immensely effective way of boosting your sales. Traditional adverts can be effective for getting superficial engagement with an app or website, but working with affiliate marketers is a brilliant way to get genuine, meaningful interactions from your key audience.

More specifically, try setting up an affiliate marketing scheme where influencers promote a download code or voucher for your app via a different network or channel. Get the influencers to talk about their own personal experiences with the app, using personable and emotive language to get people engaged with what it is you have on offer.

The best thing to do when using affiliate adverts for your mobile app is to split test. Don’t just settle for the first advert idea that you come up with- try different formats and techniques, and track the results so that you can use them to guide your final structure.

Data monetisation can be key

Following on from this, one of the most important types of monetisation to consider is data monetisation. This may sound unappealing to some, as monetisation can often distract from a user’s experience, but it’s essential to consider if you’re looking to get the most out of the time, money and effort you put into your app.

Put simply, data monetisation involves taking user data, making it anonymous and passing it on to third party providers. This is all done with the user's consent, providing the necessary details in terms and conditions throughout the app. There are plenty of organisations looking to purchase data, in order to better understand the habits and interests of modern consumers.

It’s essential to make sure that you are very obvious with your intentions to monetise the app in this fashion. Make sure that the information relating to data usage is clear and accessible, and make sure that there is a direct line of communication for customers to use if they want to ask any questions about your work.

In-app content is vital for modern apps

There are plenty of fantastic ways to monetise your app using built-in content, and it’s worth considering these in tandem with the other techniques discussed in this blog post. Focusing on one particular monetisation idea is great, but putting them all together in a cohesive and natural strategy is a surefire way to find success.

One of the best models to consider for your app this year is a subscription service. This deceptively simple model involves creating a free version of your app and a premium version, where you ask your audience to pay for the better version with a continued subscription. It’s immensely popular and works wonders for generating long term revenue.

Another great way to monetise your work with in-app content is to provide a store element or in-app purchases. This is an immensely adaptable form of monetisation and can be changed to suit any particular style of business.

Some examples of in-app purchases that you could offer up include;

-    Superficial changes like profile picture decals, titles or name changes. 
-    Feature bonuses, like enhancements for gameplay or tokens to spend on making elements of the app run even smoother. 
-    Premium chat rooms or forums, offering members-only discussions and debates.
-    Written or visual content to unlock, covering your key topics in more depth

Whatever it is that your business focuses on specifically, there’s sure to be a great in-app purchase idea to suit your needs.

Other advert styles can work wonders

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to advertise and promote your business. Digital advertising has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, with the pandemic forcing many businesses to get creative with their digital adverts and content ideas.

To help get the most out of your monetisation efforts, it’s worth considering the most effective places to invest in when looking at adverts. The top four kinds of adverts that we’d recommend spending time on for this are;

-    Banner adverts. Offering physical space on your app is a great way to appeal to advertisers, and banner adverts are one of the most popular ways to do this. A simple, eye-catching banner on the top or bottom of the screen can help to ensnare the attention of your key audience, and maximise return for all parties involved. 

-    Reward adverts. If you offer something in your app, like a currency, premium form of content or reward, it could be worth offering these elements in return for engaging with an advert. It’s a great way to incentivise genuine engagement from your audience while still giving them something in return that they’ll enjoy.

As an example, suppose that you offer an in-app currency called tokens. These tokens cost £5 for 50, and you know that not all of your audience will be looking to buy from you. Putting up a video advert and offering 10 tokens in return for watching the full video would guarantee engagement, and help to appease your customers in the long run, too. 

-    Interstitial adverts. This form of advert takes the concept-driven by banner adverts and expands upon it entirely. Interstitial adverts essentially treat the whole screen as real estate and jump out to an audience with detailed visuals and content.

Banner adverts are disruptive, but interstitial adverts are really disruptive. Use these sparingly, and make sure to have adequate content on either side of them playing, in order to keep your customers happy throughout. Too many of these adverts can make your app seem like a simple cash grab, so it’s important to be mindful of them.

-    Native adverts. If you’re offering a social media-based app or a content-based app, native adverts will be the best kind of advert for you to consider. The key focus of native adverts is removing disruption, offering a seamless approach to digital adverts.

Native adverts aim to blend into the platform that they’re being presented on, avoiding anything jumping out at the customer and focusing on providing genuinely interesting content instead. These adverts can be seen on social media platforms like Twitter and Pinterest a lot, and they’re certainly worth looking into.

Naturally, this list is not exhaustive. When looking to attract advertisers for your app, make sure to keep an open mind and let them share their opinions on what they think the best forms of advertising would be. With some careful planning, consideration and discussion, you’re sure to find an advert format that works best for both of you.

Sponsorships can be impactful

Finally, it’s worth examining the importance of sponsorships for app success in more detail. As we noted earlier, affiliate marketers can have a fantastic impact on the success rates of an app launch or marketing campaign. Taking this one step further and working with influencers is a brilliant way to get even more eyes on your work.

To find the best influencers to promote your work with, consider where your audience will be spending their time. Before deciding on an influencer, look at the best platforms that you have at your disposal, consider when your customers will be online and think about which influencers could do the most good for your brand in the long run.

Work with RevGlue to enhance your business today

Overall, the most important thing to consider when putting together an app for your business is your main aims. What do you want to achieve with your app? What do your customers need from you, specifically? Use these key aims to guide your hand while you’re putting together your app, and make sure to get crowd feedback whenever you can.

If you’re looking to learn more about how to maximise your marketing campaigns and affiliate work, do make sure to check out RevGlue today. We’re proud to offer a whole host of services and content dedicated to affiliate marketing, and we’re sure you’re going to love what we have on offer. Take a look at our full website here.