A Beginner's Guide to Mobile User Acquisition Strategies

Mastering the mobile gaming landscape requires capturing users' attention, driving downloads, and ensuring an exceptional gaming experience. However, as a mobile game developer, you may face a dilemma when it comes to executing user acquisition campaigns, with options including building an in-house team, collaborating with a mobile marketing agency, or partnering with a mobile game publisher. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, and the choice depends on your specific objectives and resources. To make an informed decision, let's examine the role of a mobile marketing team in the gaming industry and how it operates. Setting the goals of the UA department begins with understanding the game's objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs), which shape the marketing strategy. For instance, if a game aims to generate $100 million in revenue annually, the company sets annual objectives based on this target, and the UA team sets sub-goals, calculating marketing spend and return on investment (ROI) to achieve this target. The main tasks include optimizing advertising campaigns, analyzing channels to minimize costs while maximizing profit, and understanding how traffic source algorithms work. Achieving this balance is complex and requires synergy among various factors. In addition to launching and optimizing campaigns, the UA department's tasks include strategic planning, analyzing historical data, communicating with advertising platforms, managing emergencies, and more. Effective traffic purchasing requires UA managers to have a solid grasp of project monetization, understanding user behavior, and how they spend on in-app purchases. The key formula in mobile game marketing is lifetime value (LTV) greater than cost-per-install (CPI), although this is a simplified guideline with many nuances. Now, let's explore how UA works in in-house teams, agencies, and publishers, and examine the pros and cons of each approach. In-house UA teams offer the advantage of not having to share revenue, close connection to the game, and long-term investment in the studio's growth. However, they also come with significant costs, the need for necessary resources, and limited expertise in traffic sources. Agencies, on the other hand, bring accumulated experience from various clients, expertise in specific strategies and sources, and creative production capabilities. Nevertheless, they charge a fee, have less in-depth game knowledge, and may involve a longer decision-making process. Publishers offer comprehensive in-house immersion combined with agency-level expertise, specialized groups focusing on different sources, and large resources for creative production. They also address the cash gap by financing advertising campaigns and provide business development advantages. However, they require revenue sharing, can lead to dependency, and may involve contractual limitations, reputational risks, and diminished developer focus and control. To determine the best approach for your project, consider your goals, where you see your project in two to three years, and what milestones you're aiming for. Take your time to think carefully about these questions, as they may significantly impact the future of your project.