11 Questions You MUST Ask BEFORE Hiring An App Marketing Agency

Table of Contents

• #1. How Many Successful Mobile Apps Have You Worked With?
• #2. Do You Meet with Apple and Google Regularly?
• #3. Do You Offer Both Organic and Paid Advertising Services?
• #4. Are You Able to Perform Split Testing and Conversion Tracking to Ensure You’re Getting the Greatest Results?
• #5. Do You Provide Weekly Reporting on App Performance?
• #6. What Type of Communication will I have with the Agency?
• #7. Can You Provide Case Studies with Before and After Results?
• #8. How Many Years Have You Been in Business?
• #9. Are You Based in the Country My App’s Audience is Focused On?
• #10. What Percentage of Clients Come Back to You for Ongoing Marketing?
• #11. How Many Apps Have You Gotten Featured by Apple to Appear on the Homepage of the App Store?

Mobile app marketing is insanely cutthroat and competitive. There are over 100,000 new apps that launch on iOS alone every month! Even though your app may be incredibly unique or miles ahead in terms of design, you won’t get customers if you don’t market it the right way.

As a developer, chances are that you aren’t exactly a marketing expert. And that’s ok – that’s why app marketing companies exist. Hiring the right app marketing agency can get you to reach your goals twice as fast and at a fraction of the cost. But hiring the wrong agency can be detrimental, wasting both your time and your money.

Your app business will only be as successful as the team and experts you surround yourself with. There are unfortunately many companies that claim to offer mobile app marketing services that offer generic work and advice.

You need experts on your team to attract your audience and ensure that your app succeeds.

So, if you are thinking of partnering with an agency, here are the 11 questions to ask before hiring an app marketing agency.

#1. How Many Successful Mobile Apps Have You Worked With?

Why: The number of successful apps that an agency has worked with is what separates the amateurs from the experts in the industry. You want to work with a company that knows how the app market works. It’s an added bonus if the app marketing agency has worked with similar successful apps in your category.

A red flag to look out for is an agency that does not exclusively work with mobile apps. Marketing a website or product is VERY different from an app marketing strategy. It requires different strategies and tactics.

Our Answer: PreApps has worked with over 3,250 mobile apps over the past 9 years. Our app marketing strategies have led collectively over 550,000,000 downloads so far. Our team has worked with some of the most successful apps in the world and supported their growth.

#2. Do You Meet with Apple and Google Regularly?

Why: The App Store algorithm at both Apple and Google changes regularly. So, it is important to work with an agency that can stay on top of the latest algorithmic trends which determine how an app ranks on the App Store. Your app optimization score is crucial as it determines your ranking and visibility. You must work with an app marketing agency that knows how to keep your score high even as the algorithms change.

The best way to see if an app marketing company knows what they’re doing is by asking about their connections to Apple and Google. This will weed out 95% of the agencies and freelancers from your list. Only about 5% of agencies out there have a direct relationship with Apple and Google.

Our Answer: Yes! Our team meets with both Apple and Google every month to stay on top of the latest App Store algorithm changes and how they can benefit our clients.

#3. Do You Offer Both Organic and Paid Advertising Services?

Why: Some customers will stumble upon your app organically if they search for it in App Store. This requires App Store Optimization (ASO), which is essential SEO for mobile apps.

However, the majority of your users will learn about you through ads, such as Apple Search Ads.

Since Apple owns and manages both Apple Search Ads and the App Store platforms, the more that you spend on Apple Search Ads the more your organic growth will increase as well. But only if there is cohesion between both initiatives.

By working with an app marketing agency that focuses on both organic (ASO) and paid advertising (Apple Search Ads) it maximizes your campaign performances to drive the lowest cost per download.

Our Answer: Yes! When it comes to mobile app marketing, there are multiple strategies required to achieve big results. Our team provides the best in the industry when it comes to both organic and paid advertising initiatives.

Having the same agency working on both organic and paid advertising is critical as both initiatives are correlated and impact each other. When executed correctly, the more paid advertising you do the more your organic downloads should increase as well.

#4. Are You Able to Perform Split Testing and Conversion Tracking to Ensure You’re Getting the Greatest Results?

Why: Split testing allows you to compare one marketing asset over another to see which performs better to maximize conversions and download. This is also known as A/B testing and is great for comparing versions, such as your app description or screenshot images.

Conversion tracking measures downloads based on advertising channels. This lets you track to see which campaigns are driving in the most customers, such as emails, paid ads, or social media.

Very few app marketing agencies perform proper split testing or conversion tracking. Both of these are critical tools in obtaining the greatest results.

Our Answer: Yes! We provide the most advanced and comprehensive App Store Optimization strategies on the market. We’re able to perform unique split testing methods to maximize results and getting your app on the path to doubling your downloads at half the cost. We also provide comprehensive conversion tracking so you can see exactly where you are attracting downloads.

#5. Do You Provide Weekly Reporting on App Performance?

Why: The only way to know if your investment is worth it is by tracking the results from the agency’s marketing efforts. Many agencies do not provide regular reporting and instead rely on the client to provide updates on their performance. This helps them get away with minimal effort and results – wasting your precious time and resources.

It’s important to hire an app marketing agency that provides you with full transparency. They should be providing reports and analytics to measure your app performance to be able to reach your goals.

Our Answer: Yes! We provide our clients with weekly reporting so you can understand the performance of your app. This also allows us to what needs to be improved to grow and meet our client’s goals.

#6. What Type of Communication will I have with the Agency?

Why:  Communication is the key to any successful business. Unfortunately, many mobile app marketing services do not provide efficient client communication. There are very few who offer 24/7 support.

You want to make sure that you have someone that works with you step by step to ensure that you’re on the path to achieving your app goals.

Our Answer: Yes! All of our esteemed clients are assigned their own private Customer Success Manager. They will work with you step by step through our app marketing plan and answer questions you have along the way.  Our team is also available 27/4 if you need immediate assistance.

#7. Can You Provide Case Studies with Before and After Results?

Why: You can’t (and shouldn’t) take an agency’s word for it – results speak for themselves. It’s important to work with an app marketing agency that can back up their claims by showing results from past clients.  Ask them for case studies to show that their results are aligned with the type of app business goals you are seeking to achieve.

Another good thing to check is to look at the agency’s Clutch reviews. It’s possible the agency could be showing you only their success stories. Clutch is a third-party review platform that only accepts legitimate reviews. This will give you a great point of reference to see what other clients really think about the agency.

Our Answer: Yes! Having worked with thousands of apps over the years we have many case studies to share. Simply reach out and ask us and we’ll be happy to provide you with detailed case studies and video testimonials.

#8. How Many Years Have You Been in Business?

Why: There are new mobile app marketing agencies formed every year – but you want to partner with an agency that has at least a few years of mobile app marketing experience. App marketing is complicated, so you want to work with experts who know what they’re doing.

Our Answer: PreApps is one of the longest-standing mobile app marketing agencies have been in business for over 9 years.

#9. Are You Based in the Country My App’s Audience is Focused On?

Why: The majority of app marketing agencies are now located overseas. This is often done to lower costs for the agency.

Of course, many agencies know that this could be a turn-off for clients who are based in the US or English-speaking countries. So, it is common for an agency to have a US-based address even though all of their support and team are located overseas.

As a result, they provide limited client relations and support. There may be language barriers, making it hard to communicate. Additionally, their support is operating in a totally different time zone.

It is best to hire an app marketing agency with an exclusive team in the United States (or whichever country you are targeting).

Our Answer: Yes! We have experienced app marketing teams located in 80 different counties!

#10. What Percentage of Clients Come Back to You for Ongoing Marketing?

Why:  Client retention determines how well the agency has performed and how well they reached their clients’ goals. You do not want to work with an agency that has their client leave them after their initial engagement. Ideally, you want to see that they have at least a 75% customer retention rate.

Our Answer: We are very proud of the fact that 86% of our esteemed clients value our services so much that they return back to us for ongoing marketing support.

#11. How Many Apps Have You Gotten Featured by Apple to Appear on the Homepage of the App Store?

Why: It should come as no surprise that getting featured on the homepage of the App Store will drive up downloads. Having an app handpicked by Apple and featured on the Homepage of the App Store has always been the holy grail for any app creator.

But only experienced app marketing agencies who are fluent in App Store Optimization tactics can get their clients featured by Apple.

Our Answer: Our team has secured 27 Apple Features so far. We have a unique proven process that will dramatically increase the probability of your app getting featured.  While we can make no guarantees, know that our team will work hard to optimize your app to its fullest.

Conclusion

Finding the right app marketing agency is one of the biggest and most important decisions to make as an app developer. Partnering with the right team can take your mobile app to the next level.

If you’re serious about marketing your app, please reach out to our team at PreApps to and learn how we can help you reach your goals. You may also apply to speak with one of our App Growth Specialists and get a complimentary custom growth plan.

What are you waiting for? Get started with mobile app marketing today!