Caring for mental health is becoming one of the main challenges for both individuals and the global economy. More and more people complain about depression, anxiety, and other mental problems. To combat mild depression, there is a special type of application – mHealth. It can be easily created by an experienced team of Inoxoft mhealth app developers. So, in this article, we talk about the general effectiveness of mobile applications, ways to improve them, and more. Keep on reading!
The number of downloads directly affects the ranking of an application in Google Apps and the App Store. The higher it is in the search, the more likely it is that the target audience will notice it and decide to use it. At the same time, a large number of downloads show that marketers have done a good job on marketing strategy, promotion, and ASO, but sometimes it says very little as an indicator of the effectiveness of a mobile application. This is because trends and people's interests change. So it's great to remember that bigger isn't always better, and high demand today doesn't guarantee strong growth tomorrow.
The downloads metric can be useful if you are launching a product for a loyal audience or want to increase it. For example, an application can make it easier to book tables, and a loyalty program can bring even more customers. Although there is always a chance that half of the audience will still come without prior reservation, simply because they are conservative and happy with the way things work now.
Also, it's a good idea to keep track of the number of downloads if you want to develop the best product in the world, and then profitably sell it.
If you use paid promotion channels, then it is a good idea to calculate the average cost per install to estimate the cost of these channels. To do this, divide the promotion costs by the number of users who installed the application. Don't forget to match the number of downloads to the number of deletions. If the application is often downloaded but immediately deleted, it’s a reason to wonder if you are spending your budget on advertising in certain channels for nothing.
Considering that every fifth person after downloading the application opens it only once, it is better not to forget to work on increasing Retention.
If your product involves frequent use, this metric is indispensable. For example, you have developed a fitness application, and it is important for you that people run it every day and train according to the chosen schedule. If they don't do this, they won't form the habit of exercising every day, just as they won't form the habit of opening your app every day.
And, on the contrary, the Retention Rate is a little less important, for example, for the delivery industry. Most likely, users will not order products from the store every day. In this case, this mobile application efficiency metric does not need to be written off, it is simply more expedient to calculate the Retention rate for a week, two, or a month.
Work on onboarding. If people don’t understand how to place an order, select an address, or enter a card number when they first use it, they are unlikely to want to figure it out for a long time. Design hints that will be useful to them at different stages.
Use gamification. For example, earn points at the end of the week for completing daily tasks. Remind about events through push notifications and email newsletters. At the same time, try to take into account their interests, time of activity, and reaction to alerts. Notifications should be associated with help and care, and not cause irritation and intrusiveness.
Do your best to develop a product that will solve the problems of your target audience.
How to measure the effectiveness of a mobile application
The choice of metrics by which it is better to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile applications depends on the scope and specifics of the business. The main thing is to determine a group of indicators before the release and evaluate them according to estimated KPIs. Use heat maps to see the behavior of people in the app, place targeted action buttons on the most popular pages, and keep a close eye on the customer experience. The effectiveness of mobile development depends on it.Number of downloads
This metric can be safely called the most popular. Marketers often monitor it and try to work on increasing the number of installs. They don't just do it to brag about impressive numbers in case studies.The number of downloads directly affects the ranking of an application in Google Apps and the App Store. The higher it is in the search, the more likely it is that the target audience will notice it and decide to use it. At the same time, a large number of downloads show that marketers have done a good job on marketing strategy, promotion, and ASO, but sometimes it says very little as an indicator of the effectiveness of a mobile application. This is because trends and people's interests change. So it's great to remember that bigger isn't always better, and high demand today doesn't guarantee strong growth tomorrow.
The downloads metric can be useful if you are launching a product for a loyal audience or want to increase it. For example, an application can make it easier to book tables, and a loyalty program can bring even more customers. Although there is always a chance that half of the audience will still come without prior reservation, simply because they are conservative and happy with the way things work now.
Also, it's a good idea to keep track of the number of downloads if you want to develop the best product in the world, and then profitably sell it.
If you use paid promotion channels, then it is a good idea to calculate the average cost per install to estimate the cost of these channels. To do this, divide the promotion costs by the number of users who installed the application. Don't forget to match the number of downloads to the number of deletions. If the application is often downloaded but immediately deleted, it’s a reason to wonder if you are spending your budget on advertising in certain channels for nothing.
How to increase the number of downloads
- Consider a marketing strategy: publish news on social networks, post articles on specialized blogs, and press releases on news sites.
- Use an informative icon that looks good on different devices.
- Check that the screenshots of the key screens of the application contain basic information about its functions and tasks.
- Make sure the description is complete and contains enough keywords.
- Post a quality video, as many people start using a product after they watch the video.
- Provide the opportunity to use the application for free. It can be both a trial period and reduced functionality on a free plan.
- Share user-generated content. Positive feedback about your development is the best advertisement.
Retention rate
This metric shows the percentage of users who, after downloading, logged into the application again. This is an indicator of how high-quality your traffic is and whether people have formed the habit of using your product often.Considering that every fifth person after downloading the application opens it only once, it is better not to forget to work on increasing Retention.
If your product involves frequent use, this metric is indispensable. For example, you have developed a fitness application, and it is important for you that people run it every day and train according to the chosen schedule. If they don't do this, they won't form the habit of exercising every day, just as they won't form the habit of opening your app every day.
And, on the contrary, the Retention Rate is a little less important, for example, for the delivery industry. Most likely, users will not order products from the store every day. In this case, this mobile application efficiency metric does not need to be written off, it is simply more expedient to calculate the Retention rate for a week, two, or a month.
How to increase the Retention rate
Make sure that the application interface is clear and convenient. Analyze user behavior, for example with heat maps, and continuously improve UX and UI.Work on onboarding. If people don’t understand how to place an order, select an address, or enter a card number when they first use it, they are unlikely to want to figure it out for a long time. Design hints that will be useful to them at different stages.
Use gamification. For example, earn points at the end of the week for completing daily tasks. Remind about events through push notifications and email newsletters. At the same time, try to take into account their interests, time of activity, and reaction to alerts. Notifications should be associated with help and care, and not cause irritation and intrusiveness.
Do your best to develop a product that will solve the problems of your target audience.
Conclusion
Our mental and physical health, productivity, inspiration, and desire to move forward depending on our emotional state. Therefore, it is very important to be sensitive to yourself and take care of yourself. To make this task easier, people more often choose useful applications for maintaining a psychological state. If you run a project on a similar or other topic but don’t know how to create a cool dedicated app, contact Inoxoft specialists. For sure, they will bring your ideas to life. Thank you for your time!