What is TikTok’s app installs objective?
TikTok’s app installs objective drives users to install your app. Once clicked, the ad will redirect TikTokers to the landing page to download your app (Advertisemint, 2022). This makes it an important objective for brands looking to grow their mobile app user base through TikTok.
The key to driving installs on TikTok is the platform’s powerful algorithm. TikTok’s AI and machine learning closely analyzes user behavior to determine which ads are most relevant to each user. This allows highly targeted delivery of app install campaigns to users most likely to download the app after seeing the ad (Omega Theme, 2022).
Creative is also a major factor in generating installs on TikTok. Eye-catching videos optimized for mobile that clearly demonstrate the app’s value help convince viewers to download. TikTok’s immersive full screen ad experience makes it easy for users to click and install from within the app (Booyah Advertising, 2022).
Why app installs matter for brands on TikTok
App install campaigns on TikTok are an important part of a brand’s marketing strategy for several reasons:
First, promoting an app on TikTok helps brands reach new audiences that are not accessible on other platforms. TikTok’s user base skews young, with over 60% of users aged 24 and under. Running app install ads allows brands to get their apps in front of this coveted demographic.
Second, successful app install campaigns drive ongoing engagement with fans. Users who download a brand’s app through TikTok are more likely to sign up for an account, enable push notifications, and repeatedly use the app. This creates a valuable owned marketing channel for future communications.
Finally, brands can gain data and insights on users who download their app from TikTok. By tracking actions taken within the app, brands can better understand their TikTok-driven install audience and tailor messaging and experiences accordingly.
In summary, app installs are a key objective for brands on TikTok because they provide access to new audiences, build lasting engagement with users, and offer valuable data on an emerging consumer base.
How TikTok’s Algorithm Boosts App Install Campaigns
One of the key ways TikTok’s algorithm favors app install campaigns is by boosting content that drives desired actions like app downloads. The algorithm specifically looks for signals that a video could lead to an app install and will give those videos more exposure. This includes captions, hashtags, links, and mentions of your app or calls-to-action to download.
TikTok also tends to reward creative, fun, and entertaining videos that garner engagement. So focusing on producing quality content that people genuinely enjoy and want to share can provide a helpful boost from the algorithm. Funny, informative, surprising, or emotional videos often gain traction.
Furthermore, TikTok’s algorithm looks closely at how users interact with your content. Metrics like clicks, shares, comments, follows, and likes offer signals to the algorithm about your content’s quality and relevance. Optimizing your content and captions to drive these actions can help the algorithm promote your videos to more potential app installers. Using relevant hashtags and including your app name in captions also gives the algorithm useful data for targeting the right viewers.
Overall, focusing on creative and engaging video content that encourages app installs through clear calls-to-action is the best way to leverage TikTok’s algorithm for your app install campaigns.
Sources:
How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work In 2023? – HubSpot Blog
12 Powerful TikTok app marketing tips to scale installs and conversions – Business of Apps
Best practices for TikTok app install campaigns
Here are some best practices to follow when running TikTok app install campaigns:
Create short, eye-catching videos that showcase your app’s key features and value proposition. Videos on TikTok can be up to 60 seconds long, but 15-30 seconds is often ideal. Use fun graphics, music, and effects to capture attention quickly. See this guide for more video tips for driving TikTok app installs.
Include a strong, clear call-to-action. Tell viewers exactly what you want them to do, like “Download our app now!” or “Get the app and start reading!” Make the CTA prominent visually and verbally.
Leverage influencers to promote your app install campaign. Influencer marketing can be highly effective on TikTok. Partner with creators to have them showcase your app in their own style. Make sure they clearly direct viewers to download.
Test different creatives, ad formats, and targeting options. Continually iterate and optimize based on performance data. Try different video styles, ad placements, and audiences to see what resonates best.
Measuring success of TikTok app installs campaigns
There are a few key metrics to focus on when measuring the success of TikTok app install campaigns:
Install attribution data is crucial for understanding the impact of your TikTok campaign. This shows you how many app installs can be directly attributed to your TikTok ads. You can track install attribution by integrating TikTok’s SDK or using a third party attribution provider.
Analyzing lift in app downloads during the campaign flight window versus previous periods without TikTok ads running can illustrate the incremental impact of the campaign. If app downloads increased significantly with the TikTok campaign, it indicates the ads are driving strong performance.
Looking at increased app usage and retention for users acquired from TikTok can determine the quality of the new users driven by the campaign. If TikTok users exhibit high engagement and retention, it signifies your targeting and creative is dialed in.
According to one source, video thruplay rate is an important metric for app install campaigns, as high thruplay indicates your creative was engaging and held attention (source). Thruplay measures video completion at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%.
Creative optimization for driving installs
To maximize app installs, it’s important to optimize your creative on an ongoing basis. TikTok offers tools like Automated Creative Optimization (ACO) that leverage AI to test different versions of creative elements and serve the best-performing combinations to users [1]. This takes the guesswork out of A/B testing various creatives. You can customize image, text, and call-to-action elements that ACO will iterate on to find top performers.
Creative should also be personalized and localized as much as possible. The TikTok Creative Center provides guidance on trends, music, and creative that resonates in different regions and for different demographics [2]. Your creatives are more likely to drive installs if they speak directly to the targeted users.
Leveraging trending audios, hashtags, effects and challenges unique to TikTok in your video creative makes it feel native and authentic. This helps it capture more attention and engagement. Stay on top of new viral content, tailor creatives for each campaign, and keep iterating. The most important thing is thinking mobile-first for a seamless user experience that drives installs.
Why mobile apps are key for brands today
Mobile apps have become essential for brands looking to increase engagement, build loyalty, and maintain an ongoing relationship with customers. According to Adobe, mobile apps help businesses build stronger brands by creating more touchpoints for customers to interact with the brand (1). Apps provide a direct line of communication and a personalized experience that keeps customers engaged long-term.
With branded apps, businesses can send push notifications, offer exclusive deals, provide helpful content, and gain valuable data about customer preferences and behaviors. This helps nurture loyalty and tailor messaging to individual users’ needs. Over time, customers who use a brand’s app demonstrate higher retention rates and lifetime value compared to non-app users according to data from Entrepreneur (2). Apps essentially create an ongoing relationship and community around a brand.
Moreover, branded apps allow for better data collection and analytics compared to a website alone. With user permissions, businesses can track in-app behaviors, purchase history, location data and more. These insights help personalize and optimize the app experience to cater to target users. Apps are an impactful way for brands to provide value, connect emotionally, and ultimately boost loyalty with customers.
Driving installs through influencer marketing
Influencer marketing has become a powerful way for brands to drive app installs on TikTok. By partnering with relevant nano and micro-influencers who have strong engagement and loyal followings, brands can get their app in front of engaged audiences primed for conversion.
According to this article, nano and micro-influencers often have higher engagement rates and can be very effective at driving app installs. Their audiences trust their recommendations and are more likely to take action like downloading an app. Additionally, partnering with multiple influencers allows brands to reach a wider audience.
When partnering with influencers for app install campaigns, it’s important to choose those whose personality and content aligns well with the app and its target user base. They will be able to authentically showcase and promote the app to their followers in an engaging way. Allowing influencers to get creative with branded content that is on-brand but unique to their channel is key.
Overall, influencer marketing is an important component of a successful TikTok app install strategy. By tapping into influencers’ audiences and creativity, brands can amplify their app campaigns and get more downloads.
Case studies of successful TikTok app campaigns
TikTok has proven to be an effective platform for driving app installs through creative and targeted campaigns. Major brands like Chipotle, Grubhub and EatClub have found great success using TikTok to promote their apps.
Chipotle ran an app install campaign using the objective, targeting Gen Z users. According to TikTok’s case study, Chipotle saw a 26% lower cost per app install compared to other social platforms. The campaign also drove a 21% higher 7-day return on ad spend. By leveraging TikTok’s unique formats like TopView, Chipotle creatively engaged users.
Similarly, food delivery service Grubhub ran an app install campaign focused on driving awareness and conquesting new users. The results were extremely positive with Grubhub achieving 2x lower cost per app install and 38% higher 7-day return on ad spend compared to other platforms like Facebook. Grubhub credits TikTok’s native formats for the success.
EatClub, a corporate meal service, also found great traction on TikTok for their app install efforts. Their campaign targeted a broad 18-40 demographic resulting in a 46% lower cost per install and 28% higher day-seven return on TikTok compared to other platforms according to their case study. Their focus on humor and entertainment in ads worked well.
These examples showcase how TikTok can generate quality app installs at scale for brands in diverse verticals. The interactive and entertaining ad formats are key for engaging users and driving them to download.
Key takeaways
TikTok presents a powerful opportunity for brands to drive app installs due to its massive scale and engaging video format. By leveraging TikTok’s advanced targeting options, optimizing creative for mobile shopping, and coordinating influencer campaigns, brands can generate a high volume of installs through TikTok at an efficient cost.
Brands that make app installs a top priority objective for their TikTok investment will see substantial returns. Measuring cost per install and lifetime value of users acquired allows brands to evaluate the ROI of their campaigns.
To maximize results, brands should:
- Produce engaging short form video content ideal for the TikTok platform
- Strategically place direct links to app stores within content
- Work with influencers to promote the app in an authentic way
- Focus targeting on high intent users and existing followers
- Iteratively optimize creative based on performance data
With strategic execution, TikTok provides an essential channel for efficiently driving a high volume of quality app installs.
