Database Users

[Q] Request for feedback: increasing my app usage

Hi all,
As a new dev in the android ecosystem, I am looking for other devs feedback on the following.
I have an app with about a few thousands user base. Growing slightly, but also with a decreasing active ratio.
As my revenue is ads driven, I'd like to experiment a few tricks to encourage users to use the app more, without being too intrusive.
A few ideas:
- show a notification after a few days that the app hasn't been used, to encourage the user using it again.
- feature: user can share the app's install page with friends (stimulate organic growth), via a share intent.
-> Devs, any stories on trying something similar?
Any feedback appreciated.

I'm a new developer, old-time programmer. Put 2 apps out December 21, 2009 and I'm approaching a whopping 30 sales; be happy you have 1,000+ (or more)
Wish I could help with the question, but I'm not really sure how to expose apps to a wider audience. I've thought about porting to iPhone/iPad and Windows Mobile to expand my user base. But I'm still pretty new to Android development and want to get more into it before learning yet another programming language right now.
I've actually thought of going to local bars and trying to strike-up conversations with people using smartphones and showing them my apps. Maybe buy them a drink LOL.
I firmly believe that if you have a solid working app and one person uses it, they may tell 5 of their friends and maybe 2 of them will buy it and tell 5 more people of which 1 or 2 might but it. Pyramid type sales but it's slow moving.
What kind of bothers me is all the damn FREE apps out there; I think they should be segregated from the Google Market; I've yet to go to any type of Market and get something for free! LOL And I wonder about free apps sometimes. Take SMS pop-up or whatever it's called. It's a decent app...it's free. I saw it at "over 250,000 downloads". Well, why didn't they charge $1.00 or $0.50 for it (do the math, I'll take $125,000!!). Any possibility it's forwarding people's text messages? Just sayn'

adn37 said:
A few ideas:
- show a notification after a few days that the app hasn't been used, to encourage the user using it again.
- feature: user can share the app's install page with friends (stimulate organic growth), via a share intent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your first option sounds REALLY annoying. Your second option sounds perfectly fine. See later on for further points on what might help.
Rootstonian said:
What kind of bothers me is all the damn FREE apps out there; I think they should be segregated from the Google Market; I've yet to go to any type of Market and get something for free! LOL And I wonder about free apps sometimes. Take SMS pop-up or whatever it's called. It's a decent app...it's free. I saw it at "over 250,000 downloads". Well, why didn't they charge $1.00 or $0.50 for it (do the math, I'll take $125,000!!). Any possibility it's forwarding people's text messages? Just sayn'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everyone is in it for the money. Some people just maybe write something that is missing on the market but don't want to make money from it. It might be just their hobby. Not everyone needs to be capitalistic, trying to turn everything into revenue.
The Android market is a lot about freedom, and there is high competition between free and paid apps. If your sole intent is to make money on apps, you will probably better off trying to target iOS. The most recent news I have is that an average iOS user will spend 7 times as much money on apps than an Android user. I think this fact kind of speaks for itself.
However if you still want to stick by, here are a couple of things I would suggest:
Offer a (free) lite version of your application as this will give users the ability to see whether your app means business or not, and if they'll like it they might go further to go for the paid version.
Android market uses keyword searching (there's probably a better term), so make sure your description hits as many possible words that may be applicable to your product while not being too heavy to read.
Advertising... don't ask me where as I wouldn't be able to help much with that. But if you're in it to make money, you probably have a business model so you should have some capital too that you can put into advertising.
That's about all I guess.

@Rootstonian
I have apps on the market, and in the last 3 months have made over $1k off ads in my free version, while only making about $250 off of the full paid version.

Very good responses there This forum does have some very intelligent people on it!
I'm anti-adware unfortunately. If that hurts my sales, then so be it; I can live with that. I won't allow ads in my apps.
As far as free versions, I would have to write "crippled" versions of the programs to limit full functionality. Well, not going to do that either. And to be honest, who can't afford $1.00?
Actually, the 15 minute return policy has hurt me I think. Some apps just can't be reviewed in 15 minutes, to wit, my current (almost done) Spam Text Blocker. There is no way someone can evaluate that in 15 minutes, so I have to code some type of limit on how many rows can go into the spam database.
Anyways, I'm way off topic (as usual) and being negative which is usually something I don't do. And I must remember, my stuff has only been out ONE month.
I do use a Macbook Pro, and I have downloaded the iPhone SDK; maybe I should take a break from Android OS and port a couple of apps to iOS and see what they do.
P.S. A smart man doesn't limit his options. How does the apps with ads stuff work?

Just apply to admob, its easy. They give nicely detailed usage statistics too

hi all,
Thanks for the feedback.
On "tell a friend about this app" feature:
Your second option sounds perfectly fine. See later on for further points on what might help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll just stick with that, then. Any idea what's best to link to? A blog? Android market?
I'm still looking for an app that does it in a nice way, as a case study.
I'm a new developer, old-time programmer. Put 2 apps out December 21, 2009 and I'm approaching a whopping 30 sales; be happy you have 1,000+ (or more)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you. Unfortunately, this is all about execution and idea potential. As coders, we are often thinking about code quality, this is only the 1st step.
On ads: at the end of the day, it might be a hobby to design apps, but fun decreases when it comes down to fixing bugs for the sake of it. Ihmo, a slight revenue is good, as it encourages devs to keep up enhancing their apps.
I'm anti-adware unfortunately. ... And to be honest, who can't afford $1.00?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a big fan of ads neither. It's all about culture. On Android, people are reticent to pay.

Good points and well said Adn
I actually got into this starting with Google Market apps, but my true goal is to get into corporate mobile development. I feel this is a technology barely in it's infancy. Just as almost all business' needed a web page, I think the same will hold true for a mobile app.
I just put in my resume to a company looking for an iPhone developer (1 year contract), but they also wanted to talk to Android developers too (wish me luck LOL).
Now, I'm on the fence as to what platform to go with. I think with the iPhone AND iPad, that iOS is the way to go with regards to corporate coding; so I'm going to head in that direction for now.

Mobile Ad Networks - good or bad?

Hi all,
I would like to seek your feedback on your experience with mobile ad networks. Should I be engaging the big players like AdMob or can I go to smaller ad networks? They all look the same to me, offering the same services.
Cheers!

chongnyen said:
Hi all,
I would like to seek your feedback on your experience with mobile ad networks. Should I be engaging the big players like AdMob or can I go to smaller ad networks? They all look the same to me, offering the same services.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my apps I usually combine several ad networks. Admob has a very small eCPM, so Im using iAd + Mobfox + Admob for iPhone and Mobfox + Admob for android.

It really depends on what your app is for, does, etc. For instance I develop live wallpapers. So I would need an ad company that would work with live wallpapers not necessarily a "regular app".
Personally I use leadbolt:
The only ad type from them I use is the notification ad. They offer different types this one works for me. Since my live wallpapers aren't traditional apps that users enter this works great since it will display a small ad in the notification bar that is easily "cleared" if the user chooses not to click it. They are not forced to click, etc. This means your users wont leave a lot of those spam 1 star ratings. Its also easy to implement with eclipse. You can also set how often the users see the ad (in days).
They have a good payout plan and i'm not greedy so the starting low earnings is ok because it grows with your user base. Permissions needed for this company is 5. Standard number for most apps.
The second company I just started using is StartApp.
They pay on an per install basis not by ads. So for each US install of your app you get $.055. So if you get 1000 US installs thats $55USD. They pay a lower amount for non us installs i believe its $.04 and $.01 for returning users meaning if a user has one of your apps installed and download another with start app in it you make $.01 not $.055.
This one is a little more tricky however because the user must accept the terms when they install your app for you to get credit. Once they do that they get a search icon, browser bookmark, and one other thing. All of which can be deleted right then after install without effecting your app or your pay. As long as they accept the terms you get paid.
Permissions needed for this company is 15 i believe. Which most are just to access the settings of the different third party launchers out there and not listed in the Google play store listing.
Startapp doesn't generate as many bad or negative reviews as others.
All in all im happy with both and haven't gotten any negative reviews since implementing either. However just started using Startapp 2 days ago so ill wait and see how that does.
You can use either of these along with other companies at the same time. I use leadbolt and startapp in some of my apps at the same time.

One thing you should also keep in mind is your users' privacy. Don't forget you bundle those ad modules with your own app -- so they also have access to everything your app has access to. And some networks make use of (or rather abuse) this. Also, it makes it harder to explain your app's permissions to the user -- not everybody is satisfied by "well, that's just for the ads".
Some useful readings on this include:
Android Adware abusing permissions, Collecting more than they need
How to Curb Aggressive Mobile Ad Networks
Android ad networks found accessing users’ private data
Android apps and advertising: A bit too cozy
Again: while some ad modules require too much permissions themselves (you can check that e.g. at Top Mobile Ad Networks), some additionally abuse the permissions your own app needs.

Ad networks = profit from free apps. Android users do not like paying for apps so thats the smartest way to be paid for the hard work while development process

Ad networks are a great way for you to make solid revenue on android

In my experience I would say:
Good for Admob
Less than sufficient for Startapp (dropped a lot after the Google's changes )

Hi,
Being an ad network, we understand such concerns. There are app developers who look for different way to monetize via (their) app. Ad networks help them to do it in easy way. Ad networks facilitate app developers with right solution.
For any app developer, there is nothing more gratifying than app monetization, and that's what Ad networks do. We help app developer to monetize well.

That's the problem really, comparing Leadbolt against Admob is not an apple vs apple comparison. One is a push network (plus in-app and icon and walls, etc.), another is in-app banners.
As a benchmark... In July last year I made over $300 from referral revenues, this month, it stands at $4 from over 200 referrals. These numbers do indeed speak for themselves.
As I always say, some ad networks work great for some people, maybe this works for you. Maybe Leadbolt works for many others too, and if it does, I'm happy for you.
It just doesn't work for me... too bad...

Thanks guys, this thread is what I'm looking for.

chongnyen said:
Hi all,
I would like to seek your feedback on your experience with mobile ad networks. Should I be engaging the big players like AdMob or can I go to smaller ad networks? They all look the same to me, offering the same services.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer to use big player.. for big player usually give you a smaller ecpm, but there is scam potency for smaller ad network..
don't want to take risk for that..
as changing ad provider means we must update our apps in play store, if we just say that our update is only change the ad provider, our user won't be interested to update their apps.. we must make significant update in the codes to.. that means times too.. while we all know.. times is precious and expensive too

AdMob newbie question

Hellos!
I am currently developing my first game, in which I am planning to include ads via AdMob.
From what I've read, it seems like AdMob/Google are quite strict on "clicking your own ads" and they simply just disable your account. Therefore, as recommended, I've added my device as a 'test' device.
My question is, if I give my app to one or two friends for some beta testing, and they click on the ads, will that be counted as "false impressions"?
Not sure if AdMob checks the clicks based on device/account association, or if it is based on the number of different sources of clicks. If it is the former, then should be ok. However, if it is the latter, then having only one or two friends with the beta apk might be problematic?
Anyone know how it works?
Thanks in advance!
pyko

pyko, don't worry it isn't as strict as they're telling. We're always clicking on our test ads to ensure the integration works as expected. And we don't setup our devices as test devices. BTW, if you want to maximize your monetization with ads I recommend checking out AdFlake. It enables you to integrate lots of ad networks in a single app. And you can even change the allocation after you've deployed your app. Plus, we've got house ads (great for cross promotion) , custom events, analytics and more.

Hi dutty,
Thanks for the reply
Yep, I've got test ads set up and feel safe clicking on them. What I'm concerned about is non-test ads... will a small number of people (ie. my beta testers) clicking on them raise a red flag?

edit: delete dup... xda playing up a bit for me

Hi, I know this is going to sound like a spammy ad, especially since it is my first post, but I just want to advise you to check out different ad formats than banners. They are considered kinda dead now. People have learned to ignore them (i know i have). The CTR on banners is very low, there are new formats like app lists, interstitials, and panel ads that boast a much higher CTR - 5-12% they claim.
We are starting a game development and so far I pretty much sure we are going to use this platform:
www.appflood.com?site=21155

Yeah, I'm not expecting to get a massive income via ads... it's more so just to see how much it will get
Much prefer to keep the app "clean" than to add full-screen ads, which in my opinion is very intrusive and annoying.

You will be fine with that, don't worry. However, from the cases of people who lost their 500$ and didn't receive a single piece of explanation from Google, I wonder: "should I always depend on Admob?".
So I decide to combine several Ad networks. It works. And I realize something about Admob:
Pros: It is reliable and has huge users database. Admob is backed by Google - a prestigious corporation who tracks every steps of anyone who use its service.
Cons:
- Its eCPM is low (I don't know exactly why but everytime I try another Ad network, they outperform Admob in terms of eCPM. I guess that Admob know it has advantages over competitors when it comes to reputation and users database, so It charge advertisers and publishers more)
- Its ban users more frequently. (Some of my friends' accounts got banned because Google thinks they was cheating, while infact he didn't. It was very difficult for him to reach Google support to recover his accounts).
after combining Admob and with Airpush, Leadbolt, StartApp, ChartBoost, I end up with Adsota - a lesser known ad network. Adsota is an has much higher eCPM, 100% fill-rate, variousa ads format, and swift payment. You can find it by googling "ads.appota".
Best of luck, mate!

Share you paid advertising experience

I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.

Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No experience with ads yet. I was recommended Facebook Lookalike Audience but we'll continue on our own up until 10k users. My fear would be to get a mass of users and disappoint them. Growing 100 at a time provides a good feedback loop to improve the app. Might use the Lookalike Audience then! Good luck!

Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also interested in this topic. I have a free app with a paid (no ads) counterpart. I was considering using any of the services that charge per install (CPI) on the paid app. If the cost per install is lower than 70% of the price of your app, then that investment would be risk-free.
Has anyone tried something like that? Would you recommend any service in particular? (Ideally, the ones that do not require SDKs to be added to the app, I don't want to add crapware to my app).

Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The budget normally starts from $10000. I don't think $100 generates significant data and downloads to help you make further decisions considering that average CPI is about $1.

Reply From A Guy That Knows The Data
Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great question! While I cannot, and will not give you numbers or estimates in any shape or form, I can give you broad and general advice.
First off, I'll explain my background in a bit more detail. I worked in advertising sales for years at the top companies, and then moved into the mobile app space (I am also a secret coder by night.) I then spent two years working in the mobile app data space - providing performance data in the form of estimates for downloads/revenue. Our job was to sell our vast data sets (on every mobile app and publisher - ranked and un-ranked) which were centered around accurate estimates for downloads/revenue for any given app in every category/subcat, and country for iOS and GP. We worked with mid-market and top publishers to help them forecast how many installs they would need to purchase to reach top rank, how many organic installs they would receive at that rank, and how many installs they would have to purchase on an ongoing basis to maintain that rank.
Based on my experiences, truth be told, most publishers that are actual companies (not small indie or single shop guys)....they are buying downloads. This is not to say that strong marketing campaigns don't come with this (PR, promotions, social media, viral, cross-promotional ads to existing user base, etc.), but in some way or another, most of them will be buying ads. Here is the caveat - it is not a simple process, at all. They have analysts that know exactly how much money they make off of one download....for instance...they know that for every download on xyz game, they make $2.30, and their CPI is $1.95, thus, their actual net rev is $.35 per install. However, this is all also centered around growth potential as well...so in many cases, they need to hit the top ranks for organic growth to generate higher profit margins, so they need accurate forecasting of exactly/roughly how many installs it's going to take to get there...and if they come up short, they don't make top charts and they either have to spend more money to climb up...or they're out of budget and they've lost $$$. Basically, if you want to buy ads...you need to set realistic goals, and understand what the value of your user is...from a financial standpoint. You must know your numbers cold before even considering putting a budget towards ads.
That being said, there are a ton of ways to buy ads out there, as I'm sure you and everyone knows. However, if you do get around to doing some solid analysis on what your users are worth, and want to run some testing with a low budget...nothing to break the bank...I would A) Go with a reputable company, even if the CPI/CPA is higher than you'd like....because you want to avoid fraudulent DL's....many ad networks will turn a blind eye to this for obvious financial reasons, and B) Try Facebook....honestly, I've spoken to many smaller developers that find a fair CPI/CPA, with pretty good ROI and retention.
Hope this helps - KNOW YOUR NUMBERS AND ALWAYS LOOK TO THE DATA
~Geo_Mojito

Some interesting data we are gathering at Thalamus.co, where we have the average CPI rates & Install Volumes of each network broken out by genre/platform/country. There are also contacts and minimum spends so should give you a good sense of what's out there.
A $100 budget is not too large, so it'd be hard to give you a definitive answer as to which network has basically no minimums (unless you want to work with a mobile self-serve DSP like PocketMath). Facebook would be a good place to start, although prices are at a premium due to high demand. I'd suggest really going all in on free methods like PR, reaching out to Bloggers, ASO, Social Fan Pages, Organic/Viral Installs, and Partnerships first.

My experience:
1) Social Networks advertising. I promoted it personally, it was tooooo long and without big results.
2) Youtube videos. Not bad, but you have to attract users to watch your videos and invite their friends to install your app.
3) Buying the marketing services in agencies. I have experience with several agencies, but App-Reviews has the best, I think.
4) Use different tools for advertising. I used AdMob, it had some success...

Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After advertising services you can try some low budget app promotion services too. My personal choice is AppRankPRO . why is because it gives the proof of each and every install of the genuine real user and free keyword analysis services too. I think you can have a look at AppRankPRO

AD Networks for different applications

Hey guys,
I know there has been a couple threads about this topic but Im still having troubles distinguishing the different AD networks and potential revenues to be generated.
I was wondering what the 'secret' is to making money with mobile games. The AD revenues I have been getting from AdMob and Revmob aren' t making me feel like I am reaping the full benefits of my work.
What are your suggestions?
-Are Ad Networks the way to profit the most from your developments?
-How many Ad Networks do you guys implement?
-Which ones pay up the most?
-Which Ad Networks serve what purpose?(ex. AdMob for banner ads or Revmob for full screen? or both?)
-Are in-app purchases the way to go?(To unlock new levels, remove Ads, etc.)
Im in a huge dilemma after receiving $0.50 for over 1000 impressions. I was expecting to earn at least $3-5 like many Youtubers do(Which is less work then Game Development).
What are you suggestions we developers should take in order to maximize our revenues and reap the full benefits of our work. 1 week spent on an app and it makes $0.50? Thats just not reasonable. There has to be a 'secret' that people won't tell us.

It's a good idea to try out all the top ones if you have a large inventory.

There are many factors when trying to maximize yield from ad networks, couple of them being (on your end) what genre your app is, platforms you run on, and geos most of your users are based. On the network side, it's good to know what active advertisers they have running, and get them to give you an estimate of average eCPMs for apps like yours, and fill rates.
We have some of this data, but it is more on the user acquisition front (like Average CPI rates + Installs by genre/platform/geo) but it should be able to give you a good idea of what's out there, and maybe you can back it into a general eCPM. Link is in my signature.