What Is Mobile App Engagement & How Do You Measure It?
The success of any marketing strategy is at the mercy of how well you understand the data it produces. Identifying and understanding the metrics relevant to your chosen marketing vehicle could be the difference between overspending on tactics that are ineffective or spending just the right amount and seeing a good return. Â For brands looking to remarket their app, for example, to improve engagement among current users, one of the most revealing metrics to track is that of mobile app engagement.
What is Mobile App Engagement?
Mobile app engagement describes how involved users are with your app. Apps with perceived high utility may be opened every day. But for most apps, usage drops dramatically just after three days.
Studies show that the average app loses 77% of its users within the first three days of installation. Increased competition in the category, poor functionality, and waning app loyalty are only a few factors that alter an app’s ability to get its users to stick around.
 Four mobile app engagement metrics to monitor
Engagement metrics give you a look inside the mind and behavior of your users. You want to know why they downloaded the app and how they use it once it’s there. And if they aren’t using, what made them stop?
These four engagement metrics tell a compelling story. The data these metrics reveal will help you build a profile of the users’ behaviors and experience with the app. These insights empower you with the tools needed to make informed decisions about the future of the app’s development. At a minimum, track:
- Session length – how long users spend on the app per individual session
- Frequency of Use – the period between the user’s app sessions
- Retention – the percentage of users that return to the app based on date of first visit
- Downloads – the total downloads your app has received in a given period
Tools to track mobile app metrics
As you’d use Google Analytics to gather critical insights about the effectiveness of your website, there are mobile app analytics tools available that can help you monitor your mobile app’s performance. Here’s the short list:
Ways to increase mobile app engagement
So, the big question now is how do you improve mobile app engagement? How do you keep users engaged and coming back for more?
Consider running Google AdWords mobile app engagement campaigns. By connecting your app to AdWords, you can target users who are interested in your app content and encourage them to act. Similarity, AdWords’ mobile app installs campaigns are designed to help you drive more downloads.
The power in both tools is their ability to track, at a granular level, metrics that reveal which ads drive the most engagement and downloads, so you spend more money on those and less on ads that don’t convert.
But ultimately, even a flashy Google ad can’t cover a poorly executed clunky mobile app. Keep your mobile app updated and fresh. Solicit user feedback and use it to help you build a better mobile app.
