If you and your smartphone were stranded on a deserted island and you could only download one app to pass the time, which one would it be?
We’re willing to bet that the majority of people would pick a media app – because as much as we love our smartphones for their business productivity, we spend a lot of our mobile time consuming digital content.
And by “consuming digital content,” we mean streaming music, reading stuff, binge watching shows, perusing social media, and following our favorite sports teams.
In fact, more than eight of the top twenty-five most popular mobile apps in America fall into the media category. So, it’s probably safe to say that even on a beach far, far away, many people would turn to their favorite media app for comfort.
Now what does all this mean for app developers and marketers who own a media app?
How to Make the Most of the Popularity of Media Apps
People have a strong affinity for media apps because they cater to our natural curiosity and our universal desire to be entertained. At their core, media apps are a hub of interesting content – from videos to personal stories to the latest sports news.
Media apps are designed to inform, amuse, and connect people.
The popularity of media apps is exploding. Your job is to make the most of this opportunity by understanding which groups of people use your app, why, and how can you tweak your app marketing to better cater to their content consumptions habits.
This is what the next section is about.
3 User Segments Media Apps Should Target (And 17 Must-Try Campaigns for Video Streaming, Social, and Sports Apps)
To level set, the “media” app category is quite expansive – it includes six unique verticals after all! To make things more bite-size, we split this article into two.
Part I, which you can read here, focused on the first three user segments you should consider and highlighted 15 worthwhile campaigns for music, news, and magazine apps to try.
In the second part of this post, we’ll outline the remaining three user segments to target and share 17 ideas for video streaming, social media, and sports apps.
4. The Video Streamers
Missed shows. Packed DVRs. Long, movie-less commutes. This is what the world would look like without video streaming apps. Things would be pretty unpleasant. As modern economies have developed, the nine-to-five workday has become uncommon. Today’s working professional has a packed, fluctuating schedule. That’s why people prefer the flexibility of video streaming apps over the rigidity of cable television.
If your media app provides video content to this busy audience, you need to use app marketing to remind people that their favorite shows are just a few swipes away and surface convenient scenarios for watching. Position your app as fresh entertainment that’s always available in their pocket, regardless of their ever-changing lifestyle.
What this User Segment Could Look Like
All users who have watched at least two episodes of a show in-app (i.e. completed two key conversion events), visited the “Movies” app screen, but have not visited your app in the last week.
You could further refine this segment by:
Favorite show name
Favorite TV show genre
Gender
Average session length (How much time do people spend in-app? Do they watch short TV shows or feature-length movies?)
Subscription type
Sample Campaigns to Run
Push Message: “Missed last night’s jaw-dropping episode of X? Watch it now in-app.”
Promptly let users know when new episodes of the shows they love become available in-app to drive re-engagement
Here’s an example of this campaign in action from A&E’s History app
Push Message: “New season of X starts next week! Swipe to see a sneak peek of the shenanigans X is about to get into.”
Experiencing low app traffic between the summer slump and the fall premieres?
Get users pumped for upcoming shows by providing behind-the-scenes footage or exclusive previews of what’s coming up
Push Message: “If you like X show, you’ll LOVE X. Watch a FREE episode of this new, highly-acclaimed drama now.”
Facilitate content discovery by giving people recommendations on new shows to watch based on shows they’ve previously enjoyed in-app
In-App Message: “Jet-setting with us this summer? Friends don’t let friends travel bored. Click here to see the top X movie picks for your destination.”
People often watch movies while on long flights or road trips
Curate a list of movie picks by country to give users a taste of the local cinema
In-App Message: “On a scale of ‘yawn-inducing’ to ‘totally worth watching’, how many stars would you give X? Rate below and help improve our video selections.”
Ask viewers for feedback on the stuff they’re watching in-app
Then, use this feedback to rank, organize, and refine your video collection
In-App Message: “Tired of commercials interrupting your movie? Us too. That’s why we’re giving you 50% off our premium monthly subscription. Upgrade now and watch in peace.”
Or, “Sorry! You can only watch X free episodes every 24 hours. But if you want to see what happens next, here’s 40% off our monthly subscription! Upgrade now and continue your X marathon.”
If you utilize a paywall app monetization model, send in-app messages as users hit their limit
Entice these heavy users to upgrade with a compelling offer
5. The Social Butterflies
The rise of social media and the widespread availability of smartphones have turned the average person into an amateur content creator. People produce and share stories, thoughts, pictures, and videos about themselves and their loved ones multiple times a day. If you’re the marketer or developer of a social app, you should use push and in-app messaging to build meaningful connections and deepen relationships between users.
How? Keep people updated on major things happening inside their network (without bombarding them), highlight conversation starters, showcase new communication features, and encourage users to share their beautiful life journeys.
What this User Segment Could Look Like
All users who have created a social profile inside your app, are connected with at least 10 other people, have updated their status twice in the past seven days, and have more than one app session per day. By the way, it’s common for social media apps to exhibit this “snacking” behavior (i.e. short, but frequent sessions).
You could further refine this segment by:
Last post type (picture/status/video/check-in)
Last post date
Location
Age group
Social interests
Social friends using app
Shares/likes/comments received
Sample Campaigns to Run
Push Message: “X of your friends just liked X’s new profile picture. Check it out.” Or, “X just sent you a message: Hey, want to grab dinner? Swipe to respond.”
There’s a whole variety of transactional push messages you can send, whether to inform people of their friends’ activities or, to share comments on their own posts
Make these push notifications useful by bunching similar things together and being specific
Take a look at Facebook’s enlightening push message that tells the receiver exactly who said what
Push Message: “Something smells fishy. Oh, that’s because everyone’s talking about #SharkWeek. Chime in.”
What’s hot on social media? What is everyone buzzing about right now?
Surface trending topics and give your users interesting things to talk about in-app
Push Message: “Welcome to X! X of your friends were recently here. See their recommendations.”
Organize your app’s social content by country/location and bring it your users’ attention when they arrive at a new destination (via geo targeting technology)
In-App Message: “Starting today, use newly released emoticons in your messages. Ready, set, emoji!“
When you launch a new feature, tell your users how it can make their social interactions even better
In-App Message: “Tried any new restaurants lately? Tell your friends about your glorious food escapades. Check in now.”
If you have a group of users who frequently launch your app, but fail to complete any key events (like posting a status, uploading a photo, etc.), encourage them to share something
6. The Sports Fans
The concept of watching and attending organized sports has been around for centuries. But sports apps have thrust this high-energy, high-passion pastime into the 21st century because now, people can keep tabs on games without worrying about tickets, traveling to an arena, or being near a television screen.
If sports aficionados are your app’s target audience, send marketing messages that contain game highlights, professional match commentary, and breaking news on the top athletes. Remember, these sports fans rely on your app to get up-to-the minute information about their favorite team and never want to miss key plays.
What this User Segment Could Look Like
All users who have at least one app session per week, have visited the “Scores” app screen more than five times, and have read one article in-app.
You could further refine this segment by:
Favorite team
Favorite sport
Country
Last in-app video play (i.e. the last time they watched a sports game in your app)
Gender
Connected social accounts
Email subscription type (are these users also subscribed to your mailing list or sports digest?
Sample Campaigns to Run
Push Message: “X season is right around the corner. Swipe here to see how your favorite players are training.” Or, “Pumped to see X team in action again? Get the game schedule now.”
Send alerts that coincide with professional sporting seasons
Get fans excited before the opener by providing them with early access to pre-season content (like team training overviews, game schedules, pre-game interviews, etc.)
Push Message: “The scores are in! X team defeats X by X points. Watch the big plays and see how X dominated the field.”
After a major game, send a push alert to users with a summary of how it went
Be specific about the final score and prompt users to watch the highlights in-app
Push Message: “BREAKING NEWS: X player was just traded to X team. Learn why and see the surprising reactions!”
Keep users updated on the movements of their favorite players/teams
Tease users back into your app by curating exclusive commentary on trades inside your app
In-App Message: “Quick Poll: Who do you think is going to win in X game? Pick below and see which team most people are betting on.”
Find unique ways to engage active app users
In-App Message: “The game may be over, but there’s still some action happening on social media. Fans are getting heated! Contribute your voice and tell us what YOU thought using the X hashtag.”
Sports enthusiasts can be opinionated, passionate, and fiercely loyal to their beloved teams
Get them to connect with you (and other users) on social media to vent or celebrate after watching an in-app game
This will amplify your reach
Push/In-App Message: “Starting NOW: Watch the Xth game of the World Series! X versus X. Watch live.”
Let your active app users know that a new game is starting with well designed pop-ups that lead to a live stream of the event
Below, ESPN’s in-app message drives users to the ultimate in-app action (watching a game)
Listen Up Media Apps: Success is About Context Over Content
Media apps exist to help us produce and consume all different types of content on the go. But the success of your media app does not depend on the quantity of content you have, it depends on your ability to bubble up the most relevant stuff for your users.
In other words, your media app’s job is to filter out all the noise.
What’s interesting to one person may be horrendously boring to another. What’s entertaining to one group may be dull as a doorknob to another.
That’s why you need to create user segments (based on people’s content consumption preferences) that power personalized push and in-app messages.
It’s simple: People listen to, read, watch, and share contextualized content. They don’t pay attention to anything else.
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: 6 Common Media App User Segments (& How to Market to Them!)
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Author Annum Munir
Type article
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