With mobile users spending 70% of their digital media time in apps and global consumer spending on mobile apps forecast to reach nearly $400 bn in 2025, the stakes for effective app marketing strategy have never been higher.
Yet many brands are still operating with outdated playbooks, missing critical opportunities to engage their most valuable audience segments. If your mobile app marketing strategy hasn't evolved beyond basic retargeting and generic messaging, you’re likely leaving significant conversions and revenue on the table.
Where most app marketing strategies got stuck in 2024
Over-reliance on user acquisition
The majority of app marketing efforts in 2024 remained trapped in an acquisition-first mindset. Marketing teams continuously chase new downloads while overlooking the goldmine sitting in their existing user base. This approach creates what industry experts call the "leaky bucket problem,” in which brands invest substantial resources bringing new users through the download funnel, but without strategic re-engagement, users quickly abandon the apps.
Recent data from Adjust’s comprehensive study analysing 140 apps and millions of installs reveals the missed opportunity. Retargeted users demonstrate 152% higher engagement rates and trigger 37% more revenue events in the first 30 days compared to newly acquired users. Yet most brands allocate the majority of their budgets to user acquisition rather than maximising value from existing users.
Limited use of data-driven retargeting
Static advertisements and generic messages dominated app marketing campaigns throughout 2024. These approaches actively reduced user engagement rather than enticing users back into apps. Traditional retargeting methods treated all users identically, regardless of their specific interactions, purchase history, or engagement patterns within the app.
Globally, 30-day retention rates hover around 7%, but this statistic masks a crucial insight. Users who are successfully retargeted show significantly stronger performance metrics across all key indicators.
Missing the revenue opportunity in existing users
Marketing for apps became a numbers game focused on install volumes rather than a strategic, data-driven approach to user lifetime value. Brands missed the fact that retargeted users not only engage more deeply but also generate substantially more revenue events, particularly in the critical early weeks post-reinstall.
Acquiring a paying user can cost around $85, according to Upcounting, an ecommerce accounting firm. That figure varies widely across industry verticals and regions, however. The focus on new acquisition over existing user value represents a fundamental strategic misalignment.
What needs to change for 2025 and beyond
Prioritise existing user value over new acquisitions
The most valuable audience for any app marketing strategy consists of users who already know and have engaged with your brand. Research shows that retargeted users consistently outperform new users across every meaningful metric:
- Day one engagement: nearly double the activity, with retargeted users triggering 86 events per user compared to 44 for new acquisitions.
- Revenue generation: 37% more revenue events in the first 30 days, with the gap widening to 49% by day 7.
- Retention rates: 5% higher retention on day one, maintaining this advantage through the first week.
These users represent the highest probability of conversion and lifetime value growth because they skip the friction associated with onboarding and immediately engage with app features.
Adopt deep learning-driven retargeting
A modern app marketing strategy must embrace advanced AI that analyses massive datasets and adapts advertisements in real-time. For example, RTB House's Deep Learning algorithms process user behaviour patterns, purchase histories, and engagement signals to deliver precisely tailored messaging that reflects individual user preferences and behaviours.
This hyper-personalisation approach drives measurable improvements in user engagement, increases conversion rates, and reduces wasted advertising spend. Unlike traditional retargeting methods, deep learning-driven systems continuously optimise based on real-time user interactions and feedback loops.
Implement strategic re-engagement campaigns
How to market an app effectively in 2025 requires moving beyond static creative assets toward dynamic systems that automatically adjust messaging, visuals, and calls-to-action based on individual user profiles and real-time engagement data.
Rather than continuously chasing new downloads, successful app marketing ideas prioritise extracting maximum value from current user bases through sophisticated segmentation, behavioural triggers, and personalised re-engagement campaigns.
Strategic retargeting focuses on re-engaging existing users at precisely the right moments in their customer journey, leveraging their familiarity with the app to drive immediate and sustained value.
The business case for existing user focus
The data makes a compelling argument for shifting budget allocation toward existing user engagement. When retargeted users generate more revenue events while costing significantly less to re-engage than acquiring new paying users, the ROI calculation becomes clear.
By week four post-install, retargeted users still complete ten more events per week on average compared to new acquisitions. This sustained engagement translates directly to higher lifetime value and more efficient marketing spend.
The strategic insight extends beyond immediate performance metrics. By analysing retargeted cohorts, brands can understand what caused initial churn, what messaging successfully re-engaged users, and how to improve the overall user experience to minimise drop-off for future acquisitions.