User acquisition in app development refers to the process of attracting and obtaining new users for a mobile application. It involves strategies and activities aimed at increasing the number of app downloads, installations, registrations, and other similar metrics.

The more users you acquire, the more likely your app will stay afloat financially. Acquisition cost is a key metric to watch out for here. The higher that cost is, the more money you spend to acquire each single user for your app. You want to make sure that your user acquisition costs remain manageable compared to your app income.

Some user acquisition strategies and their effect on user acquisition costs

• App store optimization (ASO). Optimizing the app’s metadata, including the app title, description, and keywords, to improve visibility on app stores, leading to more organic downloads. A highly-effective ASO strategy tends to lower acquisition costs.
• Social media marketing. Leveraging social media platforms to promote the app through posts, ads, and engagement with potential users. Social media can also be used for targeted advertising to reach specific demographics. Acquisition costs for social media marketing range from zero to high, depending on the extent to which you use paid ads versus regular posts (that cost virtually nothing) and the effectiveness of your targeting.
• Influencer marketing. Collaborating with influencers who have a significant following in the app’s target audience. Influencers can promote the app to their followers, providing a trusted recommendation. Acquisition costs here depend on what influencers would charge you and their effectiveness in convincing their followers.
• Content marketing. Creating and sharing valuable information related to the app’s features, benefits, and industry trends are at the heart of content marketing. This can include blog posts, news articles, videos, and other content that attracts and educates potential users. Content that ranks high on search engines attracts more users at less acquisition cost compared to many paid ads.
• Paid advertising. Running targeted paid advertising campaigns on various platforms, including social media, search engines, and other ad networks. This method allows for precise targeting based on user demographics and behavior. But paid advertising could increase acquisition costs, depending on whether you use pay-per-click or other schemes, what ad networks charge, and the number of ads you release in a given time.