Avoid being left behind and jump into the generative AI movement now, before it’s too late!

This article is part of our Opinions section.

The future of business isn’t just coming; it’s already arrived. To stay ahead of the curve, businesses have to start adopting AI-powered tools. People and businesses that take advantage of AI will eventually outperform you. AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a tangible reality reshaping industries across the globe. Those who embrace AI will thrive, while those who resist risk being left behind.

AI isn’t a job-stealer but a powerful tool that can enhance human capabilities. In many areas, such as gaming and marketing, AI has already been used before generative AI and ChatGPT exploded in popularity. AI has always been a big part of marketing but most of its power was not really visible to the marketer itself. So, for example, if you think of Meta Ads or Google Ads, there has always been AI in place to optimise the output of our ads.

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In the realm of business, AI offers a myriad of benefits. For instance, AI-powered analytics can provide valuable insights into customer behaviour enabling businesses to tailor their products and services to meet specific needs. Additionally, AI can automate routine tasks, freeing up human resources to focus on more strategic initiatives. 

We are now in this very interesting place where AI meets more creative marketing use cases. For example, text-to-design AI tools are becoming a big part of creative processes. AI can provide tangible support which improves both results and efficiency.

Similarly, data analysis is becoming more democratised thanks to the proliferation of easy-to-use tools and machine learning. Previously, complex analysis of multiple datasets to create insights on performance or undertake predictive analytics required ‘power users’ with in-depth knowledge of data science. Now, many more digital experts can leverage the power of data science to inform their jobs and provide better direction to their clients. 

What we now see, is the next big frontier happening when it comes to AI and marketing. With tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and Runway we are in a new age in the area of online marketing. When used correctly, generative AI can save you a lot of time in the ideation phase and the creative process overall. It will enable you to come up with more concepts a lot faster. In other words, it has a big chance to slim down the learning or the money-burning phase when doing performance marketing. 

How is generative AI transforming app marketing?

It can actually be used at each step of the app user lifecycle. With over 2.8 million apps available in the Google Play Store and 2.2 million in the Apple App Store, app marketing is a very competitive area. That’s why mobile app marketing strategies require different actions at each step of the app user lifecycle.

Awareness

This is when the user becomes aware of the app through various channels such as app store search, social media and advertising. At this stage, generative AI can help app developers and marketers to conduct market research, identify trends and challenges in a specific category, brainstorm promotional ideas for different channels, create a promotional strategy for different channels or create concepts for ads.

As an example, to help with competitor keyword research, try asking generative AI a prompt such as “Name [amount] keywords that are relevant to the following mobile apps: [app name 1], [app name 2], [app name 3].”

Acquisition

This is when the user downloads the app and starts using it. At this stage, generative AI can help app developers and marketers to create a user acquisition strategy, brainstorm ideas on how to increase app installs, generate various app names for A/B testing, write an app description with keywords or translate app store metadata to different languages.

Here you could ask generative AI to “Act like a content writer who needs to write a [short or long] description for the [app category] app on [name of app store]. Write a description with maximum [amount] characters that will include the following keywords: [keyword 1], [keyword 2], [keyword 3].” 

Engagement & Retention 

This is when the user begins to engage with the app and receives value from it. The user continues to use the app regularly and becomes a loyal user. At this stage, generative AI can help app developers and marketers to analyse competitors’ app features, brainstorm new features for a specific app and target audience, generate ideas for users’ onboarding, write personalised messages for different target audiences or create a user retention strategy. 

Revenue 

This is when the user begins to generate revenue for the app through in-app purchases or other monetisation strategies. Here generative AI can help app developers and marketers brainstorm a list of monetisation ideas, analyse the most profitable apps on the market, create a monetisation strategy for a specific app category and target audience, provide a step-by-step guide on how to monetise a particular app or game, or generate suggestions on how to increase app revenue. 

Loyalty 

This is when the user recommends the app to others, leading to new user acquisitions. Generative AI can help app developers and marketers generate ideas for encouraging users to share the app, write personalised prompt notifications, brainstorm user reward ideas, generate ideas for UGC campaigns, or even create shareable content. 

To get ideas on how to get users to create UGC campaigns, you can ask: “I need to increase user generated content for my [app category] app. Generate 5 ideas for UGC campaigns for users who use [app category] apps.”

The importance of human oversight

While generative AI offers tremendous potential, it’s not a magic bullet. Crafting effective app marketing campaigns still demands human insight and expertise. The right words, carefully tailored to your app, can make all the difference. Relying solely on AI without prior experience can lead to suboptimal results. Always review and refine the AI-generated content rather than accepting it blindly.

As AI becomes more integrated into our work, app marketers and developers who harness these tools will gain a competitive edge over those who resist them.