Advantages of CPI Campaigns for Mobile Marketers

In today’s fast-paced mobile marketing landscape, where every tap, swipe, and scroll counts, the need for efficient user acquisition strategies is more critical than ever. With the myriad of marketing methods available, CPI (cost-per-install) campaigns stand out as one of the most effective and results-driven approaches for mobile marketers.

CPI campaigns focus on one key metric: app installs. Marketers only pay when a user installs the app, ensuring that the advertising spend is directly tied to a valuable user action. This pricing model not only maximizes efficiency but also prioritizes quality over quantity, delivering high-value users who are genuinely interested in the app. Let’s explore the key advantages of using CPI campaigns to drive mobile app growth.

1. Results-Driven Model

Unlike other marketing models where marketers pay for impressions or clicks, CPI campaigns ensure payment only when a user fully installs the app. This performance-based approach eliminates the risk of wasting advertising budgets on low-intent users, providing a much more cost-effective way to acquire users.

With CPI campaigns, mobile marketers can easily track and measure ROI by correlating ad spend directly with user actions, making it straightforward to optimize campaigns and allocate resources toward the highest-performing channels. The data-driven nature of CPI campaigns allows marketers to tweak their strategies continuously, ensuring that every dollar spent delivers the maximum return.

For instance, a new insurance app in the competitive car insurance industry sought to expand its user base. By executing a CPI campaign, Perform[cb] helped the brand achieve a 75% surge in new user acquisition in just one month, catapulting the brand to the #1 position in the Apple App Store’s car insurance category.

2. Increased Testing and Maximized Scale

One of the key benefits of CPI campaigns is the low risk they present. Since marketers only pay for app installs, they can freely test and scale new channels without the fear of wasting resources. This increased flexibility allows brands to experiment with different targeting methods, creative formats, and geographies, ensuring they can find the most effective strategies to grow their user base.

For example, marketers can test campaigns across different channels, such as social media platforms, ad networks, or influencers, without worrying about upfront costs. By targeting users who show genuine interest in the app, CPI campaigns increase the likelihood of meaningful interactions and higher conversion rates, making them ideal for scaling efforts.

3. Optimize Towards Down-Funnel Events

While CPI campaigns are focused on app installs, the real value lies in what happens after the installation. By focusing on post-install events, marketers can collect valuable data about user behavior and use it to optimize campaigns further. These events could include in-app purchases, user sign-ups, customer lifetime value (CLV), and more.

At Perform[cb], a cost-per-engagement (CPE) approach is used to optimize campaigns beyond the install phase. Marketers can track secondary KPIs such as paid subscriptions, locked policies, or membership sign-ups, and tailor the campaign to drive these down-funnel events. This leads to higher-value users who are more likely to engage with the app and generate long-term revenue.

For example, a premium subscription service utilized CPI campaigns to not only drive installs but also boost paid subscriptions. This strategy resulted in a 40% increase in installs and a 215% increase in paid subscribers in just one month.

4. Re-Engagement Capabilities

Retaining users is one of the biggest challenges in mobile marketing, with most apps losing 77% of new users within the first three days. However, CPI campaigns offer an effective way to combat this by providing re-engagement opportunities. Once a user installs the app, marketers can target those who may have become inactive and encourage them to re-engage with the app.

Re-engagement strategies can include customized incentives, promotions, or reminders to reignite user interest. This boosts user retention and lifetime value, ensuring that users don’t just install the app and disappear. The ability to re-target and re-engage users is an essential tool for maximizing ROI and cultivating a loyal user base.

5. Boost App Ratings

CPI campaigns not only help marketers acquire high-quality users, but they also contribute to the app’s reputation. Users who install the app through a well-targeted CPI campaign are more likely to have a positive experience and, consequently, leave positive reviews and ratings.

This influx of positive ratings improves the app's visibility in the app store, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of organic discovery and further installs. Positive user feedback can lead to higher rankings in app stores, creating a cycle of increased visibility, more downloads, and greater brand recognition. Additionally, the targeted nature of CPI campaigns ensures that the app reaches users who are genuinely interested in its features, further boosting the chances of favorable feedback.

6. Optimizing Beyond the Install

While achieving a successful install is essential, mobile marketers know that the true goal is to convert installs into meaningful engagement. With CPI campaigns, marketers can move beyond the install and focus on retaining qualified users, boosting lifetime value, and propelling the app to the top of the charts. This strategic approach maximizes the value of each install and ensures that your app remains competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

At Perform[cb], the CPI strategy doesn’t stop at user acquisition. The team leverages deep analytics and insights to continuously refine campaigns, ensuring that apps not only acquire users but also retain and engage them effectively. Whether it's through optimizing for secondary KPIs or re-engaging inactive users, the goal is always to maximize the long-term value of each user.

In conclusion, CPI campaigns provide mobile marketers with a highly efficient and cost-effective way to scale user acquisition efforts. By focusing on high-intent users, optimizing for down-funnel events, and leveraging re-engagement capabilities, CPI campaigns allow marketers to drive sustainable growth while maintaining a sharp focus on quality over quantity. With the right strategy in place, CPI campaigns can propel your app to new heights, ensuring long-term success in the competitive world of mobile marketing.