At Branch, we believe that app discovery should be far easier for developers. But in the existing ecosystem, it’s hard to make any app stand out from the crowd where discovery tools are either woefully underpowered (i.e., app search in both major stores) or impersonal (i.e., generic app install ads).
While it may sound simple, we think that the future of app discovery is in your app’s content. Your unique collection of content — whether news stories, songs, recipes, photos, or more — is what users are actually looking for. That’s why we’re excited to launch Content Analytics, a new way to learn which in-app content users find engaging and leverage it to grow your app. Our launch partners include PicsArt, QuizUp, Jet, The Holy Bible, Gametime, Allthecooks, Dojo, GigTown, Gogobot, Margra, Redfin, Trusper, and WeHeartIt. Content Analytics is now available to anyone who uses Branch to deep link to content in their app.
What is Content Analytics?
Content Analytics is built on Branch’s deep linking platform. By tapping into the Branch deep link data, Content Analytics provides views, links created, link clicks, installs, and opens, for individual pieces of app content. As you can see below, the Branch dashboard can filter and sort pieces of content based on these different metrics.
Currently, the Content Analytics dashboard provides developers and marketers with insights about up to 200 pieces of content during a specified date range. Using this information, apps can promote the content that’s proven to drive installs and generate new content based on what’s performing best for improved engagement.
How is it unique?
Tools like Mixpanel and Google Analytics currently provide event-based data that is valuable for optimizing flows and evaluating features. Content Analytics measures the engagement and virality of the content in your app. This is made possible by the Branch deep linking platform that it is built upon, providing a new set of app insights not available on traditional analytics platforms.
This allows Branch to focus on helping apps grow by unlocking content marketing for apps – a far more effective method of attracting new users. In addition to unlocking this data, Content Analytics allows you to measure growth at a channel-level (e.g. comparing the number of installs driven by a piece of content on Twitter versus Facebook).
Why do I need this data?
With over 60% of app store revenue earned by the top 20 publishers along with rising user acquisition costs, building a viable mobile business is becoming increasingly difficult. Content analytics levels the playing field by allowing developers to discover which content will drive new, engaged, and retained users. In combination with Branch’s deep linking, which allows for sharing across any channel or platform, and brings users directly to the content in the app, developers now have an entirely new toolkit for app growth.
How can I use this data and what can I expect?
Three of our launch partners ran tests to determine the impact of promoting their best content. Trusper found that by promoting their top performing “Tips”, they reduced their cost per install by 50% compared to generic install ads. Allthecooks used Content Analytics to determine which recipes were driving the most installs and shares. Promoting these pieces of content on Facebook led to a 30% decrease in cost per install and a 3x higher click-through rate. A final test, run by a large partner that prefers to remain unknown, found that promoting their best performing content led to 3x better engagement compared to generic app installs.
How do I start using Content Analytics?
If you’re already using Branch to deep link to content, Branch will automatically track and report links created, link clicks, installs, and opens at the content level. This data will be available on the Branch dashboard for partners using some of our most popular features including content sharing, referrals, or smart banners.
In order to see content-level views in Content Analytics, you need to install the new Branch SDK for iOS or Android. From there, incorporate the BranchUniversalObject and use it for the functions ‘registerView’. We’ve dedicated a page on our documentation portal to walk you through the migration to Content Analytics.
Like all Branch products, Content Analytics is completely free. Use the button below to see how your app content is performing.