作者：Ravi Kamran

对于手机应用营销商，圣诞假期带来的不仅是兴高采烈的节日气氛，还有大批新设备、大量新用户和新一轮收益高峰。假期是吸引新玩家的绝好机会。下文将提供几条建议，教你如何制定圣诞假期前、中、后的营销战略。

圣诞前的准备

在圣诞前的几周，CPI（每安装成本）往往会升高，主要是因为涌现大量的新用户。对于某些应用，这是利用营销活动获取新用户的好时机，而对于另一些应用，则应该更加谨慎地考虑高昂的用户获取成本。在圣诞假期以前，营销商必须在高CPI和增加用户人数之间实现平衡。

christmas_bauble_border(from insidemobileapps)

如何应对应用商店冻结期

如果按去年的时间算，那么从12月21日到28日，苹果应用商店应该会冻结。这意味着苹果将停止任何应用提交和更新过程，同时，应用排行榜将在几天内保持相对静止。在最繁忙的一周内，那些高居榜单的应用会得到许多曝光机会，从而大大增加下载量。

如果你计划在圣诞前展开营销攻势，那么请记住，CPI会比非假期和假期间更高。在高CPI和获取用户之间实现平衡是非常重要的。如果时机把握不对，你的投资极有可能打水漂。尽早制定计划，以确保有足够的用户数量，然后追踪营销活动来决定你的宣传造势应该采用什么广告网络和流量来源，以保证你获得足够的下载量、最大化营销活动的效果。

圣诞期间的营销战略

去年，仅在圣诞节当天，新用户就激活了680万部设备，下载了超过2.42亿款应用。今年圣诞周内，估计应用下载量将达20亿次，同时在这七天内创造24亿美元的收益。所以，你要怎么把握这个机会？

1、向受众推广你的应用

圣诞节会带来大量新设备和新用户，这整周都是获取用户的好时机。去年，从圣诞到新年期间，新设备激活数突破2千万，应用下载量达到12亿。为了抓住机会，最大化收益，你应该为自己的应用寻找最佳广告点和决定设备、位置、发行商及其他活动计划。另外，在这段时间，你还要考虑增加你的广告投入，瞄准这一大批新用户。

2、调整广告

在这一周内，大多数用户会呆在家里，这意味着他们会花更多时间使用设备和应用。由于干扰的事情少，用户对广告的接受程度会提高。你要将这些宅在家的用户作为目标，调整你的广告，比如用圣诞主题的广告或促销来吸引用户的注意力。

3、计划应用商店解冻后的宣传攻势

如果应用商店解冻，那么在12月28号左右，应用排名就会开始波动。用户仍然被新激活的设备牢牢地吸引着，在应用下载上的花费仍然很高，这时候就是开展宣传攻势的最佳时机。使用追踪技术计划你的活动，确定什么活动方案能实现最佳效果。

新年的应用营销

圣诞假斯后，CPI将走低，但新用户和新设备仍然在涌现。你应该考虑在1月份增加广告投入，因为这时候是以低成本转化用户的好机会。

随着人们的生活步入正常轨道，应用下载量将开始减少。这时你要着手特别的促销活动或在整个1月期间向用户发送精心计划的推广通告，以此增加应用下载量和再次吸引用户的注意力。

现在是时候制定2013年的营销战略了。为了实现你的营销目标，请记住，要充分利用多种广告网络、有效地管理预算、追踪有意义的表现迹象，以及根据数据优化营销战略。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Guest Post: How to market your app during the holiday season

by Ravi Kamran

For mobile marketers, the holidays bring more than just good cheer; they bring an influx of new devices, new users and a spike in mobile revenue. The holiday season presents a great opportunity for apps to engage new users and boost in-app interaction. Here are some tips to make the most out of your app marketing campaigns before, during and after the holiday season.

Prepping for Christmas

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, cost per install (CPI) tends to be high primarily because of the anticipated influx of users. For some apps, this is a great time for a marketing push to win new users, while other apps should be more cautious of such initiatives because of the high user acquisition costs. It will be essential for marketers to determine the right balance between the high CPI and the high user volume for their app during the pre-Christmas season.

Anticipating the App Store Freeze

If last year was any indication, from Dec. 21 to 28, the Apple App Store will likely be frozen. This means that Apple stops taking app submissions and updates, and the App Store ranks could remain relatively static for several days. Those apps sitting at the top of the charts will get some great exposure over one of the busiest weeks in terms of app downloads.

If you are planning a pre-Christmas boost campaign, remember that CPI will be higher between now and Christmas. It’s incredibly important to strike a balance between the high CPI and usage. Your investment could really pay off but only if it’s the right time for your app. Plan as early as possible to ensure the necessary volume is there, and use campaign tracking to determine the best ad networks and traffic sources for your boost to ensure you reach the necessary volume of downloads to make your boost campaign most effective.

During Christmas Week

Last year, on Christmas Day alone, 6.8 million devices were activated and more than 242 million apps were downloaded. This year, it’s projected that two billion apps will be downloaded during the week of Christmas, bringing in $2.4 billion in revenue during those seven days. So how can you make the most of this opportunity?

1. Market Your App to the Right Users

Christmas Day will bring an influx of new device activations and users, but the whole week is an opportunity for user acquisition. More than 20 million new devices were activated and 1.2 billion apps were downloaded last year between Christmas and New Year’s. To capitalize on this opportunity, find your mobile advertising sweet spots and determine the devices, locations, publishers and other campaign settings that bring the best results for your app. Consider increasing your ad spend during this time to target the heavy influx of new users.

2. Adjust Your Advertisements

During this week, most users will be spending time at home, which means they will spend longer sessions with their devices, engaging with apps. With fewer distractions, users will be more receptive to advertising. Adjust your ads to target these stationary users and consider implementing holiday-themed ads or promotions to catch their attention.

3. Plan a Post App Store Freeze Boost

If a full App Store freeze takes place, rankings will start fluctuating again on or near Dec. 28. User engagement and spending will remain high due to all the newly activated devices, making it a prime opportunity for a boost campaign. Use tracking technologies to plan your campaign and identify which campaign settings will help you achieve optimal results.

App Marketing in the New Year

CPI rates will likely drop soon after the holiday, but the influx of new users and devices remains. Consider increasing ad spend in January, as it presents a great opportunity to convert users at a lower price.

As people return to their normal schedules, though, app usage will start to fall. Consider kicking off special promotions or sending well-planned push notifications throughout January to promote your app and re-engage users.

Now is time to create your app marketing strategy for 2013. To reach your app marketing goals, remember to reach several ad networks, effectively manage your budget, track meaningful performance indicators and optimize your campaign based on data.（source：insidemobileapps）