ASO Expert Interview: Benjamin Günther

This is our second Interview from our ASO expert Benjamin, from Growfirst. Learn more about Benjamin and get insights on his app marketing experience with the German market.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your company?

My name is Benjamin, I’m 25 and together with my partner Johannes von Cramon and the app agency Next Munich I started “Growfirst” in early 2016. It’s basically a mobile marketing consultancy/agency with a strong focus on organic growth strategies for mostly B2C apps. Our portfolio includes workshops and managed services all around topics like ASO, Lifecycle Marketing or retention management.

2. For how long have you been involved in ASO or app marketing?

It’s now almost 2 years since specializing in mobile marketing.

3. What was it about this industry that made you choose it as a primary job?

Actually because of my already present interest in anything related to the mobile industry, I realized that mobile marketing in general is such a big thing especially in the states on the one hand and how unimportant or rather unfamiliar the topic is to german marketers on the other hand. So it was and still is an unique opportunity as well as some kind of a mission to introduce these powerful marketing means to my fellow german colleagues.

4. How do you see the world of ASO and App marketing evolving?

With the eyes of a mobile marketer the situation could not be better. Especially when it comes to mobile marketing, there is a bright future. Mobile increasingly becomes the most important channel and the possibilities are almost endless. The actual challenge will be to keep track of all the new technologies and potentials as the whole industry is evolving incredibly fast. It’s quite essential to see ASO and app marketing as a concept rather than as a specific tool. New platforms and systems will arise and maybe app stores and apps as we know it today will lose some of its significance. But the techniques and principles always stay the same. It’s all about relevance, visibility and keeping users engaged.

5. What should be the biggest focus for app developers and marketers in 2017?

I can only speak for the german speaking realm as it’s the market we focus on. And there it’s all about just doing stuff. People start to realize that an app does not market itself and blind performance marketing isn’t the solution for everything. But everybody is still just talking. Too few companies take the actual step and invest some money in testing new marketing approaches for their app. So in my opinion the biggest focus should be to get from a “first develop it-then market it (if there is any budget left)”-mindset to a “develop it with a clear marketing plan”-approach.

6. What was your favourite app in 2016?

That’s quite a difficult question. As I’m a fan of apps, which make daily life easier, I’d still go with the banking app N26. I do not agree with everything they did design-wise over the year but when it comes to UI and UX, there is hardly a better app.

7. Tell us about your most challenging ASO “experiment”.

Right now we have a project with a pretty big german supermarket chain. The clear instruction is to outrank their biggest competitors in search visibility. That’s quite challenging but also very exciting.

8. Tell us about your experience with AppTweak and give us your favorite feature.

We tested a lot of ASO tools back and forth but at the end we sticked to AppTweak because it has a great dashboard, which makes it easy to use, it is reliable and gives more detailed insights than most of its competitors. The best feature is definitely the keyword auto-suggestion. It simplifies the work process and saves you a lot of time.

9. Do you have any “masterchef” ASO tips?

Invest a little bit more effort in creating beautiful creative assets for your app store product page especially when it comes to an app icon. Keyword Optimization is just one aspect to get users to your product page but the looks of your icon and screenshots are vital for a good install conversion. A lot of people still just use their company logo for their app icon, which is completely fine if you have a strong or memorable branding. But sometimes it makes more sense to create a separate icon, which forms a better unit with the rest of your app and is more likely to drop an anchor in an user’s awareness.

Benjamin was one of our first ASO Experts. Together with his partner Johannes von Cramon, they would love to help you grow your mobile application users, especially in the German market.

Want to contact Benjamin? Find all details on his ASO Expert profile page.