Facebook has announced a new option to help app developers target Facebook users who've previously downloaded their app and are likely to re-engage with it after lapsing.
As explained by Facebook:
"When your business relies on an app for growth, user retention and profitability are top priorities. But we know only 10-12% of app users stay active seven days after downloading an app and only 4-5% stay active after 30 days. That’s why we’re excited to introduce retention optimization to help app advertisers acquire users likely to be highly engaged."
The ad type, which can include interactive elements, enables app developers to get users back to their apps after initial download.
"When used with app install ad campaigns, you'll have the option to optimize for returns on day two or day seven after install in order to find users who are likely to return to your app and can help grow your business."
The option aims to help push app usage, which, as Facebook notes, drops significantly after a week.
Retaining app users is a constant challenge - previous research has shown that while consumers spend 85% of their time on smartphones in apps, only five apps see significant, repeated use. Having the capacity to re-engage users who have previously shown interest in your app could help boost usage, and the results could be significant, when used well.
In addition to this, Facebook is also adding four new metrics in Ads Manager to measure retention performance of app install ad campaigns.
The retention cost data could help better contextualize your app efforts, and guide your strategic direction with both promotion and future development activities.
Both retention optimization ads and Facebook's new retention metrics are now available to all advertisers globally - more info here.