The benefits of Apple Search Ads and ad variations are every marketer’s dream: massive scale at improved efficiency. There’s not much else you can ask for to unlock efficient growth and reach significantly more people.
Extend reach to new markets and gain insights.
In every new market, the Hallow team invested in a discovery campaign with Search Match to find new relevant search terms, automatically expanding keyword coverage. To further scale impressions and improve cost-per-acquisition, they moved high-performing terms from exact match into broad match campaigns, ensuring that their ads appeared for close variations of relevant keywords. The team optimized for efficiency by monitoring performance closely at the keyword level and actively adjusted bidding based on cost-per-tap and cost-per-install, as well as down-funnel events like in-app events, such as starting a subscription trial.
The team at Hallow also leveraged keyword performance insights from Apple Search Ads to inform their marketing and advertising strategy across channels. “Apple Search Ads has been a significant part of our growth journey, from less than a thousand users a few years ago to over 4 million installs in over 150 countries,” says Hallow Head of Marketing Evan Laird. “Apple Search Ads has also been a valuable tool for understanding our key audiences, reaching more individuals around the world, and helping us determine the demand for features as well as in-app content.”
Capture more interest with improved ad relevancy.
To better engage different customer groups, the team at Hallow created ad variations based on custom product pages set up in App Store Connect. These custom ads aligned creative with specific keyword themes, making the team’s ads more relevant to different user interests. For example, they highlighted testimonials from real users that included high-intent keywords, such as prayer, as well as popular app features, like sleep meditation or music.
Potential customers who tapped the Hallow ad enjoyed a seamless experience, landing on a custom product page that matched the ad creative. “Ad variations helped us unlock massive scale, delivering higher conversion rates and lower cost-per-acquisition,” says Laird. ”We plan to keep expanding custom product pages, especially in international markets — expanding our learnings to new languages around the world in order to help people of every nation find a little more peace.”
Invest to capture increased seasonal demand and keep brand top of mind.
During holiday periods of increased category interest, the Hallow team identified seasonal search terms and bid on these keywords. By increasing overall investment in Apple Search Ads, they were able to drive impressions with more potential customers as well as capture heightened seasonal demand on the App Store. “Apple Search Ads is crucial for building strong brand awareness — especially during seasonal moments like Advent and Christmas — that can boost app growth globally over time. The impact of Apple Search Ads in helping us boost our leadership position and expand our mission can’t be overstated,” says Laird.
Company Snapshot
- Hallow, Inc.
- Reference
- Launched in 2018
- Based in Chicago, Illinois