Mavericks or Celtics? Dallas or Boston? Luka Doncic or Jason Tatum? We haven’t yet learned who will win the NBA Finals 2024, but it is certain that mobile app marketers have already started winning.
The NBA Finals never fail to captivate basketball fans and casual viewers alike with dramatic moments from tip-off to final buzzer. With excitement and interest in the 2024 championship series sure to reach a fever pitch, it will be the perfect opportunity for mobile apps to boost user acquisition through creative campaigns leveraging the unparalleled hype around the Finals.
The Finals transform the sports calendar, igniting passions from small-town gyms to massive watch parties worldwide. But it also presents massive implications for the mobile marketing industry. As fans analyze rosters, dissect matchups, and watch incredible performances, search terms like “nba”, “mavericks” and “celtics” see huge spikes. This surge of search interest provides a major opportunity for sports, entertainment, betting apps, and mobile games to engage these audiences.
In fact, the pervasive coverage of the NBA Finals has become one of the top events each year for driving downloads, engagement and in-app purchases across sports and entertainment apps. As Finals traffic grows, forward-thinking mobile marketers will capitalize on this moment with optimized search rankings, targeted paid campaigns, unique in-app events, and custom product page strategies.
In this post, we’ll examine NBA Finals mobile marketing strategies through the lenses of keyword trends, share of voice, and product page best practices. We aim to help apps maximize this once-a-year opportunity to acquire new users and revenue. So read on to see how one of the biggest tournaments in global sports can translate to peak performance on mobile.
Three-Pointers, Alleys, and Oops: Targeting the Right Keywords for Each Big Moment
Each year come mid-June, certain keywords will begin to rapidly rise as the NBA Finals grab national attention. Terms like “nba finals”, “boston celtics”, “celtics”, “dallas mavericks” and “mavericks” all experience a marked increase in searches.
As the Finals have started this June, search interest in terms related to the Celtics, Mavericks, and championship series itself are poised for a massive surge. Historical mobile search data shows clear spikes for keywords like “NBA” as over 10 million fans in the US alone seek information on schedules, rosters, odds, and more heading into each year’s marquee event.
Keyword Tracking – ASO Intelligence
Related to the 2024 contestants, interest in “Boston Celtics” and just “Celtics” jumps exponentially as the league’s most-winning franchise vies for its 18th banner. Meanwhile, searches for “Dallas Mavericks” and its abbreviated version “Mavericks” balloon as fans young and old unite to cheer on the underdog organization led by European superstar Luka Dončić.
With digital audiences intensely tracking every matchup and storyline, these team-specific keywords present a prime opportunity for mobile marketers to reach deeply engaged NBA fandom. Apps and games related to player stats, championship history, or fantasy/betting angles should focus ASO and ad campaigns on terms poised to see massive breakouts when the Finals tip-off arrives. Capitalizing on these predictable search surges will drive downloads and maximize in-app revenue throughout basketball’s biggest moment.
Balancing Organic and Paid Keyword Strategies for the Mavericks and Celtics
This year’s March Madness saw a clear divergence between the apps optimizing organic placement versus paid promotion surrounding basketball-related keywords.
For “NBA”, the official NBA: Live Games & Scores led the pack organically given its direct association. NBA 2K Mobile Basketball Games and NBA Live Mobile Basketball also ranked well organically. Meanwhile, an unrelated mobile game, Drift Max Pro Drift Racing, stood out in paid rankings by paid marketing efforts.
When fans searched “Boston Celtics” and “Celtics” the top organic performer was Boston Celtics’ official mobile app. Again, NBA: Live Games & Scores successfully ranked also for these keywords. In paid results, NewsBreak: Local News placed bets on basketball audiences, elevating their visibility.
Keyword Trends – ASO Intelligence
Looking at “Dallas Mavericks” and “Mavericks”, we again see the official mobile app of the merch ranked in the first place. Meanwhile, paid pushes from different sorts of apps cast a wider discovery net.
This case study offers lessons – to rise up in early June, balance organic keyword targeting with paid supplementing where strategic for broader exposure, and capture feverish fans.
More Than a Series: Crafting In-App Events to Expand Finals Fan Engagement
Mobile marketers took advantage of in-app event badges during the NBA Playoffs to engage eager basketball fans. These strategic activations yielded key metrics.
Bally Bet Sportsbook, Betway Casino & Sportsbook, ClutchBet Sportsbook, Digits: Sports News & Stats, and Flashscore Live scores utilized “Live Event” markers to highlight their live streaming of playoff matchups. Real-time viewing boosted stickiness.
In-App Events – App Intelligence
Bet On Sports, DraftKings Fantasy Sports, DraftKings Pick6 Fantasy Game, DraftKings Sportsbook & Casino, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, and Tipico Sportsbook Sports Bet all featured “Special Event” badges promoting playoff-themed promotions and challenges within relevant verticals of sports betting and fantasy. Perks like odds boosts kept communities immersed.
Meanwhile, the NBA – Live Games & Scores app itself optimized event notifications to showcase playoff narratives and milestones through “Premiere” spotlights of historic moments unfolding.
The use of strategically programmed in-app events effectively showcased timely offers and content tied to intense playoff action. Analytics revealed measurable spikes in repetitive user behavior seeking the thrill of competition throughout this period. Event-based strategies can drive annual spikes in user value.
Conclusion
As this analysis of mobile app performance during the NBA Finals 2024 illustrates, the postseason presents an invaluable annual opportunity for basketball, entertainment, and betting platforms to immerse avid fans and acquire new users through strategic marketing.
The insights demonstrate that well-optimized promotion techniques – like relevant keywords, targeted paid campaigns, in-app events, and tailored creative assets – have measurable power to heighten discoverability, trials and recurring user behaviors covering this pinnacle period of competition. The momentum generates enduring loyalty as platforms authentically partner every step of the playoff journey in ways that resonate.
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