Beyond the Basics: Crafting A Marketing Mix for Shopify Apps

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Hey there, Oyku here!

It’s been a while since my last newsletter, and I have a good reason: I got married! 🎉

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind, but I’m excited to be back writing and contributing to the Shopify app ecosystem.

From now on, I’ll be sending out these newsletters once a month.

Have you noticed that relying on just one channel rarely takes your Shopify app to the next level?

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed managing multiple channels.

Should you focus on ads?
Double down on content marketing?
Pursue partnerships?

Many founders get stuck here—

Just one more campaign. Almost there. Fixing one last bug.

Here’s the key: the best marketing mix often depends on two factors—whether your app is horizontal or vertical SaaS and if your ARPA is high or low.

Even though there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all, your sustainable growth will be affected by the unit economics. And this is why you should be careful which channels you're investing in.

But before diving in, there’s one essential piece for Shopify Apps: Shopify App Page Optimization and Shopify Ads. These are foundational for tapping into the ecosystem’s potential. I covered this in earlier issues.

And as a reminder, stability, and reliability in serving merchants and agencies are crucial. If your customer service or product is less than stellar, you’ll quickly lose customers, and risk gaining a poor reputation and rating while agencies won’t want to recommend an app that could jeopardize their credibility.

Let’s break it down:

Horizontal apps cater to a wide variety of e-commerce merchants with general solutions like Klaviyo, or Judge.me while vertical apps focus on specific merchant niches with tailored features such as print-on-demand apps.

Horizontal App Growth Strategies

If you’re targeting a broad audience, you need a mix of digital channels, here is the breakdown of strategies that you can take according to your ARPA (your average revenue per account).

Medium ARPA (e.g., $200/month): Go for digital ads like LinkedIn, Google, Quora, and Reddit. Pair that with content marketing, email marketing, and community-building. This way, you can capture a wide range of prospects.
Low ARPA (e.g., $10/month): Scalable strategies are key here – think product-led growth, content marketing, email marketing, and partnerships. Ads can work, but watch your ROI since ad costs can be high.

Vertical App Growth Strategies

For vertical SaaS, which targets specific niches, you’ll need a more tailored approach:

High ARPA (Enterprise Solutions): Sales-led growth is your friend, supported by webinars, strategic partnerships, and lead gen through ads. Content marketing and email nurturing are also big for converting high-value leads.
Low ARPA (Niche Markets): Ads or a sales team might not scale well. Instead, focus on content marketing, community-led growth, and product-led growth to build trust.

A final thought: whatever strategy you choose, consistency will pay off. And being in the public eye and sharing your insights as a founder will increase your visibility.

In the end, frequency is at the heart of marketing.

For the next issue, I’m considering a deep dive into positioning. But if there’s another topic you’d love to see, let me know on X or by replying to this email!

See you next time…