Solved: App Remarketing in Athens (The Real Reason)

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! Happy to give you some initial thoughts on your app remarketing problem. It's a common struggle, trying to get dormant users back, especially when you're just throwing ads at them hoping something sticks. Tbh, the issue usually isn't the Google Ads strategy itself, but the entire philosophy behind re-engagement. Most people get it wrong from the start.

You're probably focusing too much on the 'how' (which Google Ads campaign type to use) instead of the 'why' (why did they leave in the first place?) and the 'what' (what compelling reason are you giving them to come back?). We need to fix that foundation first before we even think about touching an ad platform. Let's get into it.

Your "Re-engagement" Problem is Actually a Value Problem

Right, let's be brutally honest. When you run a generic "app re-engagement" campaign, you're essentially paying Google to annoy people who have already decided your app isn't worth their time. It's the digital equivalent of repeatedly calling someone after a bad first date. It doesn't work because the underlying issue isn't that they've forgotten about you; it's that they don't see the value in coming back. The core of your problem isn't a lack of visibility, it's a perceived lack of value.

The standard approach is to lump all inactive users into one big audience and bombard them with ads saying "We miss you!". This is lazy and innefective. You're treating every user as if they left for the same reason. They didn't. Some got confused during onboarding. Some used a key feature once and didn't see the point. Others were power users who got lured away by a competitor. Each of these groups needs a completely different message, a different reason to believe that things will be better this time around.

I remember one software client we worked with, they were spending thousands on Google App campaigns to re-engage users with almost zero return. Their app helped people manage personal projects. Their ads were generic. We paused everything and spent a week just analysing the data. We found two massive groups of dormant users: those who dropped off creating their first project (the onboarding friction point) and those who created one project, finished it, and never came back (the "one and done" problem). The old campaign was useless for both. By treating the problem as a value gap instead of an advertising task, we were able to build a proper strategy that actually worked. Before you spend another euro in Athens or anywhere else, you need to become an archeologist of your own user data.

We'll need to look at user segmentation first...

This is the non-negotiable first step. You have to stop thinking of "dormant users" as a single entity. You need to split them into meaningful segments based on their behaviour. This isn't about demographics; it's about their journey with your app. What was the last thing they did before they went quiet? Where in the funnel did they drop off? Answering this tells you what kind of message they need to hear.

You'll need to work with your analytics to create these custom audiences. The goal is to build buckets of users who share a common history, which likely means they share a common reason for leaving. Here are the segments I'd start with as a priority:

• The Onboarding Deserters: Users who installed the app, maybe signed up, but never completed the key setup steps or used a core feature even once. They never experienced the "aha!" moment.
• The One-Hit Wonders: Users who came in, used one specific feature successfully, and then vanished. They solved an immediate problem but didn't see a reason to stick around for the long term.
• The Fading Fans: These were once active or even power users. They used the app regularly for a period but haven't opened it in, say, the last 30-90 days. They know the value, but something changed. Maybe a competitor appeared, or their needs evolved.
• The Cart Abandoners (if applicable): For apps with in-app purchases or subscriptions, these are users who initiated a purchase but never completed it. They are high-intent but hit a last-minute barrier.

Mapping this out is the bedrock of your entire strategy. Once you know who you're talking to, you can figure out what to say. Below is a simple flowchart showing how you might think about this initial segmentation process. It's not about being perfect, it's about being deliberate.

I'd say you need to craft irresistible re-engagement hooks

Now that you have your segments, you can stop shouting "Come back!" and start whispering something they actually want to hear. The "hook" is your offer. It’s the specific, value-packed reason for them to open your app again. It must directly address the presumed reason they left.

This is where copywriting becomes absolutly critical. Your ad creative and copy need to be tailored to the pain point of each segment. Forget features; focus on outcomes and forgotten benefits. Let's break down what this looks like in practice:

Notice how none of these say "Please come back." They all lead with value and speak directly to a specific user state. This is how you move from annoying reminder ads to compelling invitations that actually stand a chance of working.

You probably should expand beyond just Google Ads...

Okay, you mentioned Google Ads specifically, and while it has its place, it's a mistake to think it's the only, or even the best, tool for this job. You're trying to re-capture attention. That means you need to show up where your users are, in the right context. For app re-engagement, a multi-channel approach is almost always superior.

Google Ads (The Searcher's Mindset):
Google's strength is intent. But dormant users often don't have active intent to re-engage. So, how do we use it?

• YouTube & Display Network: This is your best bet on Google. Don't use the generic "App Engagement" campaign type blindly. Instead, build campaigns on the Display Network and YouTube using the specific custom audiences we just defined. You can get really clever here. For the "Fading Fans" of your project management app, you could run short video ads on YouTube channels that review productivity software. You're reminding them of the solution in a context where they are already thinking about the problem.
• Search (Limited Use): Search is tough for re-engagement unless they are searching for your brand name or direct competitors. You could run a small, defensive campaign on your own brand terms for users who haven't opened the app in 90 days, with ad copy like "See What's New at [App Name]". But it's a small-scale tactic.

Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram - The Browser's Mindset):
Tbh, for this specific challenge, I often see Meta outperforming Google. Why? Because you're not waiting for them to search for a solution. You are interrupting their daily scrolling with a visually compelling reminder of the value you offer. It's a pattern interrupt.

• Dynamic Ads for Apps (DAA): If you have an e-commerce or content-based app, this is incredibly powerful. You can show users the exact product or piece of content they viewed before they left. It's highly personalised and effective.
• Video & Carousel Ads: This is where you bring your hooks to life. A 15-second video showing the "Aha!" moment is perfect for the "Onboarding Deserters." A carousel ad showcasing 3-4 new features is ideal for the "Fading Fans." You can grab their attention in a way that a static banner on a random website via Google Display just can't. We've worked on app growth campaigns where Meta was the primary driver for both acquisition and re-engagement, leading to over 45,000 signups. The visual, story-telling nature of the platform is perfectly suited to reminding someone *why* they cared in the first place.

Push Notifications & Email (The Owned Channels):
Let's not forget the most powerful and cheapest channels you have. Your ad strategy should be the air cover, but your direct comms are the ground troops. Your segmentation work should be applied here first. A push notification with a tailored message ("We just launched [feature] you asked for!") is far more likely to work than a generic ad and costs you practically nothing. Your paid ads should be for reaching the segments that have stopped responding to your free channels.

You'll need to know the economics: How much can you actually afford to spend?

This is the part that separates professional advertisers from amateurs. You can't optimise what you can't measure, and the most important metric here is how much a re-activated user is worth to you. Spending €5 to win back a user who will only ever generate €2 of value is a failing strategy, no matter how good the click-through rate is.

The starting point is understanding your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). This tells you the total profit you can expect to make from an average user over the entire time they use your app. Knowing this number anchors your entire marketing budget, including re-engagement.

Once you have your LTV, you can determine your target Re-engagement Cost Per Acquisition (rCPA). Crucially, your rCPA should be significantly lower than your initial Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Why? Because these are proven flight risks. They are more likely to churn again, so you can't afford to pay as much to bring them back as you did to get them the first time. A common rule of thumb is that your rCPA should be no more than 25-50% of your original CAC. If your LTV is €35 and your original CAC was €10, you probably shouldn't be spending more than €2.50 - €5.00 to reactivate a dormant user. This number gives you a hard limit and prevents you from throwing good money after bad.

Okay, here is your action plan...

Theory is nice, but you need a concrete plan. If you were our client, this is the structured approach we would implement. It's a system of continuous testing and optimisation, designed to find profitable pockets of re-engagement rather than just 'spraying and praying'.

The structure is designed for clarity and control. You want to be able to see exactly which segments, platforms, and messages are working, and which are burning cash. Don't lump everything into one massive "App Engagement" campaign. That's a recipe for confusing data and wasted spend. Isolate your variables so you can learn quickly.

Your optimisation metric is not CTR or CPC. It is Re-activation Rate and, more importantly, Post-Reactivation Value. How many users who opened the app from an ad went on to perform a key action within 7 days? That’s what tells you if your hook is actually working. Below is a summary of the main recommendations I have for you.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

This whole process is a lot of work, I know. It's more complex than just setting up a campaign in the Google Ads interface. But this is the difference between professional, strategic media buying and just hoping for the best. It requires a deep dive into your data, a solid understanding of user psychology, and a disciplined approach to testing and measurement.

Trying to manage this yourself can be overwhelming, especially when you're also trying to run your business and improve your app. This is often where expert help can make a huge difference. An experienced agency or consultant has been through this process hundreds of times. We can help you avoid common pitfalls, speed up the learning process, and ultimately build a re-engagement machine that brings back valuable users profitably.

If you'd like to discuss how we could apply this kind of strategic thinking specifically to your app, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation. We could take a look at your current setup and provide some more specific, actionable advice. Feel free to book a time that works for you.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh