Constanza Alvarado Bernard

Q&A with Constanza

This Q&A reflects Constanza's time as User Acquisition Manager at Albo. Currently, Constanza is Growth Brand Manager at Nu.

Constanza Alvarado Bernard is User Acquisition Manager at Albo. Before joining Albo, Constanza was Headway’s Client Services Executive, working with the programmatic team on user acquisition strategies and solutions for clients from all over Latin America. After traveling around Europe in the past year, Constanza settled down in Mexico City and currently leads user acquisition at one of the hottest Mexican tech companies.

In your own words, tell us about the app(s) that you manage?

I manage user acquisition for Albo, a user-friendly finance app that is easy to understand and set up. It is an excellent alternative for people who can't (or don't want to) open a traditional bank account and who prefer a simple account setup. With our app, consumers pay for services and manage their expenses with a tap on a screen.

How did you get started in mobile marketing?

Before traveling through Europe, I worked closely with clients in Latin America on user acquisition strategies and solutions. My passion for mobile marketing stemmed from this experience and remained with me throughout my travels. I continue to deepen my knowledge of performance marketing as a user acquisition manager at Albo.

What do you like most about mobile marketing?

In marketing, I get to enjoy learning something new every day! With new technology constantly being introduced, my work naturally feels more exciting and challenging as I adapt and learn the latest UA strategies. I like that it keeps me on my toes.

What does it take to succeed in mobile marketing?

A little bit of everything, but mostly: constant self-education, staying updated with trends, and being curious. Also, maintaining good connections doesn’t hurt (especially for tips and tricks!)

The mobile advertising industry is constantly in motion, with brilliant people innovating the next big thing and new technologies. To be a successful marketer, proactively learn and keep up-to-date with the latest trends. If you don’t, you’ll risk getting left behind.

Let’s talk about Apple’s iOS 14 and IDFA changes, for instance. A good mobile marketer does their due diligence in understanding what this change signifies, its impact, and how they might successfully adapt in the future—be robust, probe, and act on your next move.

What strategies work best to convert installs into engaged app users?

Always try to find innovative ways to convert app users. There will be times when having a great product is not enough to acquire users. Brewing new strategies to encourage users is crucial. As a finance app, we don’t offer a free trial period or a first free order. Instead, we provide incentives that help users save money while using our app, such as a discount or cashback.

In the past year, what is one tip you can share which made the biggest performance difference for your UA strategy?

Give an incentive that consumers are responsive to. Since Albo is a finance app, we offer our new users cashback on their first purchase or discounts at different establishments.

Money is a sensitive matter to all of us, not just our users: we want to save it in a safe place, but we also want to spend it wisely. By giving cashback or discount incentives, we show we care about our users’ finances and have great deals that differentiate us from our competitors.

What’s your top tip when it comes to mobile ad creative?

I have three!

1. Don’t confuse the user. Creatives need a clear message and call-to-action.
2. Run a good deal of A/B tests for valuable insights.
3. Adapt creatives for each channel and strategy. This starts with understanding the user experience—think about when a user will see your ad, what their attention span might be, and modify accordingly.

What advice can you offer to help marketers combat mobile ad fraud?

1. Understand the numbers.
   Some metrics are relatively standard, such as click-to-install time or the percentage of rejected installs. But in addition to these, consider your app’s benchmarks. How long or how many times in a week does a user use the app? Over time, learn and define these benchmarks to have a comprehensive view of “normal” user behavior.
2. Buy good quality traffic.
   Research and understand what kind of traffic you acquire. Ask partners for transparency, what type of inventory they have (direct, DSP, or if it’s some kind of black box), and how they approach fraud. These questions help paint a broad picture of the partner you’re working with.
3. Use a fraud prevention tool.
   A useful fraud prevention tool gives marketers visibility on what is happening and what channels are performing well while adding value to your strategy. They provide insights beyond your post-install events that might not appear on a simple view from the MMP. With these insights, you can set new benchmarks and KPIs for acquisition partners to reach.

What are your top 3 go-to resources for keeping up with the mobile ad tech industry?

I recommend following people in the same industry on LinkedIn and reading their content for inspiration and advice. I also join or attend as many webinars as I can to stay connected with peers and learn from others (the same goes with reading many blogs). To take it up a notch, I take online courses.