“Our users are everywhere, so we feel like our marketing should be everywhere” — Steven Meyers, Babbel

Building a successful app business requires an effective marketing strategy, which may involve exploring non-traditional channels to acquire, engage, and retain subscribers. Steven Meyers, VP of Growth at Babbel, emphasizes the value of offline marketing channels like billboards, subway ads, radio, TV, and direct mail, which reach a diverse audience that tends to be older, non-technical, and high-income. Despite the challenges in measuring the effectiveness of offline ads due to attribution difficulties and App Tracking Transparency, Babbel embraces these methods alongside surveys and incrementality tests to approximate their impact. Instead of adopting a freemium model, Babbel uses a hard paywall strategy, focusing on delivering a superior language learning experience for paid subscribers, resulting in higher engagement and retention. Additionally, optimizing the web experience is crucial, as it complements offline marketing by providing a seamless transition for users between app and web platforms, reducing entry barriers and potentially increasing app downloads and conversions.