Yodel Mobile

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Splink Industries. We’re a business development startup that operates a mobile app. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

Because we’re a startup, we needed a lot of help and guidance in terms of app store optimization (ASO) and digital marketing in general. We identified Yodel Mobile as a partner that could help us on both fronts. 
 

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We work with Yodel Mobile to promote our app. Prior to our app’s iOS launch in July 2020, they helped us design our marketing approach, supporting the creative side on how the app would appear in the App Store. Then, they created promotional assets such as images and videos. We tackled the same set of challenges for the subsequent Android launch in October 2020.

Currently, they’re helping us complete market research and analyze our principal competition. The team has delivered some excellent data analysis on what our competition is doing, and how we can best compete with them. 

What is the team composition? 

We work directly with three main contacts, including a project manager, head marketer, and an ASO specialist. It’s very much a collaborative relationship.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

We’d talked to 3–4 ASO-focused companies. It was clear that all of them could do the ASO part of what we needed, but we were really looking for a team with a broader approach. That is to say, we wanted someone who could help us with more general marketing tasks and advise us on our creative. Yodel Mobile stood out because they had expertise in both.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s going on £100,000 (approximately $133,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re getting toward our sales targets, though it’s taking us somewhat longer than we’ve hoped to see. 

Besides that, users have received our app well. It constantly ranks in the top five educational apps in the App Store, and we’ve had two features from Apple as the app of the day. Both versions earned over 2,000 ratings within months of launch, averaging at 4.9 stars. That’s a higher rating than any of our competition’s.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

We couldn’t have launched the app without their support. It’s been an entirely collaborative process throughout, we’ve worked on all aspects of our app marketing together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only are they willing to take on a broad, collaborative approach, but they’re also experts in all areas of app marketing. They understand how to promote our solution from a technical, data-driven point of view while still keeping the creative in mind. That’s quite a rare combination.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been partners with us as we’ve gone through our whole project and will continue to do so. We’re extremely pleased with the public and user engagement our apps have earned, too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t regard them as just an ASO company. Rather, think of them as a partner in all aspects of your marketing planning because they have a broad range of knowledge. You should talk to them about all aspects of your promotional strategy.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Afin Technologies. We’re in the discount offers and promotions industry. Essentially, we’re a consumer and merchant paid business model depending on the platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

Our new mobile app is a fresh look at the way that mobile discount offers work. We were launching our mobile app, Buxbo, and engaged Yodel Mobile to do a fit for the market assessment.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once my vision was turned into mobile, Yodel helped us to tweak the platform. Their team managed the initial market testing and then helped to roll out the app with the goal of getting the first few hundred thousand users registered. We put Leanplum inside the app. In terms of the advertising, they used Adperio and another platform that we weren’t using.  

Buxbo solved for the five traditional issues that merchants face when signing up for programs, not just entertainment. Those traditional issues were transparency of price and longevity of offers. Users know who they’re advertising to with Buxbo. Also, merchants can put as many offers out there as they like. If it’s too popular, they can nuke the offers too. It democratizes the offer landscape, so local shops pay the same price as national chains while benefiting from the same exposure.

What is the team composition?

We worked with anywhere between 6–12 people on any given week depending on the task.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

Knowing that we were going to launch this app, we reviewed people in the digital marketing and app agency spaces. It was a competitive pitch, and Yodel Mobile won it. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1.124 million on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from February 2019 until March 2020. Due to the successful conclusion of the initial phase, we closed the relationship for now.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I estimate around 380,000 installs leading to around 193,000 active players right now. Cost per install’s roughly $2.83. The cost per new player registration was $5.83. They were robust and provided us with customized analytics. Their team was excellent at competitive research. They were constantly looking at our competitors and whether any features of competitors were copying from our app. They let us know how we fit in terms of where our competitors were moving. I’d work with their team again.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack to communicate. Our team and their team worked together. Their team put together weekly reports and had regular meetings with our team. They talked us through where they felt the money could be better spent and where they felt that we could change the UI/UX.

When we started, we didn’t have a digital marketing team of our own. We were wholly reliant on Yodel Mobile. They were essentially our internal team but knew that our end game was to build our own team. Even as we were building out a team, they were collaborative. There was a smooth transition in the end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were skilled and open about challenges but also came to us with solutions. Their team was on the ball, watching everything intently to look for the best use of our capital. They assumed that the capital that we were deploying was their capital, and I appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were happy with them. It would be great if they had a bigger operation in the US.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve. Be ready to listen because they’ve got a lot of good experience and have good inputs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Moovshack, a real estate tech startup.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

We’d never launched a mobile app before. We wanted to build a platform across mobile and desktop for both B2C and B2B. We needed somebody to help us maximize the chance of success and offer us good, quality advice for the best possible investment.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yodel Mobile gave us recommendations on what tech we should integrate, including Branch.io and Mixpanel. They developed the mobile app for iOS and Android for our consumers. Our agents use the iOS and web app. We combined our technologies with the ones they recommended to track users’ points of engagement with our digital ads and then through the user journey. They’ve written all of our copy and optimized our keywords.

What is the team composition?

We’ve engaged with at least six people. This includes Mick (Founder & CEO), who keeps in regular contact with us.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

I did a Google search. I knew I needed the best possible expertise to give us the greatest shot at success. I found a couple of big names. I just liked the look and feel of Yodel Mobile. You never know until you get into a relationship with a partner whether their marketing stacks up with reality. We didn’t know what to expect, but we assumed they’d be good. They turned out to be much better than we could have hoped. They have excellent reach and experience in our sector and related sectors. They have worked with very high-profile brands.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $100,000–$120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019, and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our key deliverables are downloads and engagement. Initially, our launch is going to be soft. Since we built so much interactive tech into our platform and packed it with tools, we want to test the whole platform and focus on tools that are going to be early revenue generators. If all goes well, I can’t see us ever not working with them. We’ve been impressed with them from day one. They’re always exceeding our expectations, and we’re extremely impressed with them as a company.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is very good. They work well together as a team and are responsive to any criticism. There are times when they get ahead of us because of all of the other challenges that we face; we can’t keep up with the level of data coming at us. We have had no issues at all working with them as a team. They have great communication and customer skills.

I’m an experienced businessman involved in many startups and corporates. Everything starts from the top down, and Mick exemplifies what a great business leader is all about. He’s very personable. He knows his subject matter and handles customers extremely well. He treats even the smallest, newest customer, like us, the way he’d treat his biggest customer. You never feel you’re not significant enough. They have been fantastic and by far the best partner we’ve had.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The good thing about them is that they advise us on what to integrate and what the best setups are for optimum results. They go deep into consultancy. What has struck us is the amount of knowledge that they have and how well structured it is. We don’t just get bits of piecemeal advice; we get proper documents. For example, they did a UI/UX analysis of our product and came back with a 30-page report that had observations about where we sat relative to the market and other apps. They gave us ideas for how we could improve in certain areas. It was a proper reference document that we could also use for best practices because they listed every last detail in mobile app development that we needed to be aware of to optimize our product offering for the marketplace. 

Yodel Mobile leaves no stone unturned. The information that they give us is laser-focused. They have the best setups with mobile CRMs that we’re working with them on through to the UI/UX analysis. They do everything, which makes us feel like there’s nothing else they could do. They’ve done a thorough job in every avenue. I don’t have to worry at all if I’m getting value for money, and I can’t say that about any of our other suppliers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since they’re so experienced in launching mobile apps, they have a very structured approach to it. This is very helpful, but they sometimes get ahead of us. We’ve got a whole lot of challenges, and it’s occasionally difficult to keep pace with them. There’s nothing really negative at all that I can point to other than adapting to our pace a bit better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what it is that you want to achieve and communicate this clearly to them. As long as you make it clear, they will come back to you with the best possible plan to help you to get there. We have no regrets choosing them. There will be cheaper companies out there, but you won’t find this level of ability to work with new startups who need the best possible results.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have an app that caters to individuals interested in living a sober life. That includes individuals who are sober, in recovery, or curious about sobriety. I'm the CEO of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

We wanted to populate the userbase in a strategic fashion. We have three radius components, including dating, events, and networking. We worked with them to devise a rollout strategy that could be filled territory by territory.

What was the scope of their involvement?

On one side, they consult on best practices for the UI and the UX. They also analyze the data that they integrate into the app. On the other side, they work on user acquisition. They do retargeting and lookalike campaigns on Facebook, Google, ASO recommendations, etc.

What is the team composition?

I normally deal with five or six people, including a project manager, a growth strategist, a person in charge of user acquisitions, and one of the heads of their company. The team changes, based upon our needs at any given time.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

I met them through App Promotions in New York. Another member recommended them as I was searching for companies to help with consulting and user acquisitions.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $200,000 on their services, not including our ad spending.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration began around October 2018 and is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We have several KPIs and data points that we track. We always hit our targets, and things work well across our funnel.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

They're fantastic project managers. I have a lot of experience with agencies, and Yodel Mobile is as good as you can get.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They advised us on best practices that would truly help our app succeed. Their strategists do deep competitive analysis, and they run reports that show us in relation to our competitors. I don't know any other company that offers this level of consultancy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't review them negatively in any aspect of their work. Their growth analysts are amazing, as is their management team. They're a great team, and I wish they were local to us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They cover user acquisition, but that's not all that they do. Ask them about all the services they offer, as their level of service will exceed almost any other company in their industry.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Head of Digital for Breast Cancer Care, a U.K. charity. We offer a range of services including in-person and online support, as well as a helpline. I oversee our online content and services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

The Breast Cancer Care app, BECCA, provides information and support to anyone struggling to move forward after finishing their hospital-based treatment for primary breast cancer. Breast Cancer Care developed the app as we know dealing with the long-term impact of breast cancer and adapting to this new reality can be a challenge. At the end of treatment, people often expect life to go back to normal but it can actually be the hardest part. To help patients, the app provides bite-size flashcards on topics such as mindfulness, concerns, symptoms, exercise, and healthy eating. It also details our service offering. The app was successful, but we wanted to make it fit to market to make sure we were reaching, and retaining, the target audience.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yodel Mobile is creating and implementing a marketing program in a 12-month engagement. They are optimizing the app’s descriptions for the App Store and Google Play. They are identifying a number of technical improvements for the user journey for us to consider, covering aspects such as push notifications, in-app messaging and retention. The marketing program will also incorporate recommendations for improving marketing analytics, e-mail marketing and app review and feedback management.

What is the team composition?

We have one main point of contact at Yodel Mobile.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

Yodel Mobile held a competition to award a free 12-month app consultancy programme to a charity. One of our app’s technical partners encouraged us to apply. We submitted an application, had a phone interview, and won.

How much have you invested with them?

They donated their time and services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2018 and the partnership is ongoing for a 12-month period.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Although it’s early in the relationship, Yodel Mobile’s professionalism and comprehensive work have impressed us greatly. The team has done a deep dive into the app and identified quick wins and long-term changes to benefit its success. In addition, their findings are clear and of high quality. The team communicates effectively without science or jargon.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

Our primary contact liaises between us and a team of experts. The contact filters the information and communicates the different findings in a brilliant manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is responsive, professional, and highly committed to the project. Even though we’re not a traditional customer, Yodel Mobile takes us as seriously as any other customer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Each time we finish a call with the team, we just smile at what a breath of fresh air it is to work with people who are such experts in their field and committed to doing a good job.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager at a large media company in the magazine business. We operate globally, and I oversee all marketing efforts on our UK e-publishing app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

We’re a small team that needed outside help in making our apps more visible in the marketplace. They also assisted with our social media advertising efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yodel Mobile team advised us on what channels to advertise on for the best cost per action (CPA). We primarily ran campaigns on Facebook, although we implemented minor efforts across other channels as well. They also conducted app store optimization (ASO), and all efforts were centered around the iOS app. They worked proactively in all aspects of the project. Some services they offered were very hands-on, while others were more consulting.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact was Ijah (Managing Director, Yodel Mobile).

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

I found them while searching on LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about £50,000 (approximately $66,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our first Apple proceeds are up year-over-year in a declining market. The activity they’ve done for us has delivered more visibility.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very happy with them. They’re very proactive in reaching out when there are pressing concerns or priorities. They’re always available when we need them. We primarily communicate via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s been a good relationship. They’re very knowledgeable and proactive. They prioritize transparency and use a number of in-house tools that promote efficient workflows and provide unique insight on competition analysis. Overall, I’ve been very happy. They’ve delivered on everything they promised. I don’t have any negative comments.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Due diligence is crucial. Meet with them and make sure to meet the team you’ll be working with. Also make sure that your workflows align and you’re happy with the way they work.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re working with them on mobile optimization for users of UKTV video on demand.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

They’ve worked with us on various mobile projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yodel helped us with mobile best practice implementations and acquisitions. The main thing was App Store optimization. They made an analysis of all our competitors in the market and advised us on what we needed to be doing. We did paid search with them and we recently ran an acquisition campaign. Yodel Mobile also helped us integrate the right analytics into our mobile app so we can measure our acquisition and start to understand our long-term value.

They also made a fit to market program, which included approaches to how we could survive as a company. They helped us develop our relationship with the development team, leveraging their expertise to bridge that gap.

What is the team composition?

My marketing manager has a dedicated relationship with them and works with an account manager. I deal with the founder/CEO.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

We found them through the Mobile Marketing Association in London. Yodel Mobile was early on in this field, and they are nice people to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them between $50,000 and $200,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Yodel Mobile about two years ago. They continue to be our main consultant for the mobile space.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Results have all been positive. We’ve seen an increase of about 30% in performance. We’ve been happy with the results.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

They have fantastic in-house expertise. They are professionals who understand this niche. They can be too detailed at times, but they bring us in-depth analyses and the project management is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought a lot of energy and dedication to this project. They are passionate and knowledgeable about the mobile space. They have a real depth of knowledge so we trust them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are sometimes overly enthusiastic about their niche. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but they can get lost in the details. Getting into the numbers can be too much for some of the stakeholders.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Teletext Holidays, a package holiday company. We’re consumer facing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

We built a mobile app. We had the technology, but we didn’t have the market strategy. We needed help to get the mobile app fit for market and to scale the app in terms of getting downloads.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their initial remit was to look at the mobile app and rate how it was performing. The app is built for iOS and Android. They worked mainly on the UX side of things and more of a strategic recommendation element. They made recommendations for short- and long-term ways of how we could improve. That included how to scale the app and increase its usability.

They also made recommendations for what platforms to use, and they got involved in building out video for the app, testing, and strategy too.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

We found them through a Google search. We had a meeting and liked them. They checked all the boxes we needed.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2016 until October 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve had an increase in downloads, installs, and searches. The app functions properly and they got it to a really good place. They were very proactive in what they provided for me.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

They kept everything on track and provided things when they said they would. We were assigned a project manager and communicated via phone and email, while sometimes meeting face to face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail in everything they presented and in their communication was really good.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a company that produces a 3D garden growing application called VR Garden.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

We were new to the app business and wanted to understand it better. We understood the software business but wanted our app to be searchable and working correctly with the app stores.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Yodel took us through the internal workings of the app in four main areas: App Store Optimization (ASO), searchability and discoverability, mobile customer relationship management, and analytics. They gave a master class that covered onboarding, how the app is being used, and all the strategies that are used internally. Yodel guided us through it all seamlessly.

The second project was utilizing those skills when the app went live. They taught us how to use the analytic tools and put the reports together. We gathered data on review strategies, rating strategies, advance sharing, ASO, etc. Yodel helped us learn the basic best practices of the apps business.

The third project, which we’re currently working on, is our ad spend and fully launching in the U.K. app stores. Even though Yodel is a marketing company, they have a modern way of understanding how users interact and act within an app. All that works together to improve our ASO.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

We found them on a 2016 list of the top 15 mobile app agencies in the world. We met with three companies on that list (all located in London), and Yodel was way above the others. They weren’t greedy for money—they wanted us to be confident in our plan and partnership. They wanted us to succeed because they knew it would mean we’d continue doing business with them, which we have.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $93,683.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been partners since January 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

When we initially went live, we were converting below 5%. After going through all of the reviews and recommendations with Yodel, we're now double that, which is extremely good in the app space. Yodel is a master in their space—it’s been one of our best partnerships we have ever done. They gave me an amazing master class in understanding the app world, and we honestly wouldn’t be in business still if it wasn’t for them. They made sure we were in the right place at the right time in the right format. They’ve helped us garner more investments and redefine our business goals to become as successful as we are today.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. Communication is clear, transparent, and always on time. Their three-step process (reviewing the issue, working on it themselves, and presenting recommendations) is comprehensive yet simple. They create a PDF with huge amounts of detail, some over 150 pages. They do Skype calls to walk us through every page of the document. They’re on hand to answer questions afterward, but the documents are so easy to understand that it’s almost never necessary. The recommendations are broken down feature by feature, so you can’t mess it up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team integrated well with our team. They’re forward-thinking about the app space and not afraid to innovate. Traditionally, the marketing and development departments would be in separate buildings, but that’s completely different nowadays, and Yodel embodies that. They know success isn’t just getting tons of users but making the app work in a way that keeps users coming back. Even though our teams are located in different countries and speak different languages, it’s been a seamless partnership. I’ve worked with other providers, but they either weren’t skilled enough or were extremely expensive. Yodel spends time building a solid foundation so, when ad spend ramps up, the internal systems are working correctly. They’re the total package—above and beyond anything else I’ve seen in the market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t say enough good things about them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

MyTaxi is Europe’s largest e-hail taxi app. I recently left the company, but was their marketing director.

What challenge were you trying to address with Yodel Mobile?

As a mobile-first proposition, it is important to onboard people properly, get them active, and keep them engaged. We have in-house experts, but wanted a complimentary agency to help with general mobile strategy and customer motivation.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They performed a thorough audit of our performance, strategy, and technologies. They then provided recommendations that fit into three categories: ASO [app store optimization], performance marketing, and MCRM [mobile customer relationship management].

Later in the process, they provided media planning and buying services, as well as creative production services and adverts for social media and other display channels through mobile networks.

What is the team dynamic?

I had a direct line to the chief executive and the senior team, and we worked with different project managers, depending on the work. Each subgroup had a specific point of contact.

How did you come to work with Yodel Mobile?

They provide a full spectrum of service. They can help with strategy, ASO, and media planning and buying. The other agencies we considered didn’t have such detailed credentials. We had a good feeling from their account team, and we were confident their overall level of service would be excellent.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them a set rate for their work, plus commissions from media planning and buying.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began work together on the optimization project in early spring 2017. In June or July, we added media planning and buying, and the company is still working with them.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They significantly increased our understanding and awareness of the current mobile media landscape. They helped us with best practices, suggested improvements to our tooling, and underlined intrinsic problems in the industry. The processes they helped set in place take time to implement, so the data for cost-per-acquisition or other specific impacts are still nascent.

How did Yodel Mobile perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good about communication, and have been excellent to work with. Through a very consultative process, they got to know the business and worked very closely with the local teams. They integrated deeply with the central performance team, and made recommendations on a market-by-market basis.

We communicated mostly by phone and email, and some of the teams may have used Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a very personal approach, and are a great group to work with. They’re proactive and constructive, and their service is excellent. Any problems were addressed effectively. If they needed to deliver a difficult message, they were tactful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Yodel is very competent, and delivers everything they promise. They’re great in the details, especially in mobile. Know the market, and be sure that your options are genuinely capable through stress tests. Yodel will outperform other agencies in the field.