Sisi Ji

Q&A with Sisi

Sisi Ji moved into mobile marketing after working for an international education agency, pursuing her passion for gaming. As a student, Sisi spent many hours playing mobile and PC games. After doing some research and learning about mobile marketing, she was convinced that it was a right fit. Sisi was excited about the fast pace and dynamic nature of the mobile industry. She found a job at a small company, where she quickly grew her skill set as a user acquisition manager. Sisi was then offered an opportunity to join ME2ZEN, the world’s leading social casino and card game developer, where she currently works as a Gaming Marketing Manager.

In your own words, tell us about the apps that you manage?

I manage app marketing for several classic social casino and solitaire games. As a mobile marketer, I consider myself lucky because we have a very loyal user base and a strong R&D team. Some of our apps are two or three years old -- a long shelf life for a mobile app. But these apps are still successful, and so we keep improving them. The biggest marketing challenge is differentiation, because our apps are very similar in gameplay and features to others. On the positive side, this forces me to be even more creative, think outside the box and look deeper.

How did you get started in mobile marketing?

After graduating university, I spent a year working for an international education agency. I was looking for a change and mobile seemed like a good fit. As a student, I enjoyed playing mobile and PC games and was excited about the opportunity to work in the mobile gaming industry. I first found a job at a small company, learned the ropes of user acquisition, then moved to ME2ZEN.

What do you like most about mobile marketing?

First, the mobile marketing industry is constantly changing, which means I am always learning new things. Second, I get to meet many amazing and smart people to share thoughts and ideas with. And lastly, mobile marketing is very data-driven, and I love using data to make decisions.

What does it take to succeed in mobile marketing?

Because mobile marketing is dynamic, keeping up with the changes is critical to succeed. At the same time, you need to focus on the things that matter, and stay patient and humble. But most importantly, you need to know your audience inside out to make sure your ad creative is relevant.

What does a quality mobile user look like to you?

It varies, but in general, people who engage in our games regularly and for a long time are our best users. The key metrics we use to measure engagement include LTV, retention rate, and time spent in-app.

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

Before we run a new campaign, we typically do a lot of user research to come up with ads that are highly relevant and effective. We also match our ads to app store design and description to decrease potential drop-off and increase engagement.

In the past year, what is one tip you can share which made the biggest performance difference with UA or re-engagement of your app?

Re-engagement campaigns have worked out well for us and sharpened our focus on quality users. We identify the most valuable users from UA campaigns, assign tags and retarget to drive players back to the game.

How do you stay ahead of changes in technology?

I never stop learning, keep moving forward, and actively look for inspiration to stay creative.

What do you see as the next big thing in mobile marketing?

The growth of AI and machine learning is the next big thing that will help marketers better analyze data and become more user-centric.

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

Do your research before choosing or testing new traffic resources and keep monitoring your data to detect fraud early on.