Branch.io is a complete solution to integrate your mobile application with links to advertisements and posts. You can measure and track the way that users reach your application and use this information to better direct your advertisements, spend less, and better apply your money.
Creating your app link
After creating your account, the first step is to create and brand your link. You can choose a domain for your link, preferably a memorable name to identify the goal of the link. Then click Next to advance.
The second step is the configuration of how Branch.io will treat the flow of users that haven’t yet downloaded your mobile application. You can set this up if you have a website, an Android application or an iOS application. (Don’t worry if you don’t have this information right now—You can change and add new configurations later on another screen.)
Now, your link is ready to use. Any click will be tracked and you will see the metrics on your dashboard. The great feature here is that with this simple configuration, you can redirect users to the correct point with one link. This means (for example) that a user on iOS will be redirected to the Apple App Store, and a user using a desktop will be redirected to your site. You can also get a link to your app in SMS and email to distribute to all your contacts.
Improving apps for current users
It’s also possible to configure and improve access to users that already have your mobile app. In this step, you can invite mobile developers to integrate with Branch SDK. With this, you can create a link and define which app screen the link will open in your app. This functionality is very useful to improve navigation inside an app. Most links will only be redirected to open the app, but normally you have to configure a lot of URI schemes in a webpage (and Javascript code). With Branch.io, you can reduce workarounds and provide proper directs in your mobile app.
The following steps complete integration with your app. The documentation is very clear, and is separated for each type of mobile operating system. (See the complete documentation for integration here.)
Flow settings
In the Link Settings, you can configure a flow to each platform, and the flow will be different depending on whether a user has your app installed. Here you can associate the Bundle ID with your iOS mobile application (or a package if it is an Android application).
Another available customization is the ability to view your link in social media. You can define the title, description, and image that will be shown when your link is shared via platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Other features
As you might expect, it’s possible to integrate Branch.io with Google AdWords and other ad services to help manage your advertising campaigns. In addition, you can create customized banners to attract more users to your products and applications, and A/B testing can help you choose the best banners for your ads.
Another amazing functionality is the integration with email services. You can create a universal link and track it inside Branch.io, so you won’t need to access your email service to monitor your email campaigns. You can see your results in one place!
Finally, Branch.io offers referral programs. You can create a rule with a promo code or some other reward. Then, you can track each link that your influencers and reward users are posting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Branch.io provides a useful and in-depth solution for startups that want to easily combine advertisement, campaign, and customized link and referral options. Many of these resources are available in the free tier, and there is a trial period to try out their paid features.
