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GBG Hoops: Turning a Loyal Basketball Community into an Engaged, Paying User Base

GBG Hoops, a basketball training app backed by NBA pros, turned a large social following into real growth with WebAppDev’s targeted strategy.

  • Entertainment
  • App Launch
Client Overview

GBG Hoops (“Greatness Breeds Greatness”) is a performance basketball training platform founded by Coach Mike G and Hadaya Turner. Though niche, it’s backed by pros and built to scale athlete performance training globally.


They offer an off‑court training app with basketball-specific strength, mobility, recovery, and durability programs used by elite athletes, personalized for varying skill levels and resources.


Led by a coach whose roster includes NBA players like Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, GBG Hoops delivers pro-level training digitally, bringing performance coaching directly to athletes worldwide.

Challenge
Underutilized Audience Potential

GBG Hoops had built a loyal social following of over 100,000 fans, but the app wasn’t converting this audience into active installs or paying subscribers.

No Structured Retention Flow

There were no automated lifecycle journeys, meaning users who downloaded the app often dropped off without engaging or converting.

Seasonal Spikes Left Untapped

Basketball’s natural peaks (Black Friday, New Year, March Madness) weren’t leveraged for acquisition or re‑engagement campaigns.

Inconsistent Funnel Performance

Onboarding, paywalls, and messaging weren’t optimized, creating friction and limiting trial conversions and subscription growth.

Approach / Solution
Strategy

WebAppDev designed a holistic launch strategy, treating the app like a living product, not just a campaign. The plan blended paid acquisition, creative storytelling, ASO groundwork, and lifecycle marketing into a single system that could deliver results season after season.

Execution
  • Launched targeted Meta ads in three key windows (Black Friday/New Year, March Madness, and off-season) to sync growth efforts with user motivation cycles.
  • Produced dynamic video ads and visuals using a structured hook–value–CTA format, tested and refined through A/B testing.
  • Designed onboarding, retargeting, and re‑engagement flows with push, email, and in‑app messaging, built on OneSignal and analytics insights.
  • Reviewed onboarding, paywalls, and trial flows to reduce friction and support retention from day one.
Innovations
  • Campaign timing was tied to key basketball moments (like March Madness), tapping into user excitement and driving organic buzz.
  • Leveraged the credibility of pro players in ad creatives, building instant trust and aspirational appeal.
  • Push and in‑app notifications were personalized to user activity, resulting in exceptional engagement (CTR above 50%).
Our Results
+70%

IOS installs during the first sprint (Black Friday → New Year).

50%

In-app purchases up during paid campaign windows.

These gaps left GBG Hoops struggling to fully capitalize on its brand equity, missing growth opportunities, and leaving long‑term KPIs at risk.
Final Thoughts

GBG Hoops’ launch shows what happens when you mix elite credibility, smart marketing architecture, and a deep understanding of your audience’s rhythm. It was about turning a passionate basketball community into an engaged, paying user base that will keep coming back season after season.

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