Business

Mobile applications for companies: the power is in PUSH

Thinking of launching a mobile app for your business? If not now when?

Now is the time to take advantage of this wave of opportunities.

We all know as entrepreneurs and business owners that to remain competitive in today’s marketplace, you must position your business to take advantage of emerging trends. Mobile marketing is NOT in the future, it is NOW!

Did you know that statistics show that mobile consumers have their mobile phone or devices within 3 feet of them 23 hours a day? Just think of the opportunity before you to have YOUR business on your customers’ or prospects’ mobile device 23 hours a day / 365 days a year? Now that my friends is what I call CHANCE! I don’t know of any other marketing medium that has the same power to instantly grab the attention of your target market.

What do you think is the average response or open rate today with email marketing? Unless you have a super responsive and active list, you will only see 4% to 9% open rates within the first 24 to 48 hours after hitting the submit button. Mobile push or text messages are viewed and opened 97% of the time within the first 4 minutes. Now that is impressive! Just think about your own mobile behavior, or heck, just look around you.

The consumer expectation is that each “Brand” has an application that they can download and access on their mobile device.

We often get asked the question, “Why should I have a mobile app?” Here are some reasons why you should have one:

  • Build customer loyalty. Everyone likes to feel included in something special, so make customers feel like a VIP by offering them discounts, coupons and promotions just for using and downloading the app.
  • Create a viral buzz. Encourage customers to use the mobile app to quickly tell all their friends about the business using the built-in sharing capabilities of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, your blog, SMS, and email.
  • Increase customer lists. A mobile app can collect names and email addresses directly from the app and easily export them to leading email marketing campaign services to use for additional emails.
  • Get instant feedback. Mobile apps allow customers to leave comments on fan walls, share photos, and send feedback in a variety of ways.

What is an application? An app is an app that needs to be downloaded and installed on a mobile device, rather than displayed in a browser. Users visit device-specific portals, such as Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play Market, to find and download apps for a particular operating system. An app provides interactive engagement with users and works more like a computer program than a website.

The app can pull content and data from the Internet, similar to a website, or it can download the content so that it can be accessed without an Internet connection.

By mid-2012, more people are expected to access the Internet on their mobile devices than on their PCs. With that in mind, the importance of having one’s business or service look good on all the different mobile platforms cannot be stressed enough; otherwise you will lose business.

What better way for your business to stay in touch with your customers than with your own custom mobile app!

Do you have customers and clients you want to communicate and keep in touch with? If so, what is the best way to do it and get responsive results? The clear choice is through mobile applications.

I’ve put together my top ten tips to ensure the success of your app:

1. Determine your goal

Are you looking for sales, brand recognition, social media engagement, or staying in constant touch and in front of your customers and prospects?

As entrepreneurs and business owners, it’s easy for us to get distracted and overwhelmed with all our responsibilities and other great ideas. When developing your mobile marketing strategy, make sure it aligns with your core message and resonates with your audience.

2. Integrate social sharing features

We all know and understand the power of social engagement and the social sharing functions of our information. All your social sites can be integrated into your mobile app which will ensure and increase your brand awareness.

3. Keep your app and content up to date

Just as important as updating a blog, your app needs to be updated with relevant and engaging content. You need to keep the end user interested, or as soon as they download your app, you can delete it.

4. Integrate interactive and event features

Provide up-to-date information on all your business events and special offers by creating an event calendar. Whether you’re hosting live events or virtual online events, you’ll want to keep your new users engaged and in the loop about what you’re doing, where you’re doing it, and how they can get involved. We are social creatures by nature and we want this information to be available at our fingertips… literally!

5. Create Loyalty/VIP Programs

You’ll want to incentivize your subscribers and give them a reason to not only download your app, but also keep it on their mobile device. It’s so simple to create Loyalty or VIP programs, and your customers and prospects will LOVE you for it.

6. Develop an effective mobile marketing strategy

It’s not that if you create it, they will come… You should prepare your marketing plan before the launch of your new app in the app stores. This will include, but is definitely not limited to:

  • Be sure to send an email notification to your subscribers with URL links to the Apple and Android Marketplaces (Google Play). So they can download it. Don’t forget to incentivize them in some way to do so!
  • Create QR codes that link directly to your app (QR codes are two-dimensional black and white squares that contain a URL or specially encoded message that your phone’s camera in conjunction with QR Scanner software will decode for you).
  • Promotions in Social Networks… oh this can be a great tool!!!
  • Keyword research for your app is just as important as it is for your website. As you build your app, or have a developer do it for you, determine what your keywords will be, as well as your app description. Both are extremely important as they are two of the most permanent features of your app and will immediately help you generate new customers and leads when done correctly.

7. Create raving fans

It is very important to create an opportunity for your app users to feel part of your community. Remember the Social Sharing feature? Well, this is just as important. What if at your next event you gave your app users the ability to upload their event photos or even write on your app’s fan wall? We have seen it over and over again on Social Media how important this is, in fact it is a must!

8. Track your progress with in-app analytics

You want to make sure you have a way to track your app downloads across app stores/markets. Tracking the number of downloads is important as you prepare for future promotions, as well as revenue streams from advertising opportunities. The more downloads you have, the more valuable you are to advertising partners. This is a great way to help monetize your app!

9. YES… The power IS in the THRUST!

This is the most important feature of all… PUSH notifications! This is very similar to sending an email notification, but it is much more effective. Remember that you will have a 97% open rate in the first minutes of sending it. You can send alerts right away or schedule them to go out on a particular day and time that you set.

The push notification will appear on a mobile device just like a text message would. These are delivered to everyone who has downloaded your app on their mobile device. They are displayed on smartphones and iPads/Tablets. The message will be displayed on the home screen of the phone or tablet literally the moment you press “Send”.

A word of caution though… DO NOT overuse the push notification feature. This can be interpreted as SPAM, so please do not abuse it. Treat your new app subscribers as you would your email list and provide value first, then create hunger and desire for your products and services and sales will naturally follow.

10. Promote, Promote, Promote!

Once your app is complete and published on the app stores, it’s time to get busy promoting your new marketing tool! Your app won’t download itself on other mobile devices, so you’ll need to be proactive in marketing and promoting your new app. Now is the time to get in front of potential customers and clients.

Enlist the help of marketing partners to promote your new app, and yes, even to your friends and family, and most importantly, don’t forget about your existing customer base. they are already yours CRAZY FANS!

For your app to be successful and give you a great new way to market to your audience, you need to be willing to follow the steps listed above.

Don’t forget the golden rule of marketing: People buy from People, and those they know, like and trust! Having a mobile application for your business will help you expand your “Brand”.

Isn’t it time to share your expertise and reach your mobile consumers before your competition? It is your responsibility to make it easy for them to connect with you!

The possibilities of your mobile application are endless.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *