Thinking about launching a Mobile App for your business? If not now, when?
Now is the time to ride this wave of opportunity.
We all know as Entrepreneurs and Business Owners that in order to stay competitive in today’s marketplace, you need to position your business to take advantage of emerging trends. Mobile Marketing is NOT in the future, it’s NOW!
Consumer expectation is that every “Brand” has an app they can download and access on their mobile device.
We are often asked the question, “Why should I have a mobile app?” Here are just a few reasons why you should have one:
Builds customer loyalty
Everyone likes to feel included in something special, so make customers feel like VIPs by offering discounts, coupons, and promotions just for using and downloading the app.
Creates a viral buzz
Encourage customers to use the mobile app to quickly tell all of their friends about the business using the built-in sharing capabilities of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, your blog, SMS, and Email.
Grow customer lists
A mobile app can gather names and email addresses from directly within the app and easily export them into the top email marketing campaign services to be used in additional emails.
Get instant feedback
Mobile apps allow customers to leave feedback on fan walls, share photos, and send comments in a variety of ways.
What better way for your business to stay in touch with your customers than with your own customized mobile application!
Do you have clients and customers that you want to communicate and stay in touch with? If so, what is the best way to do that and get responsive results? The clear choice is through Mobile Apps.
I’ve put together few tips to ensure your app success:
1. Determine your Objective
Are you looking for sales, brand awareness, social media engagement or to stay in constant contact and in front of your clients and prospects?
As Entrepreneurs and Business Owners it’s easy for us to get distracted and become overwhelmed with all our responsibilities and otherwise great ideas.
2. Integrate Social Sharing Features
We all know and understand the power of social engagement, and social sharing features of our information. All of your social sites can be integrated into your Mobile App which will insure and increase your brand awareness.
3. Keep Your App and its content up to date
Just as important as updating a blog, your app must be updated with relevant and engaging content. You need to keep the end user engaged, or just as quickly as they downloaded your app, they can remove it.
4. Integrate interactive and events features
Provide up-to-date information about all of your business events and specials by creating an events calendar. Whether you conduct live events or virtual events online, you will want to keep your new users engaged and in-the-know of what you’re doing, where you’re doing it, and how they can participate.
5. Create Loyalty / VIP Programs
You will want to incentivize your subscribers, and give them a reason not only to download your app, but to also keep it on their mobile device. It’s very simple to create Loyalty or VIP programs, and your clients and prospects will LOVE you for it.
6. Develop an effective Mobile Marketing Strategy
It’s not if you build it they will come… You need to prepare your marketing plan prior to the launch of your new App in the App Stores. Be sure to send an email notification to your subscribers with URL links to the Apple and Android (Google Play) Marketplaces. Don’t forget to incentivize them in some way for doing so! Create QR Codes that link directly to your App.
7. Create Raving Fans
It’s very important to create an opportunity for your App users to feel as though they are 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 photos from the event, or even write on your App fan wall?
8. Track your progress with in-App Analytics
You want to be sure you have a way to track downloads of your App in the 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. Promote, Promote, Promote!
Once your App is completed and published in the App Stores, you will need to get busy promoting your new marketing tool! Your app will not download itself to other mobile devices, so you will need to be proactive in the marketing and promotion of your new App. In order for your App to be successful and provide you a great new way to market to your audience, you must be willing to follow the steps listed above.
The possibilities for your Mobile App are endless.
To find out more about Mobile Marketing Solutions for your business, or contact Innovins for a no cost consultation!
-Mukund Pilankar
