We can all think of businesses who have succeed with their mobile apps and, unfortunately, we can all think of businesses who struggled with their mobile app.
Looking at mobile apps there are certain things that seem common to poor performing mobile apps, before you start your next mobile app development project make sure that you are not making these same mistakes. One of the most common mistakes with lower performing applications is a poor user experience. Think about how your users will feel when engaged with your application. Will it create delight? Frustration? In fact, a poor user experience can extend beyond a user simply not using an app, with 54% stating that a poor user experience would make them less likely to use other products from that business (Oracle).
Key to creating a great user experience is an effort to align your app with customer needs. It definitely needs to be easy to use and intuitive, but does your app do what customers expect it to do when the download it? Think about what you need in your app to retain your users. What will keep them coming back? Successful apps are tuned into their users’ needs.
It is important that you analyze the mobile journey taken by of your customers, from there you can determine which actions are most frequently performed. Then you can determine how to streamline the user experience to best meet the needs of your customers.
Another issue with apps that fail are they focus too much on selling the customer. Does your app off little or no value to the customer? Do you see it just as a tool to sell customers? Apps like this are bound to fail as customers will have little reason to use them. Once again, this goes back to focusing on the needs of your customer.
When budgeting for your project make sure that you plan a proper amount for user research and user experience design. These items will make or break your mobile app.
Additionally, you will want to make sure you plan on reviewing and updating your app. Improve the execution of processes within your app to improve the user experience. Carefully review the capabilities your app offers and and look for ways to elevate the the performance of those activities.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flikr) http://bit.ly/1PcNxQ4
A vastly underused tool by businesses today is location-based mobile marketing. If you don’t know what this means specifically, it means ads or messages are delivered to your app users based on that person’s location (determined by the GPS in their smartphone).
These days people depend on their mobile devices for information regarding their purchase decisions. So clearly having the ability to display your message in the context of the app user’s location can be a very effective marketing tool. Before you start your next mobile app development project make sure you consider how you can include these powerful tools.
Geo-fencing
When you set up what is known as a geo-fence based on a specific proximity of your retail store, every time one of your app user’s enters that geo-fence, they can receive a push notification from you with a promotion to a product or service at your store. This is particularly effective if they can see your store (72% of consumers say they will respond to calls-to-action in messages they receive when in sight of the retailer – MDG Advertising).
iBeacons
A rapidly emerging new way to leverage location-based information is through Apple’s iBeacon. The iBeacon relies on Bluetooth low-energy technology to transmit when someone’s iPhone that is has your app installed comes within range. With a retails store, a perfect application of this would be to send a specific promotion directly to the customer’s smart phone with information about the product he or she is by.
So how does it work?
Mobile apps require that the device’s location services be turned on for them to function. Since privacy is always a concern, you should offer your users the option to opt-out of location-based services. To avoid having your users opt-out, you should make the benefits clear to your app users. Additionally, by presenting interesting and relevant promotions you will keep their interest. This can be a win-win strategy for you and your customer if executed properly. Blasting your users with unrelated offers will turn them off quickly.
Location-based marketing is not where near the end of exploring its full potential. Location-based marketing creates a massive opportunity to gain sales and market share over competitors that are not taking advantage of it. Many mobile users happy to opt-in to a mutually beneficial relationship, one where businesses respect their interests and time and deliver relevant content at the right time and place.
Pic: Juin Hoo (Flikr) http://bit.ly/1Rvk88G
People rarely go anywhere without their smartphone, making mobile is a powerful tool for real-time marketing. But beyond that mobile allows you to take advantage of location, allowing you to customize your message to a user’s location. These users are also using their mobile devices to research products when not on the go. In fact, 93% of consumers who use their smartphone to research a product will go on to make a purchase (Facebook).
After several years of meteoric growth, mobile ad spending will reach the $100 billion mark in 2016, an increase of 430 percent from 2013 (eMarketer). Clearly the businesses that can adapt to mobile will reap the rewards as because mobile is an environment where users are more likely to engage with brands that with other medias.
Before you start your mobile app development project, here are a few tips to help you succeed:
1. Target your message
In ways marketers never could before, mobile allows you to target your message to your users. Are you allowing your app users to set preferences that allow you to target based on their wants and needs? Are you asking them for demographic information that you can use to target your messaging? If not, you are missing out on a real opportunity to engage your users. Mobile users are often quite willing to give you the information you need to target your messaging and improve engagement and effectiveness. Plan ahead when building your app to be able to leverage this powerful tool.
2. Measure
Old school metrics like views and clicks are not representative indicators of engagement. Mobile is a perfect platform for measuring engagement, as mobile users can check out a product, make a purchase, share or tweet with a touch of a button. These customer behaviors can all be tracked allowing you to review progress.
3. Prioritize mobile
While many large brands responded to the industry’s mobile surge and embraced mobile, many have yet to properly engage their customers via mobile. A lack of a mobile marketing strategies can result in poor results. Additionally, mobile must be seamlessly integrated into existing marketing strategy to keep the brand’s message consistent.
4. Personal connection
Did you know smartphone users twice as likely to feel a sense of personal connection to a brand (Google). The sense of connection inherent with mobile makes it the perfect tool for brands to build a personal connection with their users.
Closing thoughts
The businesses who have been the most successful have found ways to blend their mobile strategy into their existing marketing. These companies are treating mobile as its own channel and not an extension of desktop. Marketers who embrace mobile can enjoy the benefits.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flikr) http://bit.ly/1O1HtO4