5 Reasons a mobile app might be a perfect marketing tool
Should you consider building a mobile app for your business promotion?
There is an app for anything. If there isn't an app now it will appear soon. Moreover, there will be an app for things you haven't thought of until another startup owner tell you about it. Apps make life easier and sometimes even more enjoyable and organized. Who can leave home without a smartphone in the pocket, right?
Now people consider an app mostly as a startup. They all used to be one, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, Uber, this list is filled with app names everyone knows and is already tired of. However, we can shift the focus and think of an app as a perfect marketing tool for an existing company. Is this even possible?
1. Customer reward program
Obviously, it is possible. Consumer-facing brands, especially food chains like Starbucks, Domino's, Chipotle, Dunkin’ Donuts heavily invest in their customer loyalty apps that allow users to get new deals, order faster, get rewards. Increasing customer loyalty and giving one more reason to choose you instead of a competitor, a mobile app can be a perfect tool for your brand. Forget plastic loyalty cards, save the planet and don't make customers' wallets heavier.
2. Content marketing channel
Make a stop on the path of creating useful content and sharing it with your users. We live in interesting times when any brand can become a publishing house instantly simply creating a blog in no time. However, we also live in times when mobile traffic is growing every year . A mobile app is a marketing channel you can create yourself. When done right, a mobile app is an easy-to-use and perfect way to consume fresh content and get notified about the news.
3. Building a community
In marketing, it is easy to get stuck on the same road. Developing an app for your target audience is a way to reach out to consumers from the angle they didn't expect. Thus, if you represent a company selling products for future moms, you might create a social app with group chats, doctor's consultations, useful information, e-books, custom stickers about pregnancy, and more. After all, marketers dream of a community around their product.
4. Convenience for customers
A mobile app makes access to the product information easier, allows to perform certain actions on the go, and closely interact with your company's services. Added value benefits increase consumer satisfaction and contribute to customer loyalty. If your airline allows to check-in to the flight on the way to the airport, change seating right in the app, why would you choose another company?
5. Smartphone features at your service
A small powerful device in your customers' pockets is filled with great functions marketers could use with a mobile app. From Siri integration to using device's camera, contact list, GPS, and more - these functions open unlimited opportunities for new marketing campaigns.
App development cost might be high if your app is packed with features, however, it might pay off quickly. A great option is to start from the basic version of your app for validating this channel, and then move further with new exciting ideas.
