Today’s consumer takes their web-experience with them wherever they go. The internet has established itself as a global entity and the trend has now shifted to globalization. It is no longer good enough for companies to offer websites optimized for mobile devices; they must also offer mobile apps — applications specifically developed for the mobile user. Anything your company does online now needs to be capable of doing from a smartphone. Digital research firm comScore reports that nearly 40 percent of American mobile subscribers accessed downloaded apps in June. And, according to a consumer survey conducted earlier this year by MTV Networks, 91 percent of respondents said apps expose them to new things; 77 percent compared apps to personal assistants; and 83 percent of daily mobile app users reported believing they’re “addicted” to apps. It’s official, the internet has entered the mobile era, and those who don’t jump on the bandwagon now will be regretting it later.
Apps do things that your regular website can’t
There is a massive upside to going mobile. Having a mobile app allows you to connect more intimately with your consumer. Not only do apps aid in marketing via their ability to easily promote your product or service, but they connect you with the customer on-the-go which adds portability, location targeting and other cutting-edge technological enhancements to the mix. Mobile supports online purchases, loyalty programs and social media interaction with your target, three hugely valuable assets that are less effectively achieved from traditional websites.
So what makes a good app?
Making an app is actually the easy part, it’s maintaining the apps success that can be tricky. To create a good app its important to keep a few important factors in mind. The first and most important thing is to know your audience. “Mobile applications are where people are going to interact with their favorite brands, but you have to know what your customers are interested in,” says Michael Schneider, CEO of Mobile Roadie a California based web-dev company which specializes in App construction. “Apps allow for new kinds of user experiences and a different community feel than the web, which results in real engagement and commerce opportunities. Fans and users spend more money in apps compared to websites, and they come back more. But you have to drive loyalty, whether that’s by pushing messages or having visual content.”
The second valuable piece of advice is to know your message and content like the back of your hand. You need to know what you’re selling and how you want to present it before you start the development process. It would be great to link your app to your social media channels or company blog, but if you don’t already have great existing content, you aren’t doing anything to help yourself.
Finally, you need to know who to develop for. As of June 2012, Android controlled 40.1 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, and Apple’s iOS captured 26.6 percent market share. Both are growing each month. Their rivals like Blackberry, Windows Phone and Palm are fading fast, so its up to you to decide who is worth developing for.
