It’s no surprise that mobile devices are leading the way when it comes to how we consume information on the internet. That’s why many businesses are now looking at apps as a part of their brand’s marketing efforts.
While not every business would directly benefit from the implementation of an app, there are certainly many advantages that some businesses can gain. Of course, the creation and development of an app don’t just happen overnight. In fact, it can take a lot of effort by the business and any app development company they choose to work with.
However, the efforts and money invested are certainly worthwhile. If you’re considering an investment into apps this year for your business, then here are ten reasons to invest in one.
Story Stages
1. Provides value to customers
One of the ways in which an app provides a benefit to your business is that it adds extra value to your customers. Whether they’ve chosen to spend their money with you or not yet, the appearance of an app that’s free to download and use already feels like a luxury.
While there are many apps available for download and a lot of them are free, it’s a good way of helping hook in your customers.
There are certain incentives that you could provide to your customers through apps that they might not get online via the website or in-store if that’s something you currently offer. Here are a few app-based incentives you could offer to your customer for that all-important added value:
- App-exclusive discounts
- Freebies
- Free delivery and shipping fees
- Loyalty and reward schemes
- App-exclusive products and/or services
With your app, you want to make it a more exclusive platform in comparison to the other channels of selling your offer to your customers currently. That way, it gives them a reason to download the app in the first place.
2. Helps build a stronger brand
Branding is something that every business wants to focus on in this digital prominent age. Why? Well, it’s very easy to fall under the radar for your customers with all the extra noise going on from your competitors. Often, it’s the ones who are the loudest online that get the most attention. These are usually the ones that are paying the most for advertising too!
However, not every business has deep enough pockets available to make the amount of noise needed to stay on top, never mind in the eyes of their customers regularly.
With an app, it can make a big difference in creating and building a stronger brand. It typically takes between 5-7 interactions for a customer to become fully acquainted with a brand and to remember them in the future.
Getting that amount of interactions in the first place is challenging but if you’re appearing on multiple social channels and feeds, it becomes a lot easier to achieve that notoriety that you need to become memorable to your customers both old and new.
3. Improves customer engagement and experience
Apps are a great way for the customer to engage with your brand, whether that’s their first time or they’ve visited your site or social media feeds before. Nowadays, it’s all about businesses and brands creating a customer-centric experience. If your business priorities when it comes to customer experience are further down the list, then it’s time to fix that.
With apps, they’re more personable because they’re downloaded onto the user’s phone. That means they have quick access to it without needing to search for you online. There’s also a lot that you can do with apps that make the experience more interactive and engaging as a result.
Whether that’s in-app quizzes or the wheel discount features, all of these little details that come with your app are going to make for a more unique experience.
Take a look at what your competitor apps offer when it comes to customer experience and engagement opportunities. Find ways to trump these efforts so that your app is a better option for those choosing between the two.
4. A personalized marketing channel to take advantage of
With your business, it’s important that you’re taking advantage of every marketing opportunity, which means making use of all marketing channels available. From your social media feeds to your website, print, and television marketing, it’s all relevant to helping build your business and brand.
An app is just another marketing channel form that is important to take advantage of. It’s a more personalized option too, which means you can have a lot more fun with it. You could individualize each customer’s experience of the app once they’ve created their own profile, for example.
Sit down with your developers and brainstorm some unique ways in which you can personalize the experience for users on the app. The more features you can create and perhaps introduce further down the line, the better.
5. Opens the business up to a wider demographic
Apps are easily accessible depending on where you live. Most countries will be able to download apps that are made for a global audience. While there are some demographics you might not reach depending on what you offer, it’s a great way to widen your net as a business.
Some businesses may choose to remain more niche when it comes to spreading their wings to other parts of the world. However, if you’re looking to achieve global domination, then implementing an app is going to help you be seen by those around the world.
Look at what you could offer via your app in order to make it more appropriate to a wider demographic. There are lots of businesses nowadays that are already maximizing their potential through their apps when it comes to connecting with customers across the globe. There’s nothing to say that you can’t do that too!
6. It’s a mobile-driven world
It’s important to note that we now live in a mobile-driven world. Even though many of us will still use desktop computers and laptops to browse the internet, a lot of that is taking place within a working environment.
For the most part, whether we’re on our morning commute or sitting on the toilet to get some peace and quiet from the kids, the mobile phone is what we use predominately.
That’s why it’s important for your business to have an app if it’s deemed valuable. If you’re selling products or services, chances are your business would benefit from an app.
7. Builds trust and loyalty
Businesses rely on garnering customer relationships that have a lot of trust and loyalty invested in them. This keeps those customers buying from the business for a longer period of time and is less likely inclined to go elsewhere for their needs.
With an app, you’ve got another opportunity to help continue nurturing that trust and loyalty in each and every one of your customers. An app offers validility, especially for those who are new to the brand and perhaps need to verify that the business is in fact a legitimate one.
Everything that you’re able to offer through these apps is also a great way for earning that loyalty and more importantly, that willingness to come back again and again to make a purchase.
8. Increase sales with mobile conversions
Improving your company’s sales is a big tick for any business when it comes to its marketing efforts. One of the benefits of investing in a mobile app is that you’re essentially creating an additional stream of income through mobile conversions.
In these financial times, it’s important to have multiple streams of income as a business, and utilizing all of your available channels to maximize sales is beneficial.
Of course, it might take some time to build up those mobile sales but there’s no better time than now to introduce a mobile application to your toolkit of marketing efforts.
9. Get more insight into what your customers like and don’t like
With mobile applications, you can get a better insight into what your customers like and don’t like. When they create a profile, all of their purchase and their habits when navigating on the app are tracked by the app itself.
By incorporating the right tracking and monitoring software, you can get a better insight into what your customers like and what you might want to introduce more of as you develop your business.
For those products or services that they don’t like, it can help you make better-informed decisions moving forward.
10. Improves accessibility to your business
An app is a great way to improve the accessibility that users have when it comes to your business. There are still many sites and platforms that have not catered enough for access to users on the internet. Those who require access-friendly sites or platforms are being frozen out of the opportunity, so why not lead where others aren’t leading?
Apps are a great way to make use of access-friendly features to allow everyone, no matter what their access needs, the opportunity to shop with your business.
There are many reasons to invest in an app and hopefully, these benefits will help you see the light when it comes to creating your very own app this year.
