Mobile app benefits aren’t just for the big, Fortune 500 companies that seem to have a dominating hand on America. With the increase in number and continued use of smartphone users, it only makes sense that both large and small companies alike make use of growing app stores.
If you think of mobile apps as an additional marketing tool, you will see the need to implement this growing avenue into your business. Nowadays Americans spend more time looking at their phones than they spend watching television! And the amount of time phone users spends and check their smartphones are amazing and these numbers are staggering for the business world! You may even be viewing this article on a smartphone right now.
So why should you consider a mobile app and not just a mobile-friendly version of your website for your company? Well for one, consider how you use your smartphone (if you have one) and how you prefer to use it. Most smartphone users would rather not have to constantly open up multiple web pages on their phones, especially for their favorite companies and websites. Having multiple web pages open not only creates clutter but sometimes some of the information that you have saved or the things you were viewing disappear and are forever gone into the abyss that is cyberspace.
When considering how you want your app to function, think about your favorite stores, apps, or even your competition. What do they do differently, what do they do to keep you coming back, why do you keep their app downloaded on your phone? These are important questions to ask yourself.
Coffee mogul and cult classic favorite, Starbucks, offers its mobile app users a few incentives with the use of its mobile app. One main bonus Starbucks uses to reward its loyal mobile app customers is with a star program and after a certain amount of stars is reached, users can receive a free drink or food item. A loyalty rewards program is a good hook, line, and sinker approach to keep your customers engaged.
There are many perks that can come with the implementation of a mobile app. Mobile apps typically come with the option of “push notifications” where users will be notified with their regular notifications about updates and notifications to an app. Push notifications can also be an added bonus to your marketing strategy.
Mobile apps can also help to increase brand recognition. Smartphone users can simply show their friends, family, and acquaintances a certain company, allowing a person to engage with the app. This can be a more desirable approach because not only is someone speaking about a company, but there is also a visual representation of the company. Together these things are more likely to stick.
Mobile app benefits can also allow users to personalize and customize their apps to fit who they are and their own personal needs. It is possible to do this on mobile-friendly web pages, but it is easier to do in an app. On the company side, this can also allow you to view who is interacting with your company and how they are using your app.
There are many companies that specialize in the creation of mobile apps and who work with small businesses to help them find affordable ways to achieve their own, unique company mobile app. With mobile apps growing in the small business pool, it would be wise to venture down this path because it is still quite rare for smaller businesses, and not only will your competitors envy you, but your customers will appreciate you even more!