Digital media has skyrocketed, with Google reporting that 2015 marks the year that mobile web searches have surpassed desktop searches in 10 countries.
Mobile has grown so rapidly that it is now the leading digital platform for media consumption. 62% of total digital media activity comes from tablets and smartphones combined, 54% of that activity comes from apps alone, according to Comscore.
As of April 21, 2015, Google indexes mobile apps, allowing them to rank in search engine results. Read SearchEngineLand’s article on app search engine ranking. What does all this mean for you and your business? You need a mobile app!
What are the benefits of having an app for your business?
As mobile marketing continues to grow, more and more businesses are jumping on the mobile app bandwagon to connect with consumers “on the go”, drive more traffic, generate repeat business, increase sales through better product promotion and, most importantly, be available to your customers, on their mobile devices, 24×7.
Having an app for your business takes marketing efforts to a whole new level. Apps are no longer just for big companies like Amazon, eBay, and Wal-mart. Small and medium businesses are now upgrading their marketing strategies and expanding their customer reach with mobile apps.
Today’s technology has given us the entire world at our fingertips! Mobile phones have made pay phones and most landlines obsolete as we can take them with us wherever we go. That gives companies a huge marketing advantage. Let’s see the benefits that a mobile application offers to your company and your customers:
1. Reinforce your brand
2. Increase your visibility and accessibility on mobile devices
3. Build relationships and loyalty with your customers
4. Generate repeat business with app tools like coupons and loyalty cards
5. Boost social media strategies
6. Connects you with consumers “on-the-go”
7. Increase sales with push notifications
8. Your products/services are easily accessible to your customers 24×7
9. One touch access to your contact information
10. Provide directions to your location anywhere your customers are
11. Quick appointment scheduling for your clients
12. An app is more easily accessible and loads faster than a website
13. Increase customer engagement and provide value
14. Customers have easy access to your social media posts
15. Stand out from your competition
Why a mobile app is better than a website
In short: an application loads and works much faster! It takes only a second to start up, while a website can take much longer, especially if the mobile user has poor reception. Mobile-friendly websites serve an important business purpose, but they don’t replace the need for apps. Let’s look at a side-by-side comparison:
• Mobile apps give you almost instant access to the content you need, websites don’t.
• Mobile apps appear in app stores, websites don’t.
• Mobile apps can keep your business in direct contact with your customers through push notifications, websites don’t.
• Mobile applications are always visible on the home screen of your mobile device, websites are not always visible
Do you see the power that mobile marketing apps have to offer? With features like push notifications, you can reach your customers instantly with far less time and effort than mail-in sales ads, not to mention significantly lower advertising costs. But the biggest benefit a mobile app has to offer your business is return on investment.
Apple’s App Store has over 100 billion downloads a year, that’s almost 274 million downloads a day according to Statista! Statistics from the Wall Street Journal show that in the first quarter of 2015, the Google Play Store had 70% more app downloads than the Apple Store. Now is the time to take advantage of the mobile app market! The more users who download your app, the more people you can reach to offer sales, product promotion, events, launches, you name it! The app market is booming and continues to grow. Are you already convinced?
Just remember, mobile apps are quickly becoming the standard component of businesses large and small. Choosing an app today can lay the groundwork for the future of your business and help put you on the fast track to continuing to grow, build your customer base, and make more money!
