Does Your Brand Need An App?

There’s no denying that technology has had a massive impact in businesses over the past few years. As a consumer, you probably enjoy interacting with your sellers and suppliers from time to time, and recent innovations have made that possible. Social media, for one, has become the go-to communication channel when you have any inquiries about products and services.

But have you ever considered that your brand might also need the same techniques to foster mobile engagement and grow even further? Fortunately, there are many innovative ways you can use to boost your interaction with prospective consumers. Perhaps the most popular method in this day and age is a mobile app.

A customized app can have a considerable impact on your business in many ways. From efficient communication to increased annual sales, there are many benefits you can enjoy as a business owner. Still not convinced? Keep reading for more reasons why your brand should invest in a business app.

1. Visibility to your customers

It seems far-fetched, but it isn’t. A potential customer or repeat customer installing a mobile app dedicated to your brand on their smartphone can benefit your business. How? Statistics show that most average smartphone users check their devices over 100 times a day. Remember, this involves unlocking and scrolling through all their installed apps. (1)

These statistics might not mean much to your brand at face value. However, there’s a chance that these mobile users will see your app several times when browsing through their phones every day. That visibility is an essential factor in your growth as a brand. The human mind unconsciously records images, which are then retrieved later whenever a relevant problem arises.

Like any other marketing strategy, this one also requires a lot of creativity for it to work. The objective is to ensure that your app isn’t only attractive but also easy to remember. Therefore, the main things to consider when branding your app include the color, icon design, and the app’s name.

2. A direct marketing channel

Marketing can be quite tricky, especially when you don’t know if and how your target group will react. Fortunately, there are many advertising strategies designed for every business. Apart from traditional methods like social media, print media, and mass media, mobile apps have quickly become a reliable alternative for most companies. Instead of targeting the masses with your promotions, you can now curate your marketing messages to suit each consumer uniquely. 

Mobile apps offer a functional platform to do your direct marketing, even for small enterprises. You can use the platform to remind consumers about any company news that might affect them directly or indirectly. Push notifications also ensure everyone who has installed your app on their smartphone gets alerted in case of any new products or services. 

Mobile apps are effective when it comes to this form of marketing because they track user activities and use the data to filter out irrelevant products, services, and news. For instance, if a customer’s previous search was about purchasing electronic items, the app’s algorithm will use this data to personalize your marketing messages. (2)

3. Enhance customer engagement

Perhaps one of the leading reasons why building an app for enterprise companies should be your priority in this age and time is to enhance customer engagement. If you’ve been in business long enough, then you already know how important it is to interact with customers and offer a listening ear to what they have to say about your brand.

Of course, social media has done a commendable job ensuring that customers and companies come as close to each other as possible. You can, however, make it even better with a customized mobile app. This way, the customers can easily access your products and interact with customer service reps.

Your brand’s app can also act as a communication channel where customer feedback is posted. Having all this information in one place makes it easier for the company to analyze its success. It also ensures that any potential client looking to learn more about your brand can do so without hassle. Integrating scheduling functionality will provide your client’s with an all-in-one solution and increase
customer retention.

4. Build customer loyalty

With the art of selling on social media and other internet platforms growing in popularity, competition is rapidly growing in all fields. As such, building a loyal customer base can be very challenging for any business in the current economic environment. Regardless of the size, any enterprise can quickly lose its customers to other brands offering more affordable and more relatable services.

Are you experiencing a similar situation? Fortunately, there are many ways of strengthening your customer’s loyalty, and one of them is a mobile app. Remember, the current business environment is filled with advertisements from various companies. Consumers, therefore, will be attracted to the most appealing offers in the market. 

So how does a mobile app build customer loyalty and help you retain your existing clients? For one, apps allow you to create a unique connection with your customers. Personalized notifications, for instance, ensure that the user constantly checks your mobile app for any promotions being advertised. Alerting your customers whenever you have fantastic deals will keep them coming back for more.

5. Offer convenience

Imagine sitting in your living room and having access to a whole supermarket from the comfort of your couch. That’s precisely what a mobile app offers, especially for those in e-commerce. An excellently designed app can act as your customers’ one-stop shop for all the products you’re offering. Such convenience can have a considerable impact on the reputation of your brand. 

You might argue that a business website can offer the same products and services, which is true. However, the experience that comes with mobile apps is unmatched. For one, it’s easier to access because all you need is one tap, rather than typing the URL on your browser. Another advantage is that the user can customize the app to suit their preferences. 

For instance, most modern apps have integrated the biometric security protocol, which works perfectly with supported smartphones. Therefore, all a customer has to do is scan their fingerprint, and they could access the app securely. Apart from convenience, this technology also enhances the security of your network and the customer’s personal data.

6. Provide more value to the consumer

As technology continues to improve, customer expectations also keep changing. Today, many people prefer shopping through an app over visiting the company’s website to meet the same needs. As mentioned earlier, a mobile app is easily accessible compared to the official website. The app also functions as a light version of your website, especially if the latter contains numerous web elements. 

It goes without saying that the best way of increasing consumer value is by making your products and services more accessible. A well-designed app does this perfectly by making everything available at the clients’ fingertips. In fact, this also contributes to consumer loyalty because people like brands that meet their needs without too much hassle.

7. Stay ahead of your competitors

Competition has always been a part of any healthy business environment. As a brand, you need to constantly update your marketing tactics for you to remain competitive in the market. Of course, staying one step ahead of your competitors ensures that you meet various consumer needs before your rivals do.

A customized mobile app allows you to integrate new features into your brand without having to go overboard in your investment. This will not only improve the experience of your customers but will also enhance your brand marketing. Some things you might want to include in your strategy include click-to-call, click-for-direction, and rich push notifications.

You can also integrate analytics in your mobile app to help you learn more about your consumers’ behavior. Analytics is one of the most essential features in marketing because it gives you an idea of what and where to make adjustments. However, it’ll only be beneficial to your business if you make the necessary changes. Therefore, be sure to act on the results of the analytics as soon as possible and ensure that your customers continue to enjoy the best.

Conclusion

Building a brand can be quite tricky, especially with the stiff competition in every industry. However, a mobile app can help make things a lot easier and smoother by allowing you to interact with your customers and suppliers without too much hassle. Remember, customer engagement is an essential factor in any business’s success. Another benefit of having a mobile app is enhancing your brand’s visibility to potential customers, offering convenience, and building customer loyalty.

In addition, if you’re looking to provide value to your consumers and stay ahead of the competition, then a customized mobile app is something you should consider. The best thing is the fact that you can add new features to the app in case of any policy changes in the future. So while getting a team to develop your own app might be something you may not be able to afford at the moment, the benefits of this popular technology pay for itself in the long run.

References 

1. “66% of Americans Check Phone 160 Times a Day, Here’s How Your Business Can Benefit”, Source: https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/03/2020-mobile-phone-usage-statistics.html

2. “How To Harnes The Power Of Personalization In Marketing”, Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/04/26/how-to-harness-the-power-of-personalization-in-marketing/