Digital media has exploded and Google reported that 2015 marks the year that web searches done on mobile devices 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 is from tablets and smartphones combined, 54% of that activity is from apps alone, according to Comscore.
As of April 21, 2015, Google is now indexing mobile apps, which allows them to rank in search engine results. Read the SearchEngineLand article about app search engine ranking. What does this all mean for you and your business? You need a mobile app!
What are the benefits to having an app for your business?
As mobile marketing continues to grow, more and more businesses are hopping on the mobile app bandwagon to connect with “on-the-go” consumers, drive more traffic, generate repeat business, increase sales through better product promotion, and most importantly, be available to their customers, on their mobile devices, 24×7.
Having an app for your business takes marketing efforts to a whole new level. Apps are not just for huge companies like Amazon, eBay and Wal-mart anymore. Medium and small businesses are now upping 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 rendered pay phones and most landlines obsolete since we can take them with us wherever we go. That gives businesses a huge marketing advantage. Let’s look at the benefits a mobile app offers your business and your customers:
1. Reinforces your brand
2. Increases your visibility and accessibility on mobile devices
3. Builds relationships and loyalty with your customers
4. Generates repeat business with app tools like coupons and loyalty cards
5. Enhances social networking strategies
6. Connects you with “on-the-go” consumers
7. Increases 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. Fast appointment setting for your customers
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
Bottom line: An app loads and operates much faster! It takes only a second to launch whereas a website can take significantly longer, especially if the mobile user has bad reception. Mobile optimized websites serve an important business purpose, but they do not 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 the app stores, websites don’t
• Mobile apps can keep your business in direct contact with your customers through push notifications, websites don’t
• Mobile apps 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 instantly reach your customers with much less time and effort than snail mailing sales ads, not to mention, significantly less advertising costs. But the biggest benefit a mobile app has to offer your business is return on investment.
The Apple App Store has over 100 billion downloads a year, that’s almost 274 million downloads per day according to Statista! Statistics from the Wall Street Journal show that Q1 of 2015, Google Play Store had 70% more app downloads than the Apple Store. Now is the time to tap into the mobile app market! The more users that 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 convinced yet?
Just remember, mobile apps are quickly becoming the standard component of businesses large and small. Choosing an app today can set the foundation for the future of your business and help put it on the express lane to continue to grow, build your customer database, and make you more money!