The evolution of mobile apps continues to roll on. As apps move away from being standalone platforms and are integrated into comprehensive mobile strategies, many companies are re-thinking the reasons they started their mobile development journey in the first place.
It is no longer acceptable to have an app (or series of apps) simply for the sake of having it. Mobile’s tremendous impact has been recognized, and we have begun to evaluate it as an essential part of the business, but we must also reassess how we market our apps.
In the past, most companies developed their app (usually by hiring a mobile developer, used a simple DIY app maker, or learned how to build an app internally) and then promoted it through traditional marketing channels. However, now that the mobile “trend” has exploded into this whole new battleground for companies to scrap over, this approach no longer works. Instead, the organizations with the most successful apps are the ones that are willing to put serious resources into marketing their apps (sometimes aggressively so), in order to get that mobile app into the hands of their customers.
Why mobile and why now?
Studies show the number of people using mobile surpassed those using desktop by approximately 200,000 people between 2014 and 2015. This surge in use earned 2015 the name ‘Year of Mobile.’
However, this so-called ‘Year of the Mobile’ is up for debate, primarily because mobile has been evolving into the primary, go-to channel customers use to connect with their favorite brands for a few years now. It has some mobile experts arguing that we should be calling it the ‘Age of the Mobile,’ instead of singling out a specific year. But no matter what you want to call it, the facts remain that customers demand and expect a mobile app to be a major touchpoint between them and their favorite brands. In fact, 90% of the time spent on mobile devices is devoted to app use alone.
What is crystal clear here is that customers prefer to shop and interact with brands in a mobile environment rather than other channels. So, if your mobile game is not strong, your customers will seek a more intuitive mobile shopping experience with one of your competitors.
Mobile Marketing Obstacles
Even if you are an experienced marketer, it is important to note that app marketing is a whole new ball game, complete with different players and rules. A common question marketers face is how to market their app. Thus, it requires a new marketing approach. Some of the unique challenges facing marketers entering the mobile app arena are unfamiliar channels, targeting problems, understanding downloads versus users, app store rankings, and more.
To help you navigate the landscape of mobile app marketing, here is our starting lineup of 10 app marketing strategies that are proven to be effective.
