I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the future of marketing is all about embracing the mobile sphere. From mobile websites to mobile search advertising to mobile apps, at this peak time in the mobile industry, it’s important to integrate mobile into your marketing strategy. Today I’ll cover the significance of incorporating mobile apps into your company branding. In 2013 alone, it’s estimated that mobile apps will account for an annual revenue of roughly $25 billion dollars. It’s projected that there will be 81 billion mobile app downloads by the end of the year.

So, what are mobile apps?

In the simplest definition, mobile apps are software applications built specifically for mobile smart phones.  A great way for businesses to target potential customers, the variety in types of mobile apps that can be tailored for your company’s needs is enormous.

Benefits to having mobile apps for businesses

[fontawesome icon=”trophy” circle=”no” size=”medium”]Target Local Customers & Build Customer Loyalty

Where are 41% of mobile users when they go online? Shopping in a store. With mobile apps, you can get your potential customers all the details they need about whatever they are looking for, simply and quickly.

[fontawesome icon=”globe” circle=”no” size=”medium”]Reach your Audience

Just starting up your new restaurant company? Send offers and push-notifications for coupons directly to your users on a Friday night and watch your customer line grow out the door.

[fontawesome icon=”signal” circle=”no” size=”medium”]Collect better customer behavior data

A great tool for collecting customer data, mobile apps can help you find out what your customers do (or don’t) like. As the numbers come in, you can improve for better services and products you offer.

Examples of successful mobile apps

Walgreens mobile app offers a plethora of convenient services for their customers. Need to get your prescription refilled? Just scan the Rx label with the Walgreens app and it’s submitted for refill. Other great features include helpful reminders for tracking your medication, printing photos directly from your phone to the store closest to you, customer loyalty rewards, and much more. It can’t get much easier!

Home Depot’s mobile app has numerous benefits for their customers as well. Via the app, you can easily scan a products UPC code to find out where you can find said product locally, as well as read product reviews. You can create a shopping list which will be saved under your account, and also you can access calculators and various tool converters to make sure you’re sufficiently supplied for your project.

Whole Foods mobile app makes it easy to shop for groceries, and try out new dishes. With over 3,000 recipes, you’re able to search by various criteria whether it be special diet or cuisine, create a shopping list with a click of a button, as well as comment or rate recipes. The added interactivity for consumers makes it all the better and emphasizes brand involvement.

Successful mobile apps will:

• Make the consumers life simpler. It should be intuitive, and easy to use
• Entice your user’s attention with carefully executed branding
• Inform your customers; good content is crucial always crucial in marketing
• Won’t have stale content. Keep the app updated!

At Ontarget Interactive, we design, develop and execute mobile apps all the time. Be sure to contact us for more information on what might be the best marketing strategy for your company.