Mobile Application Marketing

5 MOBILE APP MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Does Your Business need a Mobile App?

If you think that mobile apps are solely for big name brands like Walmart and Bank of America, you are wrong. More and more small and midsize businesses are following the mobile trend, understanding that an effective mobile strategy involves more than just a mobile-friendly website (Forbes, 2017).   In fact, these days you’ll notice that many small businesses you interact with in your everyday life have their own dedicated mobile app — be it the corner coffee shop or the beauty spa downtown. These companies are ahead of the game when it comes to taking their marketing to the next level. And they are doing it the right way! Do you know why? The digital era demands everything mobile-optimized and for this reason, companies are investing a huge share. Not because every company is investing in mobile app development, makes it necessary for you to invest in it to gain a competitive edge. It is because people want it – it includes everyone from your customers to everyone around you. Have a look at some of the statistics presented by IQVIS to know how important mobile application development for your business is.

• By 2020, global mobile app downloads will reach 284 billion
• Google Play will top 166 billion by 2020, and iOS will reach 35.2 billion.
• Non-game app downloads will exceed $182 billion in 2020, accounting for a quarter of all app store downloads
• Digital radio and photos now generate 96% of their total engagement from mobile devices
• Total mobile engagement on social has grown 55% in the past year
• Mobile ads perform 4-5 times better than online ads
• 62% of smartphone users are “ok with 15-30 second ads” in exchange for video content

How Small Businesses Benefit from Mobile Apps

According to Smallbiztrends, a recent survey showed that 62 percent of the businesses asked already had mobile apps or were in the process of building one. Of those, 20 percent used their apps purely for branding purposes, 30 percent have revenue generating apps and 50 percent use them for support and engagement. Even businesses that you wouldn’t have thought would benefit from an app are proving critics wrong by producing innovative and engaging apps. For example, an independent pet food supplier could have an app that encourages users to upload comical photographs of their pets for a chance to win a prize. A product for new mothers could build a community of local mums and arrange meet-ups. A realtor could create an app that compares local house prices now to five years ago. The possibilities really are endless. All it takes is a little imagination to devise a system that consumers will enjoy engaging with. Similarly, in essence to Clutch.co, the amount of small businesses with mobile apps is set to experience a huge jump over the next year. Currently, 42% of small businesses have built a mobile app. However, two-thirds (67%) of SMBs plan to have an app built by the end of 2017, a whopping 50% expected margin of increase over the course of the year.  
  This evidence of small businesses’ increased interest in building a mobile application represents a fairly significant departure from just a year ago. The 2016 Mobile App Survey indicated that 54% of SMBs were either unlikely to build, or were unsure about building, a mobile app in the future. Compare that to this year’s data: only 35% of SMBs in this year’s survey don’t plan on having a mobile app built by the end of 2017.

You have a Mobile App, what’s the Next Step?

Mobile application marketing is an important stage for your business as a whole, and success of mobile app in particular. You have to first understand that your main focus has to be the end-users of your app. You are essentially dealing with people and so, you will have to study their mobile behavior and understand the same, before embarking on a particular marketing strategy. According to App Partner , before jumping into tactics, you need to nail the basics of app marketing ー prioritization and efficiency. Dwight Eisenhower  created what’s known as “The Eisenhower Box” to stay efficient and focus on what’s most critical. We recommend that you write any tactics you want to use into one of these four boxes so you can prioritize what’s important, because as an entrepreneur time is your most precious resource.  
  Clearbridge Mobile defines a Go-To-Market strategy as one of the successful mobile app marketing strategies nowadays. First of all, what is a go-to-market strategy? A thorough strategy will answer these questions: Who is your target audience, and how do you relate to them?

1. How do you provide everyday value to your audience?
2. How do you transition from initial point of contact with a customer to fulfilling brand commitment?

All the major elements that guide your business strategy (sales, pricing, marketing, branding, competitive research, consumer profiling, and distribution) form the foundation for a go-to-market action plan. This plan will define the most effective way to reach a target audience and establish a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Market the Experience, not the App

In the past, when companies made apps for the sake of having an app for their customers to use, it was more acceptable to market the app itself. That is no longer true because you aren’t trying to sell audiences on the app itself anymore. Instead, you are selling them on the experience your app provides. And, more importantly, how that experience is uniquely different and superior to any other experience they’ve previously had on mobile. This is not a new concept, by any means. Today’s consumers look for the simplest experiences offered by brands In fact, 86% of consumers are more likely to purchase when they are not overwhelmed with confusing information. Keep that in mind when you are writing your store descriptions. Market how the app will simplify users lives, not every little thing the app can do. The strategy of marketing the experience rather than the mobile app has caused customer experience to become a front-running issue of businesses across nearly every industry. Don’t market your app—that’s simply is not enough anymore. You have to focus on the experiences that are only possible with your app.

Any other Tips? Yes!

App Store optimization (ASO)

Both Google Play and Apple’s App Store algorithmically prioritize certain apps in search results based on a variety of ranking factors (ratings, tags, screenshots, app title, download data etc.). The goal of ASO is to drive more traffic to your app’s page in the app store, so searchers can take a specific action: downloading your app. Also, the ASO process requires a crucial understanding of your target customer base, including the keywords your potential customers are using to find apps similar to yours. When you learn more about which keywords are being used, you will have a better understanding of the language of your potential customers – a crucial piece of any marketing plan – and you can home in on your keyword choices.  
  The most important ranking factor when it comes to app store optimization is your app’s title. If you’ve built a train time-checker app, then it’s recommended to use ‘train time checker’ in the title. You can use Google’s Adwords Keyword Tool (with the device setting on mobile) to identify which terms / phrases relevant to your app people search for the most on mobile. The CEO of MobileDevHQ, Ian Sefferman has mentioned that: “ASO is having dramatic effects on our client apps. For those who put the time in to understand, iterate, and test, we’ve seen many apps increase their downloads by a factor of 2x-10x, and an increase of revenue by a similar, or bigger, rate due to the increase in engagement of users earned by ASO. ASO is not a simple process, and you might not see the impact overnight, but if you’re willing to invest in it, the outcome can be incredibly worthwhile.”

Conclusion

Mobile application marketing is the science of reaching your targeted audience and let them know your app, and what the most important is to make them like it! Market-to-go strategy can serve as the basis for your mobile app marketing, where the core idea lies in the understanding your audience. Having complete information about your customers, you may proceed to App Store Optimization, where the thought-out keywords research is the key to your success! Also, as the ‘assisting’ tools, you may also use Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Marketing to promote your business mobile app! Would you want Blueninja.io help you with the development of a great mobile application for your business? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, Progressive Web Applications Development, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article! With creativity in heart, with an idea in mind!

CUSTOMER ONLINE EXPERIENCE

THE TIPS TO MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY

Providing great customer experiences at every digital point of the customer journey is becoming essential for brands. A report by customer experience consultant Walker found that 86% of buyers plan to pay more for better customer experience and by 2020 CX will outweigh price and product in brand differentiation. While a strong customer experience has been shown to produce amazing results—more customers, more sales, and more loyalty—many companies still struggle to identify the plan of action that will best achieve them. This doesn’t have to be the case. Leaders can reach these goals if they focus on something more specific: the digital customer experience. Customer experience is an integral part of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and the reason why it is essential is because a customer who has a positive experience with a business is more likely to become a repeat and loyal customer for many years.  
  A study by Oracle found that 74% of senior executives believe that customer experience influences the willingness of a customer to be loyal. And the customer experience statistics don’t stop there. If you want your customers to stay loyal, you have to invest in their experience and think about its optimization on a continuous basis. Think of your customer experience as of a journey that every individual travels along, which starts with the first time they hear about your brand to the last time they purchase. Each time your brand interacts with the customer, they should move closer to the purchasing phase. But how can you make this journey as effective as possible, and keep them coming back again? Marketers are increasingly using a wide variety of methods to identify customer experience issues and reduce the impact on the customer. According to EConsultancy, the following methods are seen as the most effective:

• Information contained in customer emails (43%)
• Calls to the customer service teams (45%)
• Online feedback tools (35%)
• Usability testing/ heatmaps (40%)
• Digital experience (session) replay (57%)

 
  It is not just about the value of one method over another, instead the focus should be on finding the right blend and approach to identify and learn from issues.

Optimizing Your Customers’ Online Experience

Have you ever clicked out of a website because it was taking too long to load? Or decided not to make a purchase because the payment page looked unprofessional? Or sworn off a brand completely because of one bad experience? In the world of customer relations, the customers’ experience is their reality – whether or not you agree. That’s why customer experience is such a priority, whether in an online business or a brick-and-mortar store. All the marketing in the world will be ineffective if you are not receiving and retaining your customers well at the end of their buying journey. So how do you make sure your customers have a good experience with your brand, besides website fast load time? One of examples can be … According to CIO, “customers should be able to easily navigate an organization’s website,” states Ali Mirian, the senior VP of Product, Collective Bias, a marketing & shopper social media company. “It is important to limit unnecessary clicks and implement features like auto-scroll to help avoid users losing interest.”

Make sure their security is always reassured           

Studies have shown that consumers rate security as the foremost priority when it comes to making a conversion on a website. Whether it’s as simple as giving you their email or as important as credit card information, customers need reassurance that their data is secure. Build your site to look professional and streamlined, and include clauses that guarantee that any data provided by the consumer will be kept secure. Registering your payment system with trusted payment gateways can also help to reassure your customers that their financial security is intact.  
  According to Accenture, 85% of customers are loyal to brands that safeguard and protect the privacy of their personal information, and most of them spend more with the brands and companies they’re loyal to. Take steps to safeguard your site. According to Moz, you should:

• Secure your site with SSL
• Update any plugins or extensions/apps you use on your site
• Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network)
• Make sure your CDN has data centers in multiple locations
• Use a password manager

Often, security is viewed as an inhibitor and a hurdle to business, but it actually can be a key differentiator over your competitors.

Create a seamless experience

It goes without saying – make sure your site is mobile-optimized. A vast majority of customers will attempt to access your site from a mobile device at one time or another – it would be a shame to lose them just because they were unable to navigate your site and left frustrated.  
  Mobile-optimized websites are essential to succeeding as an online brand. The mobile-first world defines modern internet consumption culture. Google coined and champions the term: “mobile-first.” Companies which retail products in physical locations, but do not have a mobile-friendly website, cripple themselves as “82% of smartphone users turn to their devices to help them make a product decision” in stores (Google & Ipsos Data, March 2015). According to RDACorp, not having a mobile-friendly site is good for your competitors because:

• 36% of people feel like their time is wasted by bad mobile experiences
• 48% of people said that a bad mobile experience meant a company didn’t care about their business
• 50% of people said that even if they liked a business, they would use them less often if the site wasn’t mobile-friendly

Make them feel special

Personalization is one of the buzzwords in digital marketing now, and it’s no wonder why. Personalization can make a customer feel special, whether it’s sending them an email addressing them when they sign up, or offering them an exclusive deal. Make the effort to keep them informed at every stage of the buying process, letting them know that their order has been confirmed, packed, delivered and so on. Be sure to train your customer-facing staff in customer service as this has the potential to turn a bad experience into a good one. Personalization leads to increased revenue: this is the big advantage for the firm willing to make an effort to personalize the customer’s experience. Forty percent of U.S. consumers say they have purchased something more expensive than they planned to because of the personalized service.  
  Personalization leads to loyalty: this is considered as the “Holy Grail” of personalization. 48 percent of consumers say they will likely repeat after a personalized online shopping experience. According to Neil Patel, personalization isn’t just for websites – it has made an impact on apps too. Wine-lover app Delectable lets you photograph, tag and save the wines you love, while recommending related ones based on your tastes and ratings. It also incorporates feedback and reviews from the wine community to help further socially solidify your smart choice – integrating a three-pronged strategy of social, share and review into a single app. This customer-centric outlook should transcend all aspects of your business to make your customer feel valued and connect your brand with a positive experience. A happy customer is a loyal one – and can also be your best referee!

Conclusion

Would you want Blueninja.io help you with Web design and Website Development & E-commerce? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing (SMM) are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article! With creativity in heart, with an idea in mind!

LANDING PAGE

 

LANDING PAGE | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT

Landing page is any webpage that someone lands on after clicking an online marketing call-to-action. Quite often, digital marketing campaigns become focused on driving consumers to visit a website, with no real thought as to what happens when they get there. When a consumer clicks on an inbound link into your website, whether through an Google Adwords ad, social media, or a link on someone else’s website, they ‘land’ on a web page that gives them their first impression of your brand. Any of your website pages can be a ‘landing page’ in that sense – but they may not make a good landing page. Optimally, landing pages should be customized to achieve the following objectives:

Trigger a Conversion

This is the main (but not only) objective of a landing page – to get visitors to take a desired action. Depending on your ad campaign objectives, this could be lead generation (visitors provide their details for further communication with your brand) or a direct purchase. While this is obviously the most lucrative objective of a landing page, most businesses find that many consumers do not convert at their first contact with a website or landing page. Thus, a landing page designed solely to cater for conversions may cause you to miss out on the other benefits that a good landing page can bring.

Capture Basic Background Data

Even if web visitors do not ‘sign up’ with your brand, a good landing page should still be able to track basic data for each visitor – for example, demographic data like age and gender, as well as the visitor’s referral source, or where they entered your landing page from. Using this background data, you are then able to retarget these visitors at a later date using the remarketing features of ad platforms like Google Display Ads and Facebook.

Explain Your Brand

Your landing page is the first point of entry into your website – and there is a possibility that your visitor will not navigate beyond that first page to explore the rest of your website. Thus, it is a good idea to make your landing page count by including key points of information about your brand, including unique selling points that make your brand different from others.  
  The overall design of the landing page should also match your branding aesthetic, so that even if not all the copy is read by the visitor, you are still able to make an impression that can help with brand recognition down the line.

Give Visitors Options for Next Steps

It is also important that your landing page not be a ‘dead end’. Some businesses do choose to design very minimalistic landing pages if their main goal is to drive conversions, as giving the website visitor fewer options can increase the chances that they will perform your desired action. However, you do tend to lose out on those visitors who are in ‘browse’ mode, looking for more information before committing to an action. Thus, giving the option of finding out more, exploring other aspects of your website, or providing contact information can be useful on a landing page in order to help these visitors along on their consumer journey.  
  With the right aspects in place, your landing page can serve multiple purposes for your business, whether to drive conversions, introduce your brand, or act as a gateway to other parts of your website. So the next time you’re tempted to just use your home page as a landing page, consider the potential benefits of customizing a separate page to serve the objectives of your campaign!

BEST PRACTICES FOR LANDING PAGES

1. Too many companies send their advertising, email, or social media traffic to their homepage. This is a huge missed opportunity. When you know a stream of targeted web traffic will be coming to your website, you can increase the likelihood of converting that traffic into leads by using a targeted landing page.

  Thus, the number-one rule for any landing page is to deliver value: First and foremost, if you have a valuable offer, your web visitors will give up their contact information in exchange for your offer. Ask yourself if your offer is compelling to your audience and make sure that your landing pages demonstrate that value.  

2. Another important suggestion by .com, is to ensure that sharing buttons are also provided on the landing page:

  Tap into a huge community of your best (and free!) marketers: your audience.  Add share links to your landing page to encourage your website visitors to share your content with their audiences.  

3. The last, but not the least: Testing!

  According to Business2Community.com, Don’t get lost testing endless variations of subtle elements that most people barely notice. The improvements won’t amount to much after a lot of work. Instead, focus on the big elements such as the headline, benefits, call-to-action, images, form fields, and the overall layout (such as a short page vs long page).   Tone is something you need to test for yourself. Many businesses will already have a recognized business persona on social media, but haven’t yet considered incorporating it into their sales funnel. Test it within different verticals, among different demographics, and for different objectives.

LANDING PAGE PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Average time on page.

If you’re not careful, you can look at average time on page metrics and get a completely wrong impression of how your landing page is doing. By default, most analytics tools (Google Analytics included) only record the time spent on a page when the web visitor navigates to another page on the same domain. If a visitor lands on your page, sticks around for 15 minutes, follows through with a goal, and bounces, their average time on site will be marked as 0.00. This distorts your data and leaves you with an inaccurate snapshot. The best solution is to use Google’s Event Tracking API tool (which starts tracking after a visitor has been on site for 10 seconds). (Semrush.com)  
 

Bounce Rate.

Bounce rate is important. High bounce rate tells you that the users who are coming to your site, leave the site immediately. Leading causes for high bounce rate: a) The lack of information or misinformation on the site b) Poor user experience design that is not appealing to your visitors c) The site is difficult to navigate, slow or anything that is connected to a bad development work Bounce rate calculates the percentage of people who leave your site after visiting only one page. If your goal is higher conversions, you want to ensure your bounce rate stays low. If your bounce rate is high, it means the material on your landing page is not what visitors expect and they were not interested in taking action, downloading your content or completing a form.

Conclusion

Would you want Blueninja.io help you with Digital Marketing and develop a great landing pages for your website? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, PWA System Development, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article!