Mobile Marketing Mistakes Everyone Makes
Now let’s say you have an incredible app idea that’s going to be the next big thing and change the world. That’s great! Now the problem is you can have a solid app product to give to people but it won’t mean a thing if people don’t know about it, or its marketed poorly. There are mistakes and pitfalls we can all be victim to if we aren’t careful, which is why we have created this article. We are the best Calgary Mobile App Developers and we know that just having a great idea isn’t enough, so here are our Mobile Marketing Mistakes everyone makes:
Remember What You’re Dealing With
A big mistake most people make when marketing or even coming up with an app idea is making it just a “mobile version” of the web site. That’s what web developers are for, not app developers. Making an app that is just a scaled down website ruins all of the potential, and any smart mobile phone user will discard your app if it just mimics your website page for page.
What you should do
Use the potential of mobile apps to accelerate your business and focus on what’s important. Use abilities like location, tap, accelerometer, and other mobile phone abilities to really make your app a worthwhile experience for your user, rather than just another advertising outlet.
Marketing – The Simple Way
Did you know Nordstrom has an app? If you go the very bottom and look at the small font writing on the right side of the bottom paragraph you will notice they advertise it. Would you have noticed otherwise? Not likely. Sephora on the other hand, has a giant banner on the bottom left of their page that let’s you know immediately they have a cool app, what it can do, and it even has a picture of a phone to get your attention. How neat is that! Comparing these two extreme examples hopefully helps make my point. How much do you think it cost Sephora to make their app promotion a bit bigger, more informative, and have a simple picture in the background? Likely, practically nothing.
What you should do
In short: Don’t make your stuff hard to find. If one of your goals for your company is to get people to follow you on social media or download your app, don’t make the links a scavenger hunt on your page. The key to achieving this is a clear call to action and a clear display of the call to action. Focus on tuning your social media and website presence to promote your app. This will make it easier to see, and help the user understand how it will add value to their lives.
If You Build It They Will Come
“If I have an app, everyone will download it anyway, it will market itself.” If this is your thinking then please… just stop. Did you know that about 90% of people will stop using your app within 6 months of downloading it? 6 months!! 😮 The key to overcoming this can be summed up like this: “People will return to your app if it has value to them, not because you want them to.” There are soooo many apps out there that just fall into the pit of being “one hit wonders” then forgotten by the world. There are a couple things you can do to try and avoid this.
What you should do
- Understand why your customers liked your app to begin with. This requires understanding why they use it, when they use it, how, etc. If you can’t answer these questions, reach out to your customers, or potentially look into hiring people to do this focus testing for you. This will help you come up with a strategy to keep giving people what they want.
- Give your customers a holla and let them know you’re there. There is nothing wrong with reminding the user you’re on their phone, you have a great new deal /feature, or whatever it is you want to tell them that will spark engagement. Remember that there is a fine line between a polite reminder every once and a while, and a harassing notification guaranteed to get your app deleted.
Customers Are People Too
This is a very simple yet powerful point of advice. Listen to your Customers. The problem with today’s society is that we live in a fast paced world where our attention spans and patience are both very short. As such most people can become extremely impatient when your app/business does not function, respond to them, or listen to their feedback/concerns.
What you should do
Believe me I know it’s tough nowadays but you gotta Listen to your Customers. In your app consider adding a direct messaging system for easier communication. Google yourself and find out what people are saying about you or your app and figure out how you are going to make things better. A company that listens to its users concerns will resonate positively with your customers and they WILL talk about you in a positive light. When you make a change that they recommended it brings about a sense of ownership to them and that is something that sticks.
Sounds Great, I’d love to get started with my own business!
I hope these suggestions have been helpful to you and your business! As a Calgary Mobile App Developer, we would love to sit down with you and talk about how we can get the ball rolling with your own business initiatives. Visit the Contact Us section of our website and we will make an appointment to chat about how you can make your app a success even beyond its completion!
References:
blog.kissmetrics.com/mistakes-in-app-marketing/
http://www.applift.com/blog/app-marketing-mistakes
