What can an app do for businesses?
Apps have come a long way from when they were not much more than a branding gimmick. Small businesses are becoming savvy to the many ways in which mobile applications can target audiences for specific marketing campaigns. Local businesses, in particular, have a lot to gain from the geo-targeting features that apps provide.
Customers have already become accustomed to connecting with brands through social media. Apps build on that connection, offering valuable savings, communication, and convenience.
Benefits of Apps
Location-Specific, Time-Specific
Geo-targeting allows businesses to send out notifications to people in specific areas. This can be tailored either for people who live in a specific area or those who are passing through one. Here are some examples of when this may be beneficial to businesses:
A. If a business owner’s technician will be out in an area where there are no other appointments that day, he or she can push a notification through to other customers in that area, letting them know the first 3 people who schedule service that day will receive a 10% discount.
B. A business owner wants to increase foot traffic to his or her office, that individual can push an app ad to people passing within 2 miles of the location, letting them know if they stop by within the next hour they will receive a free consultation or discounted service.
These are examples of the ways in which an app ad can catch the right people at the right time and place. There is really no other type of advertising that can do this.
Convenience
Customers can schedule appointments for services and even make payments through the app. Reminders can be scheduled to go out to individuals who are due for their next service or should be about to run out of products. These features are continent for both customers as well as business owners.
Stay in Touch
Mobile apps are a great way to make announcements. Businesses can let customers know that when they download the app, they will be the first to know about new services and products—as well as any first-time promotions that go along with those services. Merchants can give a shout-out for the expo they’re attending or the local charity event they want to promote. Sharing relevant news, tips, and services promotes that line of open communication, growing the feeling of trust and brand recognition with customers.
Organizational Features
Business owners can share information within their organization by using CRM features. Employees can view the same calendar, see their tasks, keep track of sales appointments, and organize projects using the app.
Promote Loyalty
The reminder feature, letting customers know when they are due again for service, is one example of ways to promote customer loyalty. The exclusivity of app coupons and specials are another. When it comes to needing the type of services or products a company offers, it will be easier for customers use the app rather than search around online for other service providers.
Current Customers vs New Ones
Reports states that most businesses gain 65% of their revenue from existing/repeat customers and it costs 15 times more to attract new customers as it does to retain the existing ones. While it is, of course, always important to grow a larger customer base, apps play a new and exciting role in rewarding—and thereby retaining—existing customers.
Higher Success Rates
Marketing and social media campaigns have a lot to compete with. People on social media are not only seeing the information a business sends, but also spending time looking at posts from friends and family members. Email campaigns fight to be noticed in the innumerable onslaught of daily emails most individuals receive. A push notice on an app has a significantly higher success rate for being opened and read.
Improve Customer Response
We all know how vital online reputation is for businesses these days. Apps open the door for customers to quickly communicate with business owners in real-time, thereby lowering the risk of complaints being posted online as negative reviews. When a customer can conveniently use the app to tell a merchant how his or her service went, complaints can be turned into a positive experience. In this way, apps help with customer retention as well as reputation management all by creating an easy form of communication.
Incentives
Businesses can keep customers engaged and interested with fun and inventive promotions. Pet-related companies can host a funny pet photo contest by having customers upload photos through the app. Companies can send out a quiz of trivia questions related to their service, offering a prize to the first person with all the right answers. With a bit of imagination, the ways of keeping customers engaged and having fun through an app are endless.
With non-game app downloads estimated to increase by 23% over the next five years, now is the time to get in on the action. Business owners today who make an app available to customers are generally getting those customers acquainted with their app before their smartphone becomes inundated with them.
Effective Web Solutions now has customizable apps available for businesses. Contact us for more information about how we can create an app to fit the needs of your customers.