5 Reasons Your Business Needs an App

No matter the size of your business, you should consider building a mobile app. The days are gone where mobile apps are only necessary for tech companies and global brands. To truly create an effective mobile strategy for your company you need to move beyond a mobile-friendly website. ​ Think for a moment what you do on a typical day. Do you go to the gym? Coffee shop? Grocery store? Chances are the businesses with whom you interact on a daily basis have mobile apps. Mobile apps really bring your marketing to a whole new level. If you are not already sold on building a mobile app for your business, perhaps the following reasons will persuade you. ​

1. Integrate into the Daily Life of your Customers

​ The average person spends roughly 23 days a year on his or her phone. While most of this time is arguably spent on social media usage, it doesn't detract from the fact that people use their mobile devices above all else to consume information. In addition, a user has to seek out apps to install and use. If your app is visible during their search, it will add to your brand recognition as people unconsciously record all the images and text they see. People use their phones as part of their daily life, and you want them to be able to carry a little piece of your business with them as they go about their day. ​

2. Market Directly to your Customers

​ When a customer installs your app, you immediately gain a huge benefit by existing right at their fingertips at any moment. If you want to provide your customer with information on a special promotion you can simply send them a push notification. If you are a brick and mortar type business such as a restaurant or a microbrewery you can even send push notifications to customers that are in the area. This kind of marketing is only made possible by mobile devices, and you can only take advantage of it through a mobile app. ​

3. Localize your Services

​ Does your business have a loyalty program? Do you sell merchandise? What about events, do you sell tickets? If you have a loyalty program, why not allow your customers to collect points through your mobile app. This makes it easy on them since they don't have to remember any card or loyalty number. If you sell merchandise, allow your customer to purchase items directly in the app. This makes it incredibly easy for customers to make impulse buys. If your business sells tickets to events, why not allow those tickets to be stored in your app. This way a customer doesn't have to print out a ticket or claim one at will call. These are just three examples that may not apply to your business but chances are your business has a number of things that can be improved upon through an app. ​

4. Build your Brand

​ A mobile app is like a billboard for your company that you can continuously improve upon. When your customer is scrolling through their apps, your app icon will pass by. Make sure your icon effectively communicates your brand and it will help with brand recognition. When a customer opens your app, you want it to be sleek, well designed, and easy to use. Most importantly, you want your app to have killer features that keep your customers engaged. Make sure your customers know you care about them through building a truly great app experience. Constantly improve upon your app so that your customers know you are constantly improving your business. ​

5. Get Ahead of the Competition

​ Identify which of your competitors have a mobile app. If none of them have one, then building an app will set you far ahead of your competitors. If they do have an app download it and take it apart piece by piece, examining what features they have and where they could improve. Then make these improvements in your own app. Maybe your competitor doesn't have a way to communicate with the customer through the app, and you can gain an advantage by offering this in your app. ​ Hopefully by now you are convinced that your business needs a mobile app. Now you might be wondering where to start. This is where you have a couple options: ​

  1. Hire an app development agency
  2. Build an in-house app development team

​ The good news is if you are already building a mobile-friendly website, it may be possible to integrate some of that technology into your app so you aren't starting from scratch. No matter what direction you choose, the main point is that you have decided to build an app. This decision will set your company on a trajectory that will make your brand much stronger in the future.