Mobile apps aren’t just for big corporations. Apps can help local small and medium businesses grow by reaching more potential customers on the devices they can’t seem to live without.
The mobile app market is predicted to grow 270 percent to $189 billion by 2020. Estimates also predict the app store will hit 5 million apps by 2020, more than doubling its current size.
The average American spends more than two hours on their mobile device each day, with 86 percent of that time spent within mobile apps. If you want their attention, you need to grab it where you can.
More small business owners should be taking advantage of the tools and technology that help them communicate and retain customers while at the same time targeting potential customers.
According to recent data, nearly half of small businesses are expected to adopt a mobile app by 2017. Small businesses are building apps to increase sales (55%), improve customer experience (50%) and to become competitors in a specific market (50%). According to Smallbiztrends.com, “apps are no longer a mere branding exercise for small businesses. From simplifying online purchases to providing easy-to-access information, apps provide countless benefits for small business owners.”
You may think mobile apps are out of your price range and will take months to develop. You may be surprised to learn that you could have an app for less than the cost of a full-page print ad and have it in the store before spring training ends in Southwest Florida.
Having an app for your business is a great sales and marketing tool you can use to boost your business. It’s not just a tool for large enterprise. Think big and use the tools others find successful.
Consumers expect you to fit into their lifestyle. If you make it easy for them to purchase your products and services and interact with your brand, you will likely find yourself one of the preferred apps on their phone.
If your company, products or services are too hard to find on a mobile device, you are missing customers. We all know some people can’t leave home without their phone. They would rather be late to work and go back and get it than spend a few hours without a handheld device for communication and information at their fingertips.
As a business owner, you are always looking for ways to boost business but are you using the power of mobile technology?
Here’s a look at a few ways your business can benefit from your own app.
Push Notifications, Reminders and Alerts
Like text messaging, push notifications can be sent immediately and get immediate results. There are very few marketing tactics that can get your customers to respond so quickly. Ninety to ninety-five percent of users respond within four minutes. Best of all, push notifications are free! They can easily give you your biggest ROI in marketing dollars.
You can send time-sensitive information to consumers using push notifications and reach a broad section of your customer base with just a few keystrokes on your computer or your own mobile device.
Loyalty Programs
You’ve heard the saying it costs more to get a new customer than retain a current one. How are you retaining your customers? Do they use your product or service and then you ignore them?
While loyalty programs with large databases used to be the purview only of major chains, independent and locally owned businesses can now reward loyal customers.
Whether it provides discounts to customers who regularly spend money at your business or reminds customers of specials and deals, mobile technology connects your company with the people who can help make it even more successful.
Digital punch cards are one such loyalty program you can use to reward your customers. The cards are stored in the app and are always available. Even better, that also means they can’t be lost, misplaced or forgotten. Talk about keeping those customers happy, right?
Geo-Targeting
Major corporations for years have kept huge databases of information on where their customers live and shop. For a local business, that type of geo-targeting can be even more valuable. You can reach your customers who enter a certain location—think the area around a shopping center or a certain radius around a business district. By targeting your marketing efforts on those consumers who are within close proximity to your business, you can reduce your advertising budget and get more bang for your buck.
Mobile Apps Expand Your Customer Base
Most important, mobile technology allows you to reach a new customer base and grow your business by exposing your brand to a new, often tech-savvy audience.
You can reach consumers in new and exciting ways. You have the technology available to you and the experts who know how to use it. Are you using all the tools you can to help grow your business? If not, it’s time to start.
If you aren’t sure how to get started, we can help with a free consultation. We can help you determine what would be most effective for you. Give us a call at 239-465-0310. Getting an app for your business doesn’t have to be expensive, time-consuming and overwhelming.
About ActiveData
ActiveData Mobile is a ‘right from the start’ digital marketing agency. We offer Mobile Apps, Mobile Websites, Text Marketing, Mobile Directories, Mobile Advertising, Local Search, Reputation Monitoring, Social Media Management, PPC Campaign Management, and more!