When your client pictures mobile ads, what do they see? Do they think that consumers are just using their phones to make online searches and get on social media? They do much more than that. According to research from Airship, when consumers really like a brand, they’re likely to download the brand’s mobile app. Should your client make mobile apps part of their digital brand strategy? Let’s find out.

Why a Good Digital Brand Strategy Includes Apps

Mobile Apps are Useful

Airship says that there are many reasons consumers choose to download brands’ mobile apps. The top reasons among U.S. consumers include:

Ease of use: 35% of consumers agree
Saves time: 29%
Simplifies the consumer’s life: 27%
Saves the consumer money by offering the best deals: 23%
Valuable loyalty rewards: 17%

Ultimately, consumers are drawn to brands’ mobile apps because they save shoppers time and money. Instead of having to type in the brand’s website’s URL or search for their business online and then potentially logging in before starting the shopping process, they can start shopping with the click of the app. The savings and other offers brands present to consumers exclusively through their mobile apps seal the deal. Consumers want their favorite brands to offer apps. Why aren’t they a part of your client’s digital brand strategy?

Creating a Good App Experience

Of course, just because a consumer’s favorite brand offers an app doesn’t mean that they will feel compelled to keep it on their phone. According to Airship, most consumers will use an app a couple of times before deciding whether or not to keep it. Some will decide on the very first use whether or not it’s worth it.

How do they decide? According to Airship, the top reasons consumers delete mobile apps include:

Too many ads within the app: 30%
Expectations of the app were not met: 25%
Confusing, broken or slow experiences: 19%
Too many notifications or in-app messages: 18%
Lacked sustained value, convenience or entertainment: 16%

So, if your client decides to add mobile apps to their digital brand strategy, they need to make sure that the app and its navigation are easy to use, they don’t overwhelm the user with ads or notifications and the app provides the time and money savings that consumers expect when they download an app.

Make the App Engaging

According to another article by Airship, an important aspect of adding apps to your client’s digital brand strategy is using them to engage consumers. “Building a habit of engagement for customers with your app is critical for moving them from the activation to engagement phase of the mobile app lifecycle,” says Airship. In order to make your client’s mobile app engaging to users, Airship recommends a few best practices.

Automate Engagement Campaigns

Yes, too many notifications can drive consumers away from your client’s app. However, relevant, well-timed notifications drive app engagement, boosting sales. “Leading brands create campaigns that are automated and tailored to interactions (or lack of interaction) to maintain consistent and relevant connections with customers,” says Airship. “Inactivity automations – such as abandoned cart or abandoned browse – and reengagement campaigns give brands the opportunity to reach out to customers with timing and content that’s in the contest of their behaviors.” Plus, these automated messages don’t take a lot of time and effort on your client’s part. Just set them up and let them do their thing to drive engagement.

Targeted Ad Hoc Messages

Of course, generalized messages will only get your client so far. Your client should also include more personalized messaging based on each user’s behavioral data. Sending in-app messages while a consumer is actively using the app increases the effectiveness of mobile apps as part of a digital brand strategy. Sending users personalized offers while they’re using the app can drive them to make a purchase. Additionally, sending them detailed notifications of what they’ve left abandoned in their carts can influence them to return to make a purchase.

Mobile Apps and Your Client’s Target Audience

Want more information about how your client’s target audience interacts with mobile apps? Look up their profile on AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel.

Photo by Airam Dato-on