Mobile apps marketing is a must.

The Apple App store now has close to 2 million apps while Google Play has over 2.2 million apps.  For most businesses that build an app, they won’t come without mobile apps marketing. Consider these facts.

• 25% of installed apps are never used. —Google
• 26% of installed apps are abandoned after the first use. —Google
• 51% of companies measure user engagement and return on investment (ROI). —Adobe and Econsultancy
• The average Android app loses 77% of its daily active users (DAUs) within the first three days after the install, and 90% within the first 30 days. —Quettra
• Of those who stop using apps, 30% would use an app again if offered a discount, and 24% would reuse an app if offered exclusive or bonus content. —Google
• 78% of companies use paid media to drive app downloads. —Adobe Mobile Maturity Survey

Who’s doing mobile apps marketing right? Here are 9 motivating mobile apps marketing case studies that prove ROI.

1. ARGOS: A digital retailing leader, wanted to deliver a truly multi-channel experience, encompassing a website, mobile-optimised site, iPhone app, iPad app, and Android phone and tablet apps. The multi-channel journey capabilities mean that customers can now have 14 combinations of order and fulfillment to suit their needs; they can easily start their journey in one place and pick it up in another. Multi-channel sales penetration increased to over 50% of total sales, with Argos.co.uk receiving 440m visitors per year. The internet accounted for 42% of total company sales and ‘Check and Reserve’ was Argos’ fastest growing channel. The iPhone app has been downloaded over 2,500,000 times, the Android app over 625,000 times and the iPad app over 450,000 times.
2. ASDA: British supermarket chain Asda is the UK’s second largest chain by market share, and has more than 500 UK stores. The retailer’s objective was to meet the growing use of mobile by building an app that made shopping quicker and more convenient for its customers. Customer feedback showed that customers wanted an app that was simple and easy to use, so the resulting design included a recipe finder, barcode scanner, and a store locator.  Mobile now accounts for 18% of all ASDA grocery home shopping sales – 90% of this from the app. Asda app shoppers are twice as likely to become loyal, repeat customers. Shopping frequency for mobile is 1.8 times higher than desktop.
3. BEJEWELED: Is the name of the series of tile-matching puzzle games created by PopCap Games. To generate campaign awareness, Bejeweled recruited top Instagram influencers to share photos of themselves playing the game under the branded hashtag #shinyplace. Bejeweled launched the Instagram marketing campaign on May 10th, the game’s rank on the Apple’s top-grossing U.S. iPhone games chart has climbed from 454th to the 135th. Bejeweled rose from the 702nd to the 182nd top-grossing app on the U.S. Apple App Store during that same time-frame.
4. CUMBERLAND FARMS: With over 500+ retail stores and gas stations located across the Mid-Atlantic, Cumberland Farms today is one of the largest privately held companies in the world, Revenues are over 16+ billion annually. With so many locations and over 6,000+ employees, trying to compile and organize the data from each store in a timely manner was becoming almost impossible. By developing a Cumberland Farms app for employees, Cumberland Farms has collected well over 145,000 digital reports and reduced their paper costs by $11,000 per year. They also saw a full return on their investment within 6 months of fully deploying to their field teams. All of this, as well as their dramatic increase in productivity, lead to their recurring ROI of over $400,0000.
5. JANSSEN (PSORIASIS 360): Launched a mobile phone app to help psoriasis patients track the severity of their condition. The index helped them know when to seek professional care and allowed their medical professional assess to the severity of their patient’s condition. Janssen also opened a Facebook page, which they moderated for regulatory reasons, to let patients tell personal stories and had over 30,000 posts and comments. According to Janssen, the investment in the mobile app overachieved ROI but more important delivered the right therapy to the right patient at crucial times.
6. MARRIOT: Wanted a marketing app to help distinguish its steak restaurants, Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar, from others and to open up possibilities through mobile reach. The app was intended to give interesting and useful information to lovers of steak and gin. It also allowed users yo book tables and see special deals and updates. The app has had over 1,500 downloads in 60 countries and 27,000 screen views. Over 60% of users return to the app multiple times and users access an average of 11 screens per session showing strong engagement with the content.
7. MCDONALD’S: Designed a ‘restaurant finder’ app to enable consumers to find a late-night McDonald’s because two-thirds of its restaurants close at 11pm. McDonald’s employed location-based technology and geo-targeted above-the-line messaging, to avoid sending potential customers to a locked door. The app has been downloaded 1,300,000 times. When the sales uplift was calculated, the campaign delivered an ROI of 2:1.
8. PROVIDENCE: Providence Anesthesiology Associates (PAA) is a team of 60+ anaesthesiologists providing care for over 100,000 patients each year at 19 locations in the US. The initial app created by PAA is a dashboard capable of pulling in all the different internal resources that might be required by clinicians and employees into one place. This gives one centralized point of access to all the documents from the internal cloud storage solution as well as from internal mobile sites including surveys and data collection. The PAA mobile app is now used by all PAA physicians.
9. STARBUCKS: About 21% of Starbucks transactions are done by mobile app with 11 million signed up. But this amount of sales volume doesn’t happen by itself. To stay top of mind with its audience, Starbucks employs: 1) Special offers, 2) loyalty program, 3) messaging and notifications, 4) mobile order and pay and 5) personalization. A by-product of these mobile app marketing tactics is a wealth of data they get about their audience to improve their mobile apps marketing.

Do these case studies prove the ROI of mobile apps marketing to you. Do you need help with the marketing of your mobile app?

268 billion downloads will generate $77 billion worth of revenue according to Gartner in 2017.

Apps are not just built for smartphones anymore. They are needed for homes, cars and commerce. In 2017, there is a huge entrepreneurs and consumers. It’s creating many opportunities for innovation.

What’s in store mobile app trends for 2017?

1. 2017 will be the year of small businesses developing mobile apps
2. Location-based services continue to rise.
3. Integration of augmented reality into utility apps because they make a great couple
4. Android Instant Apps to become a common trend
5. Artificial Intelligence has officially gone mobile
6. IoT Apps integration to continue unchallenged
7. Application security to be more important than ever
8. More companies see mobile apps as a way to increase sales, improved customer experience and be competitive in market
9. Mobile App revenue to soar to $77 billion

Mobile Apps are now available for nearly every task imaginable.

Want to learn more? Here are 7 mobile app trends for 2017 in infographic.

Thanks to Andrew Gazdecki, CEO at Bizness Apps,

Would a Mobile App help your business to increase sales, improve customer experience and be more competitive in market in 2017?

• 50 million mobile apps are downloaded every day (Nuance)
• 90% of all downloaded mobile apps are used once and then deleted by users (Digital Trends)
• Only 16% of people will try out an app more than twice (Digital Trends)

If there ever was a place where the phrase, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, applies, it would be mobile apps.

Growth trends show no end in sight for mobile apps downloads, but, unfortunately, very few stick and usage is another matter.

How to make great mobile apps? Here are 8 great examples and why they succeed.

#1. SUCCEED ON EITHER FUNCTION OR FUN. (KNOCK ON WOOD).  Successful apps either to solve a problem or entertain you.  For example, are you Superstitious?  Then get Knock on Wood, the app that provides a virtual piece of wood so you can avoid tempting fate or bring good luck by knocking on wood even when there isn’t a real piece of wood to hand. It’s a simple solution that provides function every one of us has undertaken that’s also fun.

#2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE (MUSX): A great app does one thing well to demonstrate it understands its audience and is designed for them. Musx is focused on those who want to share and discover new music. While the app may appeal to more casual music listeners, features like tagging a song or mentioning a friend are geared towards those who believe music is social.

#3. KEEP IT SIMPLE (BREATHE2RELAX): The best apps have just one or two main functions and do them well. Breathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool. Breathe2Relax is a hands-on diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Breathing exercises have been documented to decrease the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ (stress) response. Capitalizing on touch-screen technology, a user can record their stress level on a ‘visual analogue scale’ by simply swiping a small bar to the left or to the right.

#4. USE MINIMAL TEXT (FASHION ADVISER): If your main feature is a document, then users would probably prefer to read it online instead of going to an app store, downloading the app, reading the app on a small screen, and then deleting the app. So keep text minimal. For example, instead of delivering a document on fashion tips, Fashion Adviser provides designer tips on fashion advice like how various shades of grey work alongside hot pink with a minimum of words and visual comparisons, showing rather than telling.

#5. HAVE A CAPTIVATING INTERFACE (PATH): Whenever the user opens an app, he or she forms an impression; it can be good or bad. In case of free apps, if the app doesn’t look good and the navigation is not smooth, then there is a huge chance the user won’t open it next time. How to overcome this problem? Take Path, a social network that limits the number of friends each user can have to 50. Its focus is on sharing photos with a close network of friends. Path realizes that users can see only one screen at a time and makes an excellent use of categories to separate content. Path has achieved success because it not only looks good, it also has the features smartly organized so users never get bored.

#6. MAKE UPDATES REGULARLY AND MAKE THEM EASY (ANGRY BIRDS): Some developers hold a view that creating a wonderful app is enough, but the truth is far from it. Maintaining the app is real art and each and every user who has bought a paid version of any app looks ahead to explore and churn out maximum out of the application. Hence, if a developer wants users to stay loyal to the app, he or she should make enough arrangements for back-up support and should keep on adding new features. Angry Birds is by far the most successful gaming app being downloaded. The app got successful because not only it is a fantastic game to play, but it also updates the game regularly so that the customers don’t feel monotonous.

#7. DESIGN AND ORGANIZE FOR A SMALL SCREEN (SHAZAM): Mobile has enormous potential and many overlook the obvious, the screen is small and people’s fingers are big. For example Shazam; a music discovery application provides all the information about any song track that is being played on a device. Reason behind the huge success of Shazam is, it has minimal elements and the main feature of the app is displayed at the front and thus conveys an effective call to action.

#8. MAKE MARKETING A PRIORITY (CLEAR): Just because you build it doesn’t mean your audience will come. Make sure you budget appropriately for app promotion. Divide your marketing plan into three phases: pre-launch campaign, launch campaign and post-launch campaign. Create banner images that will go up on your app store profile page. Use absolutely stunning screenshots of your app in the app store description. Write a fantastic app description and use the right keywords. Take for instance, Clear, which entered the hugely competitive market of to-do list apps. This app started to get tech blog coverage based on demos, previews and teaser videos even before it went to market. Within nine days of its launch, 350,000 copies sold.

Below is an infographic as a visual reminder of what makes a mobile apps great.

Do these examples help you know what makes a mobile app great? Are you consider a mobile app for your business?

• Over 60% of online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets (source: comScore)
• 50% of all search users begin their search on a mobile device (source: Search Engine Watch)
• 50% of mobile user activity results in a purchase (source: Mobile Path to Purchase)

The facts tell us mobile devices are now like a GPS system more people rely on for buying decisions.

How do people search on mobile? What points them to your brand?

Here are 23 critical facts about mobile SEO and 3 steps to success

MOBILE SEO

• 173,000,000 people in the U.S. own a smartphone while another 93,000,000 own internet-connected tablets (source: Pew Research Center)
• 125% is the growth rate of mobile traffic vs. 12% for desktop (source: Search Engine Watch)
• 88% of mobile search is for a local business or establishment (source: Digital Marketing Philippines)
• 83% of consumers using mobile to research make the purchase within a day (source: WOMP Mobile)
• 81% of people prefer mobile for its convenience and speed (source: Vocus Blog)
• 80% of their time on their smartphones and tablets is spent on apps rather than mobile browsers  (source: comScore)
• 80% of smartphone owners use their device in stores to shop (source: Google – Mobile in Store)
• 74% of mobile users make use of a search engine before they purchase (source: Search Engine Watch)
• 66% of the time spent on online retail is done through smartphones and tablets (source: comScore)
• 60% of consumers use mobile exclusively to make purchase decisions (source: Search Engine Watch)
• 60% of digital time is spent of mobile devices vs. 40% for desktops (source: Search Engine Land)
• 60 percent of mobile users expect a website to load in less than three seconds (source: Gomez – What Mobile Users Want)
• 57% of users say that they won’t recommend a business with a poor mobile experience (source: Google Mobile Playbook)
• 55% of consumers using mobile to research want to purchase within an hour (source: WOMP Mobile)
• 53% of the time spent on the internet comes from smartphones and tablets (source: comScore)
• Mobile searchers are 51% likelier to make a purchase (source: Google – Creating Moments That Matter)
• 49% of mobile search engine users made a purchase on their device within the past six months (source: Small Business Computing)
• 48% of consumers using mobile for research start with a search engine (source: Smart Insights)
• 46% of mobile users say they are unlikely to return to a website they had trouble accessing from their phone (source: Gomez)
• 45% of users between 18 and 29 use mobile search daily (source: Icebreaker Consulting)
• 40 percent have turned to a competitor’s site after a poor mobile experience (source: Mashable)
• 33% of consumers using mobile for research start wit a branded website (source: Smart Insight)
• 28% growth in search queries on tablets; 17% on smartphone and -1% on desktop (source: Search Engine Land)

STEPS TO SUCCESS

User Experience Matters

• RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN: Responsively-designed sites use CSS3 media queries to serve the same content to mobile and desktop users using a fluid grid and a flexible design to automatically adapt to the size of a user’s screen
• PAGE SPEED: Beyond optimizing images, you’ll want to minimize code, leverage browser caching, and reduce redirects
• SCROLL: Mobile devices are simplifying and revolutionizing the ways sites are designed. “Above the fold” no longer has meaning in a world where we scroll endlessly
• FAT FINGERS: Accidental clicks occur if your buttons are too big, too small, or in the path of a finger that’s trying to get the page to scroll
• CLICK TO CALL: Make it easy for users to get in touch with a touch rather than having to read, remember and dial your business
• APP: Mobile users prefer App. For an established brand, an App can be a major advantage for user experience and SEO, Fortunately, apps can now be optimized for search in both Google and Bing
• DON’T USE FLASH: The plugin may not be available on your user’s phone, which means they’ll miss out on all the fun. If you want to create special effects, use HTML5 instead
• DON’T USE POP-UPS: It can be difficult and frustrating to try and close these on a mobile device. This might lead to a high bounce rate

Less is More

• SHORTER KEYWORD PHRASES: Physical search query input are more challenging when typing on a tiny keyboard. Mobile users enter shorter phrases,
• VOICE RECOGNITION: Search engines and mobile device manufacturers have invested heavily in voice recognition capabilities to ease the mobile input burden. Ask the Google App works in 38 languages

Go Local

• GOOGLE PLACES: Create a profile within Google My Business and Bing Places for Business so you business show up with a map when mobile users search
• LOCAL DIRECTORIES: Register in local business directories so mobile users and search engine know where you can be found

Below is an infographic on mobile SEO from Digital Marketing Philippines.

Do these facts cause you to care about mobile SEO? Has your business taken these steps to success?

• 96% of marketers currently use or are planning to incorporate mobile marketing into their marketing mix (Source: ANA (Association National Advertisers))
• 85% report an intent to raise their mobile budgets in the near future (ANA)
• 84% use mobile websites; 78% mobile search; 76% mobile apps and 75% mobile display ads (ANA)
• 59% of mobile websites are launched without testing or optimization (Source: Marketing Sherpa)
• Only 16% of marketers have a mobile strategy (Source: CMO Council)
• Only 14% are satisfied with the way their brands are accessing and leveraging mobile (CMO Council)

The numbers show marketers are rushing into mobile. They also indicate it’s: Leap before you look.

So, if you want to know what’s better for your business: Mobile App or Mobile Website? Forget the tactics, buzzwords and lingo. First, focus on business needs and a strategy.

What’s better for your business? Mobile App or Mobile Website? Here are 14 business decision makers.

MOBILE WEBSITES

• REACH MORE PEOPLE THROUGH SEARCH: If you want your business to be found through a mobile search query, a mobile website is the way to go. Google has seen 400% increase in the number of mobile searches within a year (Source: Icebreaker Consulting). For Apps, you’re found on the Android or Apple App Stores.
• BENEFIT FROM LOCAL SEARCH: While we’re on the subject of search, if your business has a local client base, local search on mobile device is fast outpacing desktop .  Of the estimated 30 billion annual mobile searches, about 12 billion are local searches.  Local mobile searches (85.9 billion) are projected to exceed desktop searches (84 billion) for the fist time in 2015 (Source: Search Engine Land).
  
• SIMPLE CROSS PLATFORM SCALABILTY: Mobile websites work across all platforms, while apps are device-specific (i.e. iPhone, Android), requiring a business to develop an app for each platform. Mobile websites are generally easier to manage from a development standpoint.
• LOW DEVELOPMENT COST: Since a mobile website is essentially a different front end for a website, the development is generally less involved than an App.
• LESS RED TAPE: For an app, you have to request permission of go through an approval process with Google and Apple. The approval process with Apple can take up to a month. For a mobile website, there is no approval process.
• NO DOWNLOADING REQUIRED: Mobile website don’t have to be downloaded to use. On the internet, an extra step can cause a customer to drop off.
• ANALYTICS FRIENDLY: Tracking clicks and behavior is as simple (and insightful) on a mobile site as it is on an old-fashioned webpage. Almost a third of website traffic now comes from mobile devices, +73% from a year ago, according to the Walker Sands Quarterly Mobile Traffic Report.
• MOBILE SITE VS. RESPONSIVE DESIGN:  Responsive Web Design (RWD) as it is commonly referred to, implies the formatting of Website design in a way that it most optimal for viewing and navigation across a wide range of devices, including traditional PCs, smartphones and tablet devices. While it is more expensive due to development time, Google thinks this is the better solution for avoiding any complicated redirects and simplifying the sharing of web addresses.

MOBILE APPS

•  BETTER USER EXPERIENCE:  Written in “native code,” the technical language of a particular platform; such as the Rim Blackberry OS, iPhone OS, Windows Mobile, Android, or MeeGo, the use of native code allows the app to run with high performance, quality and speed.
• FASTER, MORE INTERACTIVE: Site loading speed counts, especially on mobile. And loading speed for apps is almost 2x as fast as mobile websites. Plus, apps supports action-packed 3D games and resource-hungry applications that rely heavily on touch.
• GREATER INVOLVEMENT: A primary advantage of mobile apps is people spend more time on them, almost +4X more time and growing. However, 1 in 4 people who download an app, never go back to it, again.

• OFFLINE AS WELL AS ONLINE ACCESS: If your business has customers who may not always have access to the internet, an app is the solution. Let’s say a farmer needs to access crop data from a remote field?  Done. Or, if your in real estate, your client wants to house hunt during his.her morning subway commute? No problem with an app.
• DEVICE INTEGRATION: Apps can integrate a camera and geo-location service for a fuller experience for both the user and business. If your business is built around a customer log-in, apps take the experience to a place that not possible on a mobile website.
• LOYALTY AND RETENTION: Just as search is a major advantage for mobile websites, retention and loyalty for current customers is a major reason and to consider a mobile app.

Of course, there is no reason why a business can’t have both. And many do.

But, as you think about what’s right for you, let your business strategy be your guide before the tactics and buzzword. You’ll be way away of your competition.

Did this help decide whether a Mobile Website or Mobile App is right for your business? Did it help you think about your strategy for mobile?

There are also some terrific infographics on Mobile Apps vs Mobile Websites. A couple are below.

Does it lead you to the conclusion your business could someone to guide your mobile marketing?