Posts tagged small business mobile strategy

Mobile apps are becoming more and more important to a small businesses marketing strategy every single day. There are so many ways to use an app to forge connections with your customers and potential clients, and to interact with you regulars. Marketing a mobile app requires careful thought and planning, however.

Where to begin with an effective mobile app marketing strategy?

The first place to start is to target your audience. Find the niche that you want to target, and hone in. An app can help even an already successful company draw in customers, broaden their horizons and make a bigger profit.

While developing an app is important, learning how to market it is just as important.

There are myriad ways to market an app, but start with the basics. Blog about your app. Detail all its spectacular features, talk about how much time and money it will save your customers, and then invite them to download the app. You can also use postcards, banners, stickers, signs and more.

Make sure to market your blog on social media, everywhere you can – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google+ and more.

Maintaining a strong social media presence is absolutely necessary to run an app. Customers will look to find the “link” between your app and your online presence, and companies without a social media presence are considered relics these days. Maintain your Facebook and Twitter regularly. Offer promotions and advertisements, interact with your customers, read all the comments and messages. This is very important.

Another great way to market is to give out freebies. Offer incentives for customers who download the app or “like” certain posts. Have contests or rewards programs. Make it worth their while.

The old stand-by marketing tactics still work, too.

Take out ads on websites or publications. Print out business cards and give them out. Attend meetings and events that are relevant to your business and tell people about your app. Radio and television ads still work. Brochures and fliers, too. All of these different marketing techniques can – and should - be used to promote your app.

Another important thing to consider when marketing your app is to make sure that your app is accessible to everyone. Is it available for all the platforms – iPhone, Android, Amazon?

Make sure you detail which mobile devices your app is compatible for. Spending the extra money to develop your app for all platforms is a good idea, but if you can’t do that, at least try to have it available for the main two – iPhone and Android. Have a good mobile optimized website and strong social media presence so you can still interact with the customers who don’t have those mobile devices.

Having an app is very important for your small business.

That goes without saying. But if you don’t market it properly, it can be dead in the water. Spend the extra time making sure your app is visible, accessible and integral to your customers.