5 Common Mistakes in Mobile App Marketing
As the global smartphone and tablet market continues to grow, businesses have turned to mobile apps as a platform for effective digital marketing. As of 2013, 1.2 million apps were available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store (Serrano et al. 2013). Research also shows that smartphone users on average spend 87% of their time on mobile apps, rather than mobile web browsers (Venkatesh, et al., 2010). Therefore you would think that businesses marketers would ensure that their mobile app campaigns are watertight, right? Think again, here are 5 of the most common mistakes businesses make when creating a Mobile App Marketing campaign.
1. Developing a Mobile App without a marketing plan
With potentially 1.2 million apps for users to download, there is no doubt that you will need more than a few good ratings to get your app noticed. Many businesses forget to include a budget for promotion (advertisements, emails, text messages) when developing a mobile app campaign. It is important to remember that your promotion shouldn't end once your app has a few apps. If the mobile app campaign is to be a success, you must constantly remind your audience to download, use regularly, and share. In order to maintain user engagement, you should regularly release updates which fix bugs and introduce new features.
2. A Mobile App without a Mobile Optimized Landing Page
A Mobile App can be a great method of directing users to your landing page. However, one common mistake amongst marketeers is releasing a mobile app which points users to a Flash website that isn't optimised for mobile use. As unbelievable as this sounds, this is a common mistake with rookie marketeers. Thus, emphasising the importance of testing during the app development process (Gao, et al., 2014). Any content that the user is directed to must be mobile optimised, if it is not then not only is the mobile app ineffective but it is also likely that the user will delete the app or not use it again.
3. Ignoring Your Audience
Bellman, et al. (2011) states that in order to have a long and successful Mobile App Marketing Campaign it is important to integrate two-way communication. Customers will have issues, questions and suggestions for your mobile app, so by integrating a feedback capability within your app, not only will you make your customers feel special but you will continuously be able to improve your app. By constantly improving the mobile app, the chances of a successful mobile app marketing campaign are significantly higher.4. Disregarding the Mobile Experience
Another common mistake by many companies is trying to pass off the company website as a mobile app. Companies try to take the easy option by enabling the same functionality but on a smaller screen, and disregarding the whole mobile app experience. A mobile app user will quickly be put off by overwhelming designs, information, and small text caused by companies trying to mimic the company website. In order to ensure your customers are engaged by your mobile app, you should make sure it is an entire different experience than the desktop application. The mobile app should have a simple design, that promotes user engagement and ease of use, whilst providing the user with a complete different experience than a desktop application.5. Focusing on Download Rates
One of the most common mistakes companies often make is measuring success by the number of downloads. Companies that dwell on download, like and follow rates are missing out on the bigger picture. Download numbers fail to tell you what happens after the app has been downloaded, which is the most important thing. Once an app has been downloaded, the user may use the app not at all, once or a few times a month. Therefore making the number of downloads almost irrelevant. A more effective metric to measure would be the life time value or acquisition data. For more information please follow the links provided:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220514
http://www.bestmobileappawards.com/blog/4-mistakes-to-avoid-when-marketing-a-mobile-app#.U2Zp4V6uu2w
References:
Gao, J., Xiaoying, B., Wei-Tek, T., & Uehara, T. (2014) 'Mobile Application Testing: A Tuturial'. Computer 47, (2) 46-55. Available at http://Http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6693676&isnumber=6756723 [Accessed 3 May 2014]
Bellman, S., Potter, R., Robinson, J., & Varan, D. (2011) 'The Effectiveness of Branded Mobile Phone Apps'. Journal of Interactive Marketing 25, (4) 191-200. Available at http://Http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.brighton.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S1094996811000491 [Accessed 3 May 2014]
Venkatesh, S., Venkatesh, A., Hofacker, C., & Naik, Tp. (2010) 'Mobile Marketing in the Retailing Enviroment'. Journal of Interactive Marketing 24, (2) 111-120. Available at http://Http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094996810000174 [Accessed 3 May 2014]
Serrano , N., Hermantes, J., & Gallardo, G. (2013) 'Mobile Web Apps'. IEE Software 30, (5) 22-27.
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