Beyond a shadow of a doubt, mobile apps have proven themselves to be sales-enhancing dynamos over the past year. To wit, 93% of shoppers that use mobile apps while in a store make a purchase at a bricks-and-mortar location within a week. Businesses have taken notice of this trend and a majority of them plan to increase their investments in mobile app marketing in 2013. You can attract a slew of new customers by using mobile apps in the following ways.
Offer Coupons & Deals
Geo-targeting customers in the real world is the easiest way to convert shoppers into buyers if you run a physical store. Even if your enterprise is strictly digital, you can still use advanced mobile analytics and GPS data to make potential customers aware of your current deals as they browse. Whether you’re relying on Google+, Facebook Places or your own custom app to contact buyers, virtual coupons make a big difference. Location-aware discounts on platforms like Groupon Now can be huge winners if executed properly.
Run Giveaway Contests
Using Facebook Contests is a great way to boost recognition of your brand around the World Wide Web. Contests on Pinterest are another great way to conduct prize giveaways that pique the interest of users. Giving away a prize of minimal value can pay for itself in the long run if consumers become better acquainted with your brand as a result. Contests are also a sly way of conducting market research while increasing your overall visibility online.
Use Service Apps to Raise Your Profile
Considering how easy it is to create an app for iOS or Android nowadays, you’d be foolish not to publish a free program that provides information or a service to potential future shoppers. As with traditional content marketing, app marketing delivers value as a way of getting your foot in the door. Once you’ve increased awareness of your brand and what you have to offer, it’s likely that a decent amount of users will come back and make a purchase.
Read More: 4 Common Mobile Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Encourage Mobile Feedback
Sadly, many businesses today often neglect one of the most crucial components of social media marketing, the management of feedback from customers. Mobile apps for Yelp, Foursquare, Google+ and Amazon allow consumers to post immediate reviews on any product or service they come across. Personally responding to that feedback shows that you’re engaged and willing to go the extra mile. Use mobile reviews to establish good public relations and improve your reputation with mobile shoppers.
Create a Mobile Rewards Program
The punch and swipe cards of yesteryear that businesses still use to reward frequent customers with discounts and free goods are giving way to mobile rewards programs. Already, applications like DeelioZ, Belly, Pirq and BigDoor are making it trivially easy for companies to reward loyal customers for their repeat business. Expect the mobile rewards trend to accelerate over the coming years as more and more consumers become accustomed to being courted by hungry competitors with deals and discounts.
Read More: How to Optimize Your Mobile Ad Campaigns
Where to Start
With so many potential software tools available for mobile app marketing, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Try using free services like Google+ and Yelp for starters. In addition, it’s worth your while to field a mobile-specific version of your site at a minimum to make mobile access painless. With a minimal input of time and manpower, any business can leverage mobile apps for greater success in 2013 and beyond.