Businesses often refer to their customer acquisition activities as taking place through a marketing and sales “funnel”. Most of these activities take place at the top of the funnel, with awareness and promotional materials leading to various forms of communication and engagement. After all of this activity, the customer is hopefully hooked, resulting in a sale.

The question, then, is where does a mobile app fit in the the funnel? Due to the inherently versatile nature of a mobile app, the truth is it can actually fit anywhere in the process. Speaking from the perspective of apps created through Apptive, our modules allow for everything from social communications to one-click sales. However, mobile apps may actually have the most benefit from a company a the other end of the funnel, that is to say, once a customer has already been acquired.

Mobile apps provide a direct link between a customer and a business that is unmatched by any other engagement stream. Once a customer indicates trust in your business by both purchasing a product and actually downloading your mobile app, you have the opportunity to reach out and facilitate a long-term relationship that will create a strong sense of brand loyalty. It is common knowledge that it is far easier to sell to existing customers. By approaching your customer base through an app that lives directly on their smartphone you position yourself to take full advantage of this reality in an increasingly mobile society.