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3 Mobile Content Mistakes You Probably Make

February 18, 2014 apptive, build, color, logo, mobile content, mobile marketing, mobile strategy

Is your mobile content actionable?

Many businesses continue to treat their mobile presence as simply an offshoot of their existing marketing methodologies. Mobile strategy does not require businesses to throw their playbook out the window, however it does require some additional thought as to the types of content you will include in your mobile app or mobile optimized website.

Here are three mobile marketing mistakes we see businesses make time and time again, as well as some ways to fix them!

1. Treating Your Mobile App as a Landing Page

Mobile apps are a great way to disseminate information about your products to a wide range of customers. That being said, they will wither and die if they are simply left on their own. Mobile apps in particular require consistent updates with valuable content to survive. Simply creating a mobile app and hoping that people will find it results in very few downloads and a stagnant mobile user base.

To alleviate this issue, fill your app with dynamic content that will keep users checking back regularly. Including links to your blog and social channels will give your customers an easy way to stay up to date with your business no matter where they are. As a good rule of thumb, if you’re app has the exact same content for more than a week or two, your customers are likely not getting significant value from it.

2. Directing All Of Your Content Towards New Customers

Your mobile app is a versatile tool, but it is one that has significantly more benefit for existing customers. That’s because if someone downloads your app, then they are likely already fans of your store and want a way to connect with you at all times. If you are constantly using your app to promote content that is meant to appeal to new customers, your loyal customers may feel that they are in the wrong place. App uninstalls will soon follow.

When you are creating content, aim for a ⅔ split favoring content that will allow loyal customers to gain a greater depth of understanding about your products, team, or business philosophy. New customers will find and download your app if you are promoting it effectively, so make sure to throw them a bone every now and then too!

3. Offering a Segmented Mobile Experience

As mentioned above, if your customers are downloading your app then most likely you are doing something right. Capitalize on that, don’t attempt to change the game! Many businesses, when creating their app, will attempt to rebrand for a mobile audience. They will change everything from their color scheme to their logo and even their name and messaging. This can feel alienating and out of place.

When you create your app, your main goal should be to refine your existing web presence rather than attempting to redefine it. Continuity of experience and messaging across platforms will let your customers immediately get a feel for your mobile strategy, immediately encouraging the same impressed feelings they had when they first connected with your site.

These are some of the more common mistakes we’ve seen mobile users make. What have you seen? And do you have any advice on how to fix these or other mobile strategy missteps?

2013 Year in Review: Five Key Mobile Mentality Posts

January 7, 2014 2014, apps, Design, impulse, infographic, local, mobile, mobile marketing, new year

2013 was a year of incredible growth, not just for Apptive, but for the mobile ecosystem as a whole. 2014 is set to continue the trend as advanced mobile strategy sets the divide for ecommerce merchants worldwide.

In order to make sure you get 2014 kicked off on the right foot, we curated some of the most useful posts from the Apptive blog up to this point. Check these out to get caught up on mobile strategy for the new year!

Think Mobile, Act Local

Have a physical presence but want to engage with your users on mobile devices? This post will give you insight into a mobile customer’s mindset and strategies to effectively engage them.

Infographic: Email Marketing vs. Facebook Page vs. Mobile App

How do you market to an online audience? This infographic will give you a quick (and dare we say, attractive?) visual guide to three primary methods of digital marketing.

The Smartphone Impulse

Impulse buying has a bad rep. This blog post will show you how to trigger impulse purchases the right way in order to increase customer satisfaction as quickly as you increase your sales.

How to Match App Design to iOS7

2013 also marked the release of Apple’s most significant update of their iOS operating system. This post will help you match the style of your app to the iOS7 standard.

Infographic: M-commerce and You!

Mobile ecommerce is the most rapidly growing trend for online store owners. This infographic will give you a good idea of the current state of m-commerce and how to use it for your online store.

We appreciate all of our readers and hope that these posts have proved and will continue to prove helpful. Check back often for more insights in 2014 and beyond!

On Mobile Devices, Dental Hygiene, and Origin Stories

September 10, 2013 apptive, mobile apps, mobile devices, mobile marketing, mobile trends

Apptive co-founder Jason Jaynes recently gave a presentation focusing on emerging mobile trends. Here is a clip that demonstrates some interesting mobile statistics as well as the Apptive origin story!

Mobile Ads for Mobile Apps

September 3, 2013 facebook ad, google adwords, mobile ad, mobile marketing

If you keep up with digital marketing trends, you are probably familiar with the current conundrum facing marketers: there is a disparity between the great potential for mobile advertisements and the people who have been able to effectively leverage them for their business. There are a number of contributing factors, but ultimately they all deal with the limiting factors that traditional businesses and advertisers face when placing their ads on a mobile device. That being said, we are also aware of the fact that mobile experiences which build upon other mobile specific features get quite a bit of traction.

A mobile app serves as a uniquely branded ecosystem that a customer can access from his or her home screen. Once someone actually downloads your app they become exponentially more valuable. Therefore, it is worthwhile to spend a few marketing dollars to drive potential customers to your app. The good news is, while some mobile ads can be difficult to configure, it is easy to test the waters and drive customers to your app.

There are a number of fantastic articles that can get you started in mobile advertising. For a first timer I recommend you start with this one from Entrepreneur. It’s a quick read, but to sum it up the article states that, when getting started, you should focus on creating mobile-specific landing pages and also piggyback on existing ad networks with mobile options, such as Google Adwords. We’ll also recommend Facebook ads, which are not native specific but DO show up only for Facebook users on mobile devices.

As far as the mobile specific landing page goes, its best to keep it simple. A picture of your app on several devices, four or five bullet points describing the functionality, and an icon that will allow customers to click and immediately start their app downloads (as an aside, Apptive provides you with these icons so you can easily enable customer downloads). This is more powerful than it may at first seem, since users who visit landing pages for your app on a desktop or see a physical advertisement will first have to search the app store for your app.

Mobile ads and mobile apps are both fresh marketing tools that have only been around for a few years. As time goes on people will begin to harness their power with the same acuity they have shown towards traditional methods. Fortunately the two can be used in concert right now to provide immediate benefit to your business!

Increase Content Exposure with a Mobile App

August 13, 2013 app, content, content marketing, marketing, messaging, mobile marketing

Excellent content is a prerequisite for effective business engagement nowadays. However, anyone who has dipped their toe in the pool of content marketing knows that the content itself is only one part of the battle. Content exposure is equally, if not more important to great content. After all, the most eloquent and helpful guide in the world is useless to you if no one ever reads it!

In the past, email and social marketing were the primary ways to spread content. Let me state up front, these methods are the standard for a reason. They can be incredibly effective assuming you have a large audience. However, in terms of raw efficiency they can not match a mobile app.

You can reach users who have downloaded a mobile app through push notifications, which completely change the game where engagement is concerned. Consider the fact that a 20-25% open rate for emails is generally considered very good. Now, compare that to push notification views. Because push notifications appear directly on a customers smartphone, views of 40% or higher are not at all uncommon. An app allows you to cut through the clutter and reach your customers directly.

Deals Module Best Practices

May 24, 2013 deal module, deals, marketing, mobile marketing, strategy

Stephen Panico discusses some strategies to maximize the value of the Apptive deals module both for you and your customers.

How Should You Use Push Notifications?

May 17, 2013 app, email marketing, mobile app, mobile marketing, push notification

Watch as Apptive Co-founder Jason Jaynes answers a customer question about best practices for push notifications.