5 Ways Your Branded App Can Skyrocket Your Company in 2021
When you’re building your growth plan and brainstorming ideas to take your company forward in an online world, mobile optimization might be the first thing to come to mind. And it should, because having a mobile-friendly digital presence and an optimized website is one of the best ways to boost online recognition and engagement. That said, you mustn’t forget about the power and potential of branded apps.
By EMMA WORDEN
Now that people are increasingly consuming content and interacting with companies via smartphones, you have a golden opportunity to make your business an inextricable part of their lives. To achieve this, you have to make your company a constant presence in their lives, and having an amazing website is not the way to do it. You want to be in their phones, at their fingertips at all times, interacting with them in real time – not just waiting for them to visit your site or send you a message on social media.
Let’s take a look at how having your own branded app can skyrocket your company in 2021 and how you can leverage an app to reach new heights of success.
Significantly reduce customer effort
The modern customer, simply put, can’t even. People nowadays not only live hectic lives and have a million things to worry about, they also have the online world at their fingertips, with millions of choices at their disposal. So why should they bother clicking through your website until they reach the checkout or finally get what they want? They won’t.
What they will do is open up an app that has a simplified and intuitive interface and an optimized navigation system that will immediately guide them to the desired outcome. This is what designers and business leaders like to call customer effort, and your goal is to reduce it as much as possible.
An app is the perfect place to reduce customer effort to the bare minimum. Automatic log-ins, personal preferences and features, intuitive scrolling, personalized offers, an app has everything the customer needs to complete a purchase in a couple of clicks. But reducing customer effort is just one reason why you need a branded app.
Provide a powerful solution with extra features
Simply put, an app is your playground, an environment where you can optimize every process and feature to accommodate the exact needs of your customers. Yes, good web design achieves this as well, but an app allows you to provide so much more to the picky modern customer in terms of design, functionality, and rewards.
What’s more, keep in mind that you have an opportunity here to drastically improve customer engagement and interaction. Through your app, your users always have a direct line of communication with your brand, meaning that they’ll be more motivated to get in touch and interact with your business. You can use your app to pack on the features that would be too cumbersome for your website, and you can always add extra features to elevate the value of the app and incentivize people to use it.
Build brand loyalty and recognition
Standing out from the competition is paramount nowadays, especially if you’re operating in a highly competitive market. Needless to say, though, all global markets are competitive nowadays regardless of the industry. Some, like Australia, are more competitive than others, which is why app development and usage in these regions have skyrocketed in recent years.
For companies to get ahead in Australia, for example, they need to rely on creative app development in Sydney and other business hubs to develop apps that will stand out in the local and national marketplace. These apps are characterized by distinctive visual designs that focus on brand recognition, but they also emphasize the use of loyalty programs and branded incentives to keep the customer coming back to the app over the long term.
No matter the market or industry you operate in, you should make sure to center your app development process on brand-building, recognition, and making your app as memorable as possible. Be sure to maximize the lifetime value of the user with branded loyalty programs and personalized offers as well.
An app is a direct marketing channel
It should go without saying, but having an app means you get one very powerful marketing channel that directly ties you to your customers. It doesn’t get more targeted than this, because your app literally markets to your exact demographic, and your existing users will always see your announcements and notifications.
When you use the notification system to promote your products or services, you can rest assured that everyone with the app will see them, which will maximize engagement and sales. The app allows you to tailor your marketing campaigns to the user, and there are no restrictions imposed by search engines. With an app, your marketing messages always end up in front of your customers.
Offer incentives and special deals
Last but not least, a branded app lets you maximize sales and lead generation through incentives like special deals and discounts, quizzes and games, time-limited and inventory-limited promotions, and more. People hate losing out on a great deal, and they’ll be delighted to know that your app lets them snag an amazing discount before anyone else. Imagine the potential for building loyalty and retention when people know that they’ll always get the first pick of products and limited-offer deals through your app.
Wrapping up
Building your own app is one of the best investments you can make in 2021, especially if your goal is to stand out in a competitive market. Now that you know how an app can skyrocket your business and how to leverage its full potential, go ahead and build an app that will ensure your success this year and in the years to come.
Emma is a digital marketer and blogger from Sydney. After getting a marketing degree she started working with Australian startups on business and marketing development. Emma writes for many relevant, industry related online publications and does a job of an Executive Editor at Bizzmark blog and a guest lecturer at Melbourne University. Interested in marketing, startups and latest business trends. Follow Emma on Twitter @EmmaRWorden
