Entrepreneurs and businesses all share a common challenge: How to build a business that customers love and will come back to again and again. But how do you earn their loyalty? You might consider options like improving your products or services, expanding your marketing efforts, or investing in ways to reduce prices.
Those are great ideas, but since you’ve probably tried all of them already, I’ve got a better one.
You should build a mobile app for your business. There are multiple benefits and advantages to be gained for businesses that have their own mobile apps, and if you don’t have one, your competition is leaving you behind. Not to worry, though, because I’m going to explain how your small business can add value with a mobile app and all the benefits you can look forward to once you have one.
1. Customer Engagement
Mobile apps provide a new opportunity to establish relationships with your audience. By creating a more engaging experience than email or even social media can offer, you develop a connection that makes you stand out in the mind of your customers. You can do this through a number of tactics such as turning your product into a game, offering a freebie in exchange for taking a short survey, or by enabling consumers to customize their mobile shopping experience, to name a few. However, there are almost limitless ways that you can create an engaging experience through a mobile app, so that topic deserves a blog postof its own.
2. Employee Engagement
Many businesses also invest in building apps for their own employees in order to increase efficiency and productivity, and to improve employee satisfaction as well. Various applications for employees include apps for tracking inventory, scheduling staff, taking payments, client management, employee supervision, and many more. The range of possible functions is almost endless, so it’s important to focus first on the needs that have the most significance for your business.
Further Reading: Why Your Business Should Build Apps for Your Employees
3. Free Marketing Opportunities
Another major benefit of having a mobile app is that it offers greater reach for your business because apps are uploaded to stores such as iTunes or Google Play, both of which have global distribution. Apps also get a spot of real estate on the user’s device, and that presence ensures that you always stay top of mind and only a click away at any time. Once your customers have your app, you’ll also be able to send them direct messages, targeted offers, and exclusive discounts. You may also integrate a mobile store into your app, thereby creating another opportunity for consumers to purchase from you. These advantages enable you to make your business more accessible, create added value for consumers, and transform your customers into loyal brand advocates.
4. Revenue
For many businesses, the primary objective is focused on the bottom line: increasing revenue and profits. If you improve customer and employee engagement and also take advantage of the incredible marketing opportunities that a mobile app offers, then you’ll generate significant potential for increasing revenue. The potential is substantially greater if you also integrate shopping through the app – for example, on Black Friday 2012, 24% of all online shopping was done through a mobile device. That number represents billions of dollars. And you, being the clever business owner that you are, definitely want a slice of that cake. A mobile app will help you gain a loyal fan base, which in turn will create a consistent stream of cash flow. The effects become exponentially greater as more loyal customers tell their friends and family about how doing business with you is an enjoyable and rewarding experience, thanks to your amazing mobile app.
Further Reading:
Mobile Apps for Business: Revenue and the Bottom Line
3 Trends Making Custom Software Applications More Affordable And Better Quality
Yet another noteworthy advantage of having a mobile app is that it helps to establish credibility by demonstrating that you are on the cutting edge of innovation and technology. It shows that you know where consumers are at, and that your business is dedicated to meeting their changing needs. Ultimately, mobile apps enable you to create a truly unique experience to “wow” your customers and earn their loyalty. So what are you waiting for? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you build an app for your business that will help your business scale, increase productivity, and drive revenue.
