Tag Archives: iPhone applications

Why Businesses Need BOTH Mobile Apps and Mobile Friendly Websites

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By now it should be widely accepted that businesses need both mobile apps and mobile friendly websites so as to be able to operate in the modern business world. Some people may still be tempted to question the need for a mobile app if they already have in place a mobile friendly website. However, if you just sit back and look at the facts, then you will see the logic in this. The truth of things is that we have gone mobile in a big way. People will rarely sit there mobile gadgets down and this has resulted in an increase the number of online purchase.

The modern day business dynamics dictates that you will need to move beyond a mobile-friendly website to attract and retain a reasonable number of customers to your business.

The modern day business dynamics dictates that you will need to move beyond a mobile-friendly website to attract and retain a reasonable number of customers to your business. | Kārlis Dambrāns (Flikr)

The modern day business dynamics dictates that you will need to move beyond a mobile-friendly website to attract and retain a reasonable number of customers to your business. Your business will have to advance to the level of a mobile dedicated app. A mobile app will let consumers keep in touch with your business though their small screen in the way they are used to keeping in contact with their other favored businesses.

The good news is that many small businesses have already seen light at the end of the tunnel and are therefore developing their mobile apps as the days go by. They have come to realize that app development is a very essential component of their marketing strategy. The rapid development in technology has made things better than before. App developers have an opportunity to come up with apps which have got better features and are easier to use. This has boosted the performance of the mobile apps.

It would however be untrue to claim that mobile apps only benefit small businesses. Large businesses have been able to benefit tremendously from the mobile apps. Research has been done to show the types of small businesses that are making use of the mobile apps. A great percentage of the businesses that make use of mobile apps are in the health and food industry. Hairdressing and automotive industries also take a considerable portion of the circle. Religious organizations, charities, event organizers and legal bodies have equally not been left behind. If you look at almost any industry you can find an example of a business making use of mobile applications to help their business grow.

Given the fact that developing a mobile app is very cost effective, it is within the financial capability of most businesses.

All these should however not lead one to the conclusion that mobile websites should now be forgotten. Mobile web sites are essential to help you be found by new customers. These websites be developed in such a way that they provide more personalized experience, just like a mobile app.

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Quick Tips for Mobile Application Development

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The world is at our fingertips, thanks to the presence of smartphones and mobile application development companies who keep on coming up with innovative mobile apps that make life easier. There are a multitude of mobile apps available in the Google Play and Apple Stores to cater to different user needs. All this has an impact on the world as a whole. Many companies are looking forward to developing their own mobile applications so that they can better communicate and sell their products to their target audience.

Your app should aim to meet the primary needs of the user or the business you are developing the application for

Your app should aim to meet the primary needs of the user or the business you are developing the application for | Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flikr)

The following are some quick tips that a business or developer embarking on mobile application development efforts should keep in mind.

Ease of use

Even though almost half of the world population now own smartphones, it does not necessarily mean that that everyone is an expert at using them. Your application should be easy to use and created in such a manner that they intuitively serve their assigned objective. Difficult to use applications often puzzle users and are abandoned or deleted.

Create an offline experience

Sure your home and office sure have reliable WI-FI, but away from there the user of your application has a completely different experience. Sometimes, the network is slow; sometimes there is no network at all. Perhaps your app user is on a camping trip in a remote area. Or, maybe, they are on a flight and they don’t want to pay for WI-FI. That is why you need to think ahead about how an application works in the offline mode or when Wi-Fi isn’t available. You should attempt to provide, as much as possible, the same user experience even on spotty network areas.

You should plan on your app being available on as many devices as possible

An increasing number of mobile application development companies recognize that users no longer stick to a single device. Today, devices of all kinds – smartphones, tablets, phablets, wearables, etc. – are pouring into the market. For this reason, developers need to make sure their application is available across multiple devices and platforms.

Don’t pack in too many features

As a developer, your app should only aim to meet the primary needs of the user or the business you are developing the application for. Focus only on your target audience while building your app. Good user experience means doing more with less. Anything that the user will find difficult to use will not sell and this means wasted time, money and effort on your part.

Test your application

The main testing phase in mobile application development comes after the application has been coded and before the launch. Most of negative app reviews are associated with bugs that were not picked up before the launch. So it is important to spend a decent amount of time testing the application throughout the whole process — to ensure its quality.

These tests are absolutely important in order to ensure that you are entering the market with a strong product. The application may not pass your testing the first time but if you run it through the cycle of tests a few times and make the necessary tweaks and improvements, the application will eventually hold strong.

Conclusion

Creating your first mobile application can be a challenging experience. It requires a great deal of technical, designing and development knowledge. However, the above tips can give you a great start. If you start in the right direction, you will definitely be able to create great applications that will serve users and companies better.

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Target Your Marketing For Mobile App Success

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Current research on targeted marketing shows that targeted messages can improve conversions 200% over general messaging.

With mobile devices it is easier than ever to collect data and put it in to action.

If you are able to collect the right data and define the proper audiences for your messaging based on their wants and needs and combining it with factors such as location and other demographic information your messaging can be truly powerful. You will want to define the data you collect prior to beginning your mobile application development project. Often iPhone application development companies in Los Angeles will make use of personas to define logistical groups for messaging after the data is collected. You will want to define your process before developing your app to ensure you collect the right data.

With mobile devices it is easier than ever to collect data and put it in to action.

With mobile devices it is easier than ever to collect data and put it in to action | Photo: Tech Stage (Flikr)

After you are able to dig into your own data and analyze customer usage behavior you will be able to define personas and deliver targeted messaging to that group.

By creating personas will be able to carefully craft your messaging so that you speak to them in a way that will improve conversions.

By really understanding who those customers are; their demographics, interests, etc lets you tailor your messaging but determine the tactics you should use. Different mobile tactics work better for different groups.

Your customers interact in different ways with you and only by understanding how they interact with you can you understand how to interact with them. This is why you need understand how customers interact with you and develop personas is you can interact with them in ways they are most likely to respond.

Traditionally users were split into groups based on demographic info, but with modern techniques you can and will want to segment based on their digital attitudes and preferences for maximum effectiveness. By defining digital customer segments utilizing behavior data you will be able to realize success by tailoring interactions to customer abilities and attitudes.

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Engage Your Mobile App Users with Location Based Marketing

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Location-based mobile marketing not only creates opportunities for businesses but benefits your consumers. Mobile is part of our lives today and with the effectiveness of location-based marketing programs it is important that businesses leverage the tools available at their disposal.

Location based marketing brings context into the marketing equation and is the perfect tool to leverage time and place. With a little planning prior to your mobile application development and the proper communication with your iPhone app developer or Android app developer and you business will be able to communicate personalized communications with your customers at just the right time and in just the right place. Using geo-targeting, geo-fencing and beacons you will be able to enhance your customers’ experiences and improve your revenues.

Geo-targeting, geo-fencing and beacons can enhance customers’ experiences

Geo-targeting, geo-fencing and beacons can enhance customers’ experiences | Photo: CAFNR (Flikr)

According to Cisco, 61% of mobile application users have an improved opinion of a brand when it offers a good mobile experience. They also found the impact was highest when utilized location-based programs.

If you are not familiar with the difference between geo-fencing and geo-targeting or don’t know what a beacon is here is a quick overview.

Leveraging customer records that customers are generally willing to opt-in to in order to improve mobile experiences, businesses are able to dramatically improve relationships with their customers. This data allows businesses the ability to deliver a personalized message based on a user interests. Geo-targeting involves delivering specific content based on the location of a user. This location is easily determined based on the location of their smart phone. Imagine you run a chain of sporting good stores and want to increase the effectiveness of your marketing. Geo-targeting allows you to deliver content that will likely be of interest to users depending on their location, for instance you might want to showcase sales on surfboards in California locations while sending out push notifications to Arizona users highlighting hiking boots and mountain bikes.

These marketing efforts can be augmented with a geo-fencing program that allows notifications to be sent whenever users are withing 5 miles of one of your locations or perhaps withing 5 miles of your competitor. Studies have shown ads to be delivered within 5 miles of a retail location to be highly effective due to the contextual relevance.

Once customers are in your retail location beacons are tremendously effective for delivering content while with the store. Beacon technology allows you to be notified who a customer is when they walk through the door. While this customer walks through your store notifications can be delivered based on their location within the store and data regarding their interests, making for a truly effective engagement program. Customers will appreciate that you can anticipate their needs and deliver the content they are looking for without even asking for it.

This all leads to a scenario where a customer researches a product via your app one day and then receives a notifications from your business when they are driving by your location attracting them in. Once that customer enters your store your store manager can great them by name and your mobile app could remind them of the product they were looking at a couple days ago.

Remember that customers will not be engaged if you messaging is not relevant and that location is an important factor in relevance. The better you can engage your customers with relevent data the more likely they will be to use your application on a regular basis.

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Mobile Video Viewing Explodes

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Just as mobile has become integrated into our lives, so has mobile video.

Based on research from Ooyala, mobile video watching has grown an incredible 367% over the past two years.  In fact, Ooyala predicts that by the end of 2015 over half of all online viewing of video content will take place from mobile devices.

Many businesses starting mobile app development projects are currently integrating video into their applications or are updating older apps by having their iPhone application developers or Android application developers adding video to current offerings.

Mobile video should be used to tell a story.

Mobile video should be used to tell a story | Photo: Slanted Publishers (Flikr)

More than just adding mobile video into your app offerings, you need to have a strategy for how it integrates into your marketing program and your brand. It is important to remember that mobile video should be used to tell a story. Ask yourself if you can separate the story  your company is trying to tell into several smaller parts – each snippet of video can build the relationship between your brand and consumers if properly done, supporting your overall marketing program.

Remember that in a recent study from the IAB, 48% of respondents stated they mostly accessed video content via mobile applications rather than visiting mobile websites (only 18% stated that they watch a video via mobile browsers). Mobile apps are leading the way when it comes to video consumption. Understanding user consumption patterns lets you focus your efforts where they will do the most good.

Getting your video program going might not take as much effort as you image either.

You may not know it but your business might already have some great mobile video content for you to use. If you have worked in advertising you know that for every one hour of video you shoot, typically only about a minute will be used. The remaining video offers some great opportunities for your business to capitalize on the extra footage for your app or to use on social media. During filming make sure you note opportunities to use your extra footage. Things like quick behind-the-scenes clips make for great opportunities as well that do not require any additional set-up.

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