CrazyLeaf Editorial Mobile phone use now accounts for 52% of all Internet traffic. It’s expected that number will only increase.
With 4.1 billion people accessing the web all over the world, that means more than 2.1 billion use their phones to do it. Using some quick math, if there are 7.6 billion people on the planet, 28% of them are using their phones to go online.
We’re not giving you these stats so you can flex your brain muscles at the office. We’re showing you just how important having a mobile app for your business actually is.
Need more reasons? We’ve got them! Check out the 10 biggest reasons having a mobile app for your brand is a must in 2019.
Benefits of Having a Mobile App for Your Business
You may be thinking that you own a very small business — maybe you’re even a solopreneur — and you don’t see the value in having your own mobile app.
That’s understandable.
When you first started looking around at SEO companies, you probably didn’t see the value there either. Now that you know the importance of hiring a SEO service provider, you couldn’t live without one.
Having a mobile app for your business will definitely prove itself when it comes to your bottom line. How? Take a look below.
1. Have More Visibility
Five years ago, people spent more than two hours a day browsing the Internet on their phones. How much do you think that number’s increased by?
The point is that a lot of people are on their phones for a good chunk of time each day. Will they spend all of this time on your app? It’d be nice to think so, but no — they’re on social media or Googling random questions.
If they downloaded your app, that’s one more set of eyes on your logo design. Even if they’re scrolling through to get to Instagram.
2. You’ve Created a Direct Digital Marketing Channel
We may complain about push notifications, but they work. Case in point? Black Friday.
Retailers across the country sent push notifications throughout the day about their biggest deals. And, even know they may annoy us to no end, we got excited when a good one came through.
Having your own mobile app means you can send push notifications to your audience. It doesn’t have to be sales-related either. Many companies send notifications when they’ve shipped your package or when they know it’s arrived.
3. Builds Brand Recognition
Brand awareness is one of the hottest buzzwords in the last couple of years. Everyone wants their brand to be in the spotlight. Having an app does that.
Smaller companies may even benefit from a mobile app more than a large corporation. With a large company, people already know who they are — app or not.
Being a smaller company means brand awareness and recognition are instrumental in your success.
4. Improves Customer Engagement
It doesn’t matter what your business is, you need your customers to be able to get a hold of you. Yes, they can navigate your site until they find your “Contact Us” page. Or they can click open the app and drop you a line.
If you have a live chat, this is even better. Your customer can easily contact your company without having to jump through hoops.
It makes them more engaged and…
5. Improves User Experience
When your audience is able to browse your site, shop, track a package, contact customer service, etc. from their phones, it makes you mobile-friendly.
Having a mobile app increases UX, which we all know is one of Google’s favorite metrics. The better the UX, the higher your ranking.
6. Creates Customer Loyalty
Creating customer loyalty today isn’t easy. Everyone has competition waiting to pounce on their audience. Most companies are always thinking up ways of getting their customers to stay loyal.
If you have a mobile app, they’re telling you they’re loyal. They want to have you one click away.
Make sure you follow steps 4 and 5 to keep your app on their homepage and not in their deleted folder.
7. Your Competition Has an App
If you’re doing business online — in any form — you’re in a congested marketplace. You have to stand out from the crowd.
At the very least, you have to be on par with your competition. If they have an app, so should you.
How detailed you want it to be is up to you. Hiring a mobile app developer is a good place to start. They’re experts in the field which means they can answer your questions and provide excellent service.
You can trust that they’ll make sure you stay one step ahead of your competitors.
The Exceptions for Having Your Own App
Now, while having a mobile app has countless benefits, there are a few instances when it won’t work for you. If you fit into any of these three categories, you may want to hold off on hiring an app designer.
1. You Can’t Make Updates Quickly
If you own an iPhone, you’re aware of how many iOS updates come through. It seems like every other day, Apple releases a new update.
They have teams that work around the clock to fix bugs and improve UX. That’s why they release as many updates as they do — because they can.
Chances are, you’re not in the same position as Apple. You’ll likely have to outsource to a developer or freelancer.
They may not be willing to drop everything to work on your update. Unless, of course, you’re paying them top dollar.
In most cases, you’re at their mercy. Especially if you don’t give them ample time.
Now, you may opt for an app builder. If you go this route, you may be able to figure out how to do a lot of these upgrades using their template.
2. You Can’t Maintain It
This piggybacks off No. 1. There are four main components of maintaining an app:
- Finding new technology
- Integrating it with existing systems
- Maintaining app content
- Scaling initiatives
If you can do all this in-house, great. But, if you have to outsource, you may not have the funds available for this level of maintenance costs.
3. You’re Getting an App Only Because Your Competition Has One
We mentioned earlier that your competition having an app is one reason to design your own. This remains true. The caveat is using that as your only motivation.
In other words, it’s a waste of money and resources if you don’t have any plans for staying on top of it. Or, for upgrading it all together.
You should always be thinking of ways of updating and improving your app. If you don’t care and don’t plan on attempting to keep it up to date, it’s likely not worth the financial investment.
Ready to Design an App?
Having a mobile app for your business is becoming more and more of a necessity. You’re going to need to shop around for a designer or try doing it on your own with an app builder.
Either one you go with will increase your brand awareness, visibility, and improve UX.
Speaking of UX… check out our post on the rise of voice UX and how it affects web design moving forward.
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