Joe Chernov is the VP of marketing for Kinvey, a mobile back-end as a service startup in Cambridge, Mass. Joe joined Kinvey from Eloqua, where he served as VP of content marketing. The Content Marketing Institute named him "Content Marketer of the Year" in 2012.
For brand marketers, the mobile app is becoming the new website. Just as websites evolved from being digital marketing collateral to interactive storefronts, the second generation of mobile apps is maturing into virtual a cash machine for brands. Maybe that's why marketers are increasing their mobile budgets by 70% this year.
Mobile app measurement firm Flurry has found that consumers spend significantly more time interacting with mobile apps than browsing the web, and the company predicts app engagement may soon overtake television viewing. With apps cutting into time previously spent on marketing's most vital channels — web and television — it's little surprise brands are racing to build branded apps.
Despite what would appear to be a winning combination of budget and revenues, however, many brand apps fail to gain traction. Certainly the sheer number of apps crowding the App Store and Google Play make it difficult for any app to get noticed, but insiders argue the larger issue is the quality of brand apps. "Most (brand apps) fail because they try to do too much," says Chris Silva, a mobile technology analyst with Altimeter Group.
If less is truly more when it comes to mobile apps, what are the essential features that should top every marketer's must-have list? Experts point to these four:
1. Smart Push
Push notifications, or alerts delivered through the app, should do more than signal when it's time to download an update. Today's "smart" push can connect people to brands by anticipating and meeting each user's needs. Effective uses of push take into account the user's behavior and location to supply messaging based on the individual's particular circumstance. Walgreens' mobile app, for example, lets users scan a prescription with their phone's camera to receive an alert when the order ready for pickup and when it's time to order a refill. The app's fill-and-remind notifications are consistent with the company's goal to "help people get well and stay well," according to company spokesperson Mai Lee Ua.
But a word of caution: overusing push notifications can backfire, so try to deliver value in every alert.
2. Local Context
For many brands, especially retailers, what matters most is location. The ability to provide customers with recommendations and offers based on their whereabouts is a killer feature for many marketers. Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a network of premium independent inns, published an app that suggests to travelers nearby points of interest based on their phone's GPS coordinates, accelerometer and compass. Grassroots marketing meets mobile tech in Michaels Stores' app, which lets crafters search and select upcoming events held at their local store.
3. Social Integration
Nearly every brand app includes social sharing capabilities. Most integrate with Facebook and Twitter, while others, like cosmetics giant Sephora, facilitate Pinterest "pinning." But for most apps, successful social sharing relies more on what is being shared than on where it's being shared. Users are unlikely to post your product for the sake of posting. They need to deliver or derive value from the act.
The social sharing component of REI's Snow Report app centers on user value. By allowing users to publish their on-mountain whereabouts to public social networks and local message boards, the app helps skiers and riders organize impromptu meet-ups on the slopes.
4. A Simple Commerce Engine
Every marketer knows that an increase in budget is met with a greater lift in expectations. Yet before marketers can generate revenue from their newly funded mobile apps, they must first capture their users' credit card information and then provide a frictionless path to purchase. Brands from Starbucks to Hungry Howies Pizza have mastered the science of mobile payments for simple transactions, but what about more considered purchases?
Enter Converse. The company's Sampler app adheres to its promise of "keeping it simple" — users select a sneaker within the app, position it over their foot using the device's camera, snap a photo to try it on virtually, then, if they like how it looks, order it right through the app. One thing, done well.
Although these four features may be the essential ingredients for an effective app, quality alone isn't always enough to ensure the project's success. The most popular apps also receive a heavy marketing push. The good news for brands is that the team responsible for developing the app is also the group for ensuring it gets promoted.
Photo via iStockphoto, pixelembargo.
Source: http://mashable.com/2013/01/18/four-must-have-features-mobile-app/
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