When you think of an app for a business, you may well think of the big brands first. After all, these are the apps that people are going to be searching for; they’re the apps that people need to help them make regular purchases, or keep them in the loop about news and information regarding these big businesses.
Yet it’s not just the big companies that can benefit from a business app. Smaller businesses can too, and that could include yours. More and more small to medium-sized businesses are beginning to understand that an app can help them in a number of different ways, and whether you sell coffee or give facials, a good app can take your business to the next level (and then some).
If you’re still not sure whether you need to hire an expert to help you with your iOS app development, read on; here are some of the biggest benefits a mobile app for your business can bring.
Be Visible at All Times
The figures suggest that the average American adult spends over two hours every day using their mobile device, and that means they are coming face to face with the apps they have downloaded on a regular basis. Taking the time to unlock their phone or tablet, scroll through the apps they have until they find the one they want, and then clicking on it means that, even if yours is not the app they tap on, they’ll be seeing yours regularly. If they do need your help, your app will be right there ready for them.
Remember that the human mind is an utterly amazing thing, and even if we don’t actively see it, our mind remembers everything. If your app was there, it was seen, and subconsciously your business name was remembered. You are effectively making yourself visible at all times when you have an app, even if it’s not used every time it’s seen.
Create A Direct Marketing Channel
Apps are there to do all kinds of things. They can give people information about your business, they can be a price-checking tool, they can allow customers access to a booking form. They might offer customers access to a members’ only area, or special offers and discounts.
No matter what the ultimate function of your business’s app might be, overall it becomes the best direct marketing channel you could ask for. With all the information your customers could possibly need right there at their fingertips, and especially when you incorporate push notifications to remind them that you are there and that you are running specific promotions, your customers are much more likely to buy from you than bother searching around for someone else. You’re already on their phone or tablet; it couldn’t be any easier for them. Just jog their memory once in a while and you’ll make sales each time you do.
Provide Value
Your app needs to provide some kind of value to your customers. If it can do this, it is much more likely that people will not only download it, but they will use it too. You’ll get a lot more downloads of your app and many more customers if you make sure that it holds some value.
One way to do this is to create a loyalty scheme that works through the app. This is a more up to date version of the loyalty card that can easily be lost or damaged, and it gives people a good reason to download your app.
Build Brand Recognition
Having a brand and having good brand recognition are two separate things, but they don’t have to do – if you have an app, more people will be aware of your brand and your brand recognition will increase.
The app works as a mobile billboard, showcasing your business on someone’s mobile device many different times every day. The beauty of an app is that it can be whatever you want it to be, and with an expert developer on hand to help you, it can be changed when you need it to as well so that, despite your brand staying the same, the content can be updated to work for any situation or time of year, for example.
Plus, the more often your customers interact with your app, the more they will recognize your brand and the service or products you sell. The more someone sees your brand, the more they will think of you when it comes to buying, and you will find another sale comes to you.
Improve Customer Engagement
Customers need to be able to contact you. This is a fact. Whether they simply want to buy from you, or they have a question and need more information before they can make a final purchasing decision, if they can’t reach you, they may well give up and buy from somewhere else.
With an app, your customers will be able to have great engagement with you. They can find out plenty of information through the app itself, meaning they don’t actually need to spend any time contacting you at all, for example. Or, if they do need to get in touch, they can find out how to on your app – the app itself might lend itself to this need with a messaging feature included.
Even if a customer has a complaint, if they can get in contact with you and have that complaint acknowledged and hopefully resolved, you might not lose them as a customer completely. If they can’t voice their complaint or it is ignored, you will lose them (and anyone they might have recommended you too).
Stand Out from the Competition
Even if nothing else on this list has convinced you to have an app developed for your business, the fact that it could well be what makes you stand apart from your competition, and may even mean that your business grows much faster than any other, might persuade you.
Although more small businesses are beginning to understand that having an app is crucial, it could be that your competition has yet to figure this out. If you have an app, you’ll be noticed more than them. Or, if they do have an app and you don’t, you’ll miss out on sales. Either way, an app is going to help you thrive.
