Push Notifications Are an Essential Marketing Tool for SMBs

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As more people engage, consume and make purchasing decisions using their mobile devices, the popularity of push notifications by business mobile app owners continues to grow. Not only will more companies build mobile apps and employ this technology moving forward, but they will also continue to explore the marketing potential it brings. For marketers, push notifications represent an ideal way to stay in touch with prospects and customers.

Push notifications are the fastest way to stay in contact with a connected customer and are a quick way to let people know about updates and new features.

Cross-Channel Promotions Are a Necessity

Small businesses need to use as many cross-channel promotional strategies as they can. There’s no reason to focus on just one channel because that’s not how the modern digital landscape works. These days, people spend time on their favorite sites and apps and respond differently to communications. Because of this need for diversity, the role of digital marketers keeps changing. It’s crucial to create specific content and messaging not just for specific platforms like social media, email and websites, but also for mobile apps.

Push notifications have proven efficient and should make up a significant part of any SMB digital marketing strategy. In addition to using social media channels and email marketing initiatives to highlight a new product offering; coupon; event or special, consider also using a push notification to make the announcement.

Following up with Customers Brings New Business Through the Door…or Site

Push notifications are a great way to augment your current follow-up process. Most companies already use newsletters and email autoresponders to stay in touch with customers. It’s worth going one step further, by implementing push notifications when possible. Not surprisingly, people tend to pay more attention to a push notification. They have been getting them for a while, so they are used to receiving them and know them to be important or to contain information of interest. Because users routinely ignore emails, marketers have been transitioning to push notifications instead or in addition to their email campaigns.

There are a few rules worth considering before you begin sending these out like a maniac! Remember they’re most effective when something unique and important is going on. For example, a coupon or special will get most people to look. Any vague or unrelated messages will eventually make them want to turn your business’ mobile app notifications off. That’s why picking your spots makes sense. If you don’t overdo it and get your timing right, you’ll have a very high click-through and conversion rate. The job is not to annoy people, but to give them something of interest instead. Make sure any messages you send are brief and to the point.

Add Some Extra Pizzazz with Rich Text Push Notifications

Rich text push notifications contain more than just text in their messages. They may contain web links to click for more information, a link to a specific area of the mobile app and even maps a user can click on for a location or directions that are specific to the push message notification.

Like with standard push notifications, you always want to be as focused as possible in your messages. Since push notifications tend to be short in general, make your meaning simple. People are busy, so don’t waste their precious time.

Push notifications are going to remain popular because of convenience. Any company that supplies an app will want to notify users about updates pertaining to their company and also to the app itself. In the case of bug fixes or feature upgrades, the fastest way to get users to update their app or try a new feature is with a push notification. Offer users the chance to install the new app and a significant percentage will do it quickly. Tell customers to allow notifications for the very purpose of receiving updates and if your mobile app allows for it, sign-up for the list that meets their specific interests.

Remind Inactive Users You’re Still Around!

Sometimes people forget they installed your mobile app or haven’t used it in awhile. In cases like this, a notification is in order. You can use the old “I missed you” ruse to try and drum up interest. Or, you may consider telling them about a new feature you added since they installed the app. That might be enough motivation to spur them back into action. It’s worth a try at the very least because people often install and forget apps. If someone is inactive, you have little to lose by attempting to spur them into action.

If you don’t have time or the staff to implement a push notification marketing strategy, you can always turn it over to a third party. There are many providers that can step in and fill that gap. If you used a third party to develop your business’ mobile app, your app developer may be able to assist you with a campaign strategy and implementation. Either way, understand this is a dynamic form of marketing and will require testing and tweaking along the way. Once you see patterns emerge, you’ll be in an ideal position to craft campaigns and push notification marketing strategies that work well. Just make sure your notifications are succinct and useful.

Now’s the Time to Begin Your Journey

Adapting your current strategies to mobile platforms will yield a whole new market of potential customers. The app market for small businesses has grown enormously and having the ability to “push” a message to an engaged user base is always going to be beneficial. If your business does not yet have a mobile app, get in touch with Colleen Eakins Design (CED) today, to get started developing one. CED has mobile app development plans that include push notifications (standard and rich messages) to your mobile app users.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing: What Is It and How It Helps Small Businesses

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Digital marketing and inbound marketing are slightly different disciplines that both serve to boost sales. Companies that have an online presence want to reach new markets. Digital marketing helps them do that by stitching together a framework that gets them attention. Inbound marketing attempts to draw new prospects into the customer’s sales funnel. Together, both disciplines are a way to get useful results for any business.

Attracting Clients Through Inbound Marketing Works

The idea of attracting customers is surprising to some people. Many people assume that new customers come in naturally for reputable organizations. However, this is not usually the case. For the most part, companies that attract business through inbound marketing invest heavily in the effort. The process may look seamless from the outside, but the campaigns they orchestrate are accurate. Everything from website design, SEO, and content through email marketing fall into the category of inbound marketing. It’s worth looking at each of these in some detail.

Start with Fantastic Web Design

How your site and app look and function is crucial. People have grown to love fast-loading, easy to understand applications and websites. They won’t put up with anything less. If you plan to embark on a mission to do inbound marketing, don’t neglect the importance of design and functionality. Focus on quality during these initial stages, and your overall task gets easier down the line. Ugly or poorly functioning apps won’t spread your message. A slow website with no clear navigational hierarchy will not improve sales! Marketing starts with a slick presentation and grows from there.

Build in SEO from the Start

Search engine optimization is the discipline and art of creating pages that rank highly in search engines. On-page optimization helps pages rank naturally for keywords that assist the business. Inbound marketing experts are well aware of the benefits of SEO and never neglect this crucial component. When you’re building a new site, it makes sense to think about the ways people will find the site. It’s also worth considering what content you’ll have waiting for them when they arrive. Inbound marketing experts direct the people towards purchases with content, social updates, and email follows-ups.

Inbound Marketing Is a Great Way to Have Constant Qualified Leads

Inbound marketing remains popular with digital marketers because this method of gathering and closing leads is very useful. Inbound marketing as a discipline is changing the way people access online information continues to evolve quickly. Inbound marketing is moving towards catering to mobile devices more now than ever before. Mobile devices are stronger than they used to be, so content created for mobile devices should probably appeal to the particular technology each device uses. One idea is that interactive touch screen content is likely to be an excellent idea in coming months. The level of personalization you offer helps differentiate your company in a crowded marketplace.

Congruence Matters for Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is challenging because people online are now using many different services to access content. Tailoring content for each particular service makes complete logical sense but gets expensive in a hurry. A solid strategy to combat high prices is to analyze which services are most applicable to an individual business and then bulk up the content that’s precisely likely to improve sales. Why spend money on creating content that won’t earn a return?

This trend towards more accurate content is already underway and will likely accelerate in coming years. The mobile revolution is not slowing down. One thing that always remains consistent regardless of what technology you’re using is to create a corresponding message for your inbound marketing. People expect clear and coherent branding and messaging from companies.

Deliver Timely Updates to Strengthen Your Message

Content marketing is an essential part of a successful inbound marketing strategy. A good tactic involves having a few major, anchor pieces of content receive traffic from paid ads and live updates. A lead magnet of some type should be in use, which helps people seamlessly join the sales funnel. Congruent follow-ups serve to answer many of the prospects general questions. They also contribute to warm the person up to the product or service. Define an editorial calendar if you want to establish a logical flow of content.

Automated marketing efforts are being used by successful businesses to bolster inbound marketing results. A digital marketing strategist can put all the many pieces in place to ensure that your online presence is a well-oiled inbound marketing lead generation machine. Any time your organization can utilize automation, it’s worth doing it. The costs are less expensive, and the results are consistent. Inbound marketing and automation go together like peanut butter and jelly!

Inbound Marketing Continues to Rise in Prominence

Inbound marketing is likely to gain even more importance in coming years as the ROI has been increasing as technology improves. More people than ever use social media channels to help inform them about purchasing decisions. Savvy companies are helping their potential clients to make the decision to buy from them. Give them as much information and motivation to purchase as possible, and make it easy for them to ask any questions they have.

Once a sale happens, inbound marketers continue to contact clients. Creating a robust mechanism to assist your business with inbound marketing will make a significant impact on the type of numbers you do online. Make it a point to hone your strategy until it’s powerful enough to generate leads and sales. Since you collect data through lead generation, you never have a problem following up with people. Whether it’s a month or year later, you can introduce new products to people who already went through your sales funnel. With the proper configuration, you can make more money year over year for as long as you want! A significant promise of inbound marketing is to add consistency and long-term stability to your revenue generation efforts.

Digital Marketing Trends

Projected Digital Marketing Trends For 2017

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A new year is here, and that means it’s time to speculate about what digital marketing trends will emerge! There’s no question there will be some new trends to follow, but much of what will happen in 2017 has already been happening!

Classic strategies don’t change much from one year to the next, but strategies and tactics indeed evolve. By the year 2017, everyone is aware of the fundamental nature of mobile marketing. Web developers have been noticing a shift to mobile device access for years. Now, it appears as if Desktop users are nearing extinction! That means Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) and other technologies will proliferate rapidly.

AMP Is Worth Implementing

Google and Bing are always looking for ways to increase speed for their users. One way they can do that is by showing AMP pages in their search. These web pages display fast in mobile devices by stripping many additional HTML elements. Users want answers fast and search companies are delivering quick results. Anytime you can stay abreast of technological advances; it pays to do so! AMP and HTTP2 are two enhancements for your website technology and a digital marketing trend to consider.

Virtual Reality Is Going to Grow

One digital marketing trend we saw emerge toward the latter part of 2016, was virtual reality. Depending on your vertical, virtual reality may play a large role in your digital marketing efforts. It’s not hard to imagine the numerous potential applications for just about every sector. Millions of people are purchasing VR technology, and they’ll want to use the pricey equipment to its fullest advantage. If your organization can come up with a slick way to deliver content or a user experience to this emerging technology, you’ll see a sudden boost in sales.

Big Data Keeps on Growing

There’s an interesting thing about data. The more of it anyone amasses, the more useful it becomes. Companies are relying heavily on mining Big Data as much as possible to guide their marketing. Being able to predict results accurately means you can spend marketing dollars much more wisely. Big Data has been contributing a lot to the top end for large organizations. Next up we’ll see small and mid-sized enterprises catch up. Amazon Web Services have some Big Data options that marketers will build applications for to help the ecosystem grow.

Multi-Channel Marketing Continues to Dominate

Companies have to craft specific messages for the various crucial social networks. If they don’t, they’ll find the effectiveness of their overall campaign diminishes. Having to do this requires more work and money, but the results make it a mainstay. It’s not enough to manage a Facebook Page. You should also represent your company on Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have a business where creating visuals is easy, consider the benefits of Pinterest and Instagram. There’s no one size fits all strategy that will work for any small business’ marketing plan, but it is a digital marketing trend that is still a staple.

Social Analytics Become Essential

Analytics help marketers correctly interpret social media information. Analytics may not mean much when you first start, but when you’re running multiple campaigns with high budgets, they are unavoidable. It helps to see what content matters most and who your most influential followers are at all times. Social analytics dashboards range in features, but all of them give you profound insights into how you interact with customers and prospects. For those who are waging campaigns across multiple channels, this type of knowledge is hugely important.

Video Never Slows Down

By now you’re probably investing heavily in video content. That digital marketing trend will continue in 2017 and beyond. People love the format of video. If you introduce a video marketing campaign to your inbound marketing efforts this year, expect a boost in your activity. Attracting viewers on Facebook and YouTube is easy. Facebook has been granting precedence to video content for months, and that will go on for quite some time. Now’s an excellent time to dive in with both of your feet and start pushing engaging video content. There are still many of your competitors who haven’t been producing videos. Beat them to market and win new fans and customers.

Distributing Your App Helps Growth

2017 may be the year to advertise your app to a broad market. The app ecosystem is so large that it’s still possible to find low-cost advertising that works. It’s worth experimenting by targeting those who are already using related applications. You may be able to poach the exact type of customer you want at an affordable cost. Have your digital marketing agency come up with a strategy that takes the vibrant world of App Discovery into consideration. Investing in an app once is never enough. It matters that you continue to improve your offering and that you advertise it far and wide. Rewards for companies that stay consistent with their marketing are high.

The classics won’t change this year. In marketing, that means to have a strong brand and a coherent message. If people can quickly identify what your company sells, you’re on the right path. It might be worth discarding older marketing material and coming up with fresh new ideas. If you aren’t into doing it yourself, many professionals can assist. People who work with digital marketing every day develop a strong sense of what works. Once you plug your existing efforts into a digital framework, you have a chance to really take off!

No matter what digital marketing trend you decide on, make sure you follow up with your clients! Whether you use email alone or call or text them doesn’t matter. You’ll find those who have dealt with you in the past can be excellent sources of revenue. Sometimes all it takes is a simple reminder that you’re out there and can help them. That triggers a process that ends with them seeking you out for more services! Adding more people to the top of your sales funnel and selling more to those who are already customers will help you get excellent returns.

Determine Your Mobile App Needs Through Research and Discovery

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More and more businesses are deciding on creating custom apps. The idea is a sound one due to all the benefits app owners receive. However, despite this desire to appeal to mobile users, many small business operators don’t understand the process involved with bringing an app from its initial design to distribution. What matters most is, that any app you develop meets your business objectives. It’s not enough to try to produce a trending app if it doesn’t deliver new customers or revenue. That’s why professional developers have come up with a system to refine the goals behind the application.

Market Research and Discovery Top the List

The initial stage of mobile app development is arguably the most crucial. Market research helps companies define a particular strategy that defines what characteristics define the app’s users. Any app you develop must fit neatly into your current mobile marketing strategy. It’s one piece of a larger puzzle that provides a cohesive user experience.

Brainstorming is a fantastic first step. Gather together your team members and have a session where people come up with useful ideas about your mobile purpose. You may not be able to incorporate every idea into your design, but the best ones will give you a starting point. Your developer is going to have a lot of information for you about your market. Give them as much insight as you can into how your customers act and they’ll help define a strategy. You need to know how your app is going to appeal to potential prospects. There must be something that draws them in and keeps them around.

Successfully solving your customer’s problems is the quick way to find users. People install the applications they think will make their lives easier. Always operate within a framework of problem-solving when you’re researching your idea. It helps that you start the project with a specific budget in mind. Budgetary constraints limit the scope of the application but are useful for establishing objectives. Armed with your goals and a budget, your developer will have little trouble coming up with an app you’ll be proud to offer!

Knowing how the app stores work helps you understand how to reach your market. You’ll have to do app marketing. Otherwise, you can’t expect to see too many installs. You’ll want your current customers to use your app, so making them aware it exists is your first plan. However, you’re also going to want to draw in potential clients who may want to try it. It doesn’t matter what your specific objective is, but it does matter how you plan on reaching users. App stores are crowded marketplaces, so the common elements of effective marketing need to be in place.

Define All the Objectives of the App

It’s clear that the app you develop must do something for users. It also must accomplish goals for your organization. With a bit of planning, that’s not going to be an issue. Are you looking to sign up brand new customers? Do you plan on charging a premium for the app? It’s crucial to discuss fundamental matters such as these before you start coding. The decision you make will define who your most likely users are and how you’ll distribute your app.

Integrating your brand message into all elements of your mobile marketing strategy is a proven way to grow your following. Most large organizations push apps aggressively through their primary marketing channels. They also reinforce their core message with their app. That’s not a bad plan for small businesses to follow.

Use Storyboards and Wireframes

This stage is where the rubber meets the road for app development. Storyboards and wireframes allow you to construct the delicate framework of your mobile applications. You get a chance to flesh out the details of your project and to assure once again that the app meets objectives. This point in your process is the right time to incorporate branding elements. Mobile apps are a powerful tool for branding and establishing communications.

During this part of the process, you’ll look at various APIs to integrate. Many applications get their power through third party APIs. Many features that you want to implement in your app can be made more robust via third parties. Data integrations and infrastructure are also going to concern your developer at this point. You have to have the right framework in place so that your app works and is scalable.

It’s important to take mobile users seriously. They now represent a vast majority of your potential market. Cohesive integrations between your current website, social, and mobile assets will help you unlock greater value across your customer chain. It pays to strategize on what your app does really. Solving recurring and persistent problems is the best way to get people to use and continue to use apps. Often, the idea of solving problems is easier said than done. Minor nuisances are not enough to build on. Instead, you’re looking for the kinds of problems that keep people awake at night! Once you tackle one of those, you’ll find that growing your app user base is easy enough.

Don’t be afraid to rely on your developer’s expertise. They have done the same type of work for other clients, so they have the experience to guide you. Once you’re able to explain as clearly as possible your vision, leave it up to them to bring it to reality. It’s not enough to get people to install your app one time. You’ll also have to come up with ways to get them to engage with the app over time. The whole process can be a daunting challenge, but with enough effort, the payoff is well worth it. Apps are growing at a rate that is truly inspirational. Your business will benefit significantly from having a quality app that works well. Rest assured, mobile marketing is going to remain a key to business success for the foreseeable future. Move ahead of the competition with an excellent app.

Thinking about developing a mobile app for your small business? Give us a shout!

Thinking about developing a mobile app for your small business? Not sure where to start?

Give Us a Shout!

 

Mobile Website vs Mobile App

What Is The Difference Between A Mobile Website and a Mobile App?

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With technology changing at the speed of light, it can be challenging for business owners who don’t consider themselves to be ‘technically savvy’ to stay abreast of the shifts in digital technology. Specifically, when it pertains to mobile.

While many business owners recognize the need to have a web presence that’s compatible with mobile traffic, there can be some confusion about the differences between a mobile-friendly website and a mobile application.

In many cases, a mobile web app and a native app sound like one in the same, especially at first glance. What discerns these two very similar sounding products are the features that they possess.

To decide whether a mobile app or a mobile-friendly website are right for your objectives, here are some important factors to consider:

Everyone is on Mobile!

A recent report by Pew Research Center discovered 72% of adults polled own a Smartphone and use their device to access the Internet. While there are still people who use desktop or laptop computers to go online, these numbers have declined over the past decade.

A mobile-friendly website, also known as a “responsive website,” basically is designed to format on display screens of all sizes. This is regardless of whether it’s a wide-screen smart-television, a laptop computer, a tablet, or the latest smartphone introduced on the market. In many cases, mobile-friendly websites use features such as click-to-call, mapping, and geo-location to help improve the user experience when people visit the site. People must type in your URL (Universal Resource Locator) or domain name to access your site.

Mobile apps are different in the fact that they have to get downloaded on your mobile device from an app store such as Google Play or the Apple App Store. When downloaded, the mobile app is effectively installed on your device and allows you to access the mobile app at the touch of a button. In some cases, users can operate the mobile app even if they don’t have an active internet connection if that feature gets developed in the DNA of the mobile app design. Other apps may require an active internet connection to use them.

What Functionality is Most Important for Your Customers’ Mobile Experience?

Regardless of what your overall business model is, it’s always a smart idea to offer your website visitors or mobile app users the features that are mutually beneficial. By serving the needs of your clients, you are going the extra steps to assure that they come back to your site or use your mobile app again and again.

For instance, if you own a restaurant, both a mobile-friendly website and a multifunctional app that offers customers the ability to browse your menu, get directions to your establishment, check for special offers, make reservations, or order and pay online can significantly increase your revenue. It’s not hard to earn back a return and profit on the original investment because it helps generate more revenue for your company.

If, however, you don’t have a physical product and want to offer something more recreational like a mobile game, a mobile app works perfectly. Most mobile users prefer to use installed apps to do their favorite activities including streaming content, playing games, and shopping.

Build Customer Loyalty and Brand Awareness

Mobile apps and mobile-friendly websites are an essential component of building brand awareness and customer loyalty. In many cases, if a potential client just wants to learn more about your company and your product offerings, a mobile-friendly website is a suitable way to introduce them to your brand.

Providing these visitors with your phone number, your product or service offerings, and directions are often enough to answer their questions. These visitors may not be willing to download an app to their smartphones or tablets just to gather this basic information.

However, if you’ve developed a devoted base of customers and you’re able to give additional incentives to them, a mobile app offers a means to extend these deals through the power of your mobile application.

Special offers only made available to app users help encourage more of your customers to install the app and take advantage of your deals when they’re available. Further, functionality such as digital punch cards are perfect for boosting repeat visits to your establishment and increasing per ticket revenue at a modest marketing cost.

A Mobile Investment in Your Company

No matter whether you decide to implement a mobile-friendly website, launch a mobile app, or do both, an investment in mobile compatibility is almost always going to be worth the initial expense. Many business owners are budget conscious and want to get the most return for their stake in growing their company.

If you’re just making the first changes needed to become mobile compatible, and you don’t need a lot of bells and whistles, a mobile friendly website is a good place to start. The development time and cost is reasonable enough for most, and it provides the functionality that’s needed to display pertinent information to customers and potential customers.

When you want to reach broader markets on a larger scale, mobile apps make accessibility a lot easier. Instead of having to enter a URL into a search bar, all the user has to do is pull up the app on their device – no extra steps are required. A mobile app shortens the click path to your business, eliminating the need for your customers to use a search engine or remember your website address to find you online. As you can imagine, the shorter the path to your business front, the better!

Which Do You Need?

Are you unsure of how you need to approach your mobile audience? If so, Colleen and the team at Colleen Eakins Design can offer solutions to help you meet the needs of your mobile patrons. Head on over to the [ contact ] page to get the discussion started today!