A quick guide to attracting more business with mobile apps potx

Introduction Chapter 1: Better Than The Blue Eyed Boy Mobile apps are becoming more powerful than social media as a marketing and engagement tool.. This book is an attempt to help small

About The Author

Vishal Gumber is the founder and CEO of Appsquare, an app development

company that creates innovative apps, provides part funding for the brightest app ideas and helps app developers secure funding from its network of Angel investors and VCs

7+ years of experience in the mobile apps space, a keen sense of business logic and

a knack for coming up with out of the box ideas have made Vishal the visionary leader he is!

His brain child Appsquare has more the 400 top-selling apps to its credit! Under Vishal’s vision with the hardwork of a dedicated team of developers, designers and visionaries, the company is busy developing many more

A Quick Guide To Attracting More Business with Mobile Apps

Vishal Gumber

Copyright © 2013 By Vishal Gumber, Appsquare Australia

Published At Smashwords

No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

This book is published for general reference and is not intended to be a substitute for independent verification by readers Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors, omissions, whether such errors

or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

The purpose of the recommendation lists, reviews and any other opinions expressed in the Ebook are to help the readers make an informed decision The opinions are the authors own and based on her personal experience Although the author has made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in the Ebook, it assumes no responsibility for errors or

omissions The readers are free to exercise their discretion while using the information/opinions/suggestions shared in this Ebook Also, the reader should use this information as it sees fit, and at its own risk Reader's particular situation may not be exactly suited

to the examples illustrated here The author will not compensate the reader in any way whatsoever if the reader ever happen to suffer a loss/inconvenience/damage because of/while making use of information from this Ebook.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Better Than The Blue Eyed Boy

Mobile apps are becoming more powerful than social media as a marketing and engagement tool Find out How!

Chapter 2:

Have A Business, Build An App

Learn how and why your local business needs an interactive and engaging mobile app!

Chapter 3:

Apptract Customers

Apps can help you attract customers magnetically, learn how here!

Chapter 4:

Look How Restaurants Went Appy

Take a leaf out of app marketing lessons from the restaurant industry They have been serving up their apps quite well!

Chapter 5:

Gazing at The Crystal Ball

Find out what the current statistics say about the Future of mobile apps!

Apps are changing the way business is done the world over! With local businesss going appy to target the growing market of smart phone owners, apps are now being seen as effective marketing tools

That’s not all, they can also double up as money spinners for small business

owners! Look around and you’ll find several inspiring stories of how apps have changed the fortunes of entrepreneurs

This book is an attempt to help small business owners understand the importance

of mobile apps and how they can use the same to not only attract more customers but also earn additional revenue on the side

If after reading this E-book, you decide to give wings to your own appy dreams,

get in touch with us at Appsquare.com.au

If you don’t have the funds to develop an app, don’t worry, we can:

1) Provide part funding for you App

2) Help you get funding from out network of Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors!

This if of couse, if you have a winning, out of the box and mind blowing app idea!

We have developed top selling apps for more the 400+ clients, would you like to

be next? If yes contact us today !

Chapter 1: Better Than The Blue Eyed Boy!

There’s a new wave in town, and looks like this one’s here to stay If it was social media a few years ago, this time the trend is to go mobile The shifting of focus onto mobile marketing stems from a very simple ideology – users may not always remain online through their PC’s, but their mobiles are always with them and are used throughout the day

The New Blue Eyed Boy!

impact:

Mobile marketing had a greater impact on converting customers: An analysis

of data related to customer behavior from Black Friday until Cyber Monday revealed that not only did mobile marketing have a greater impact on customers this year, but also that social media didn’t do much in terms of marketing

More people are shopping through their mobiles: According to IBM Digital

Analytics Benchmark, there was an increase in the number of consumers doing

their shopping through their mobile devices The largest share, 16.3 percent, of sales was made over iPads!

Mobile marketing not only engages, but also converts: In terms of driving

customer engagement, both mediums are just as effective However, IBM data reveals that social media has not been able to drive customers to buy

products/services effectively

Even though a large percentage of customers are active on social networks, during Black Friday, social media was responsible for only 0.34 percent of sales made

Last year, this figure was as high as 35 percent Even on Cyber Monday, only 0.41 percent of online sales were generated due to social media – a drop of over 26 percent since last year

However, overall online sales during this period increased by 30.3 percent This can be attributed to mobile marketing and mcommerce avenues that gave

customers more opportunities to do their shopping

As smartphones and tablets continue to increase in importance to users, it makes sense to reach out to them through this medium as part of the marketing efforts The numbers are rising steadily – the penetration of smartphones and tablets across the world is growing Also, mobile networks are improving and more consumers have access to 3G and even LTE connectivity options for their mobile devices

With faster connectivity, more users now depend on their mobile devices to go online – for accessing their e-mails, social accounts, news, and now, even shopping online

What does it mean for your business? There’s a huge market out there that you can tap into with the power of mobile apps!

Chapter 2: Have a Business, Build An App!

Why Does Your Business Need A Mobile App

1 in 7 Google searches for many items are now Mobile!

1 out of 3 Mobile Searches Are Local!

94% Smartphone users in Australia use their phones to search for Products!

These just some indications of the growing power of Mobile apps; the technology has grown at such a phenomenal pace that at many levels it has begun surpassing even the Internet

Flurry, a mobile applications analysis firm has found out that on an average, users spend 9% more time on browsing mobile apps than they do in the web

One the key reasons for this change in browsing behaviour lies in the fact that more and more users are purchasing smartphones According to IDC, Strategy Analytics and Canalys, half a billion smarphones were shipped Globally in 2011!

What Does This Change In Browsing Behaviour Mean For Your Business?

In three words it means Adapt To Change! As a business owner it has now

Taking Your Business To The Next Level!

What Makes Mobile Apps Such Powerful Tools?

Here are the top reasons:

Take ‘Em Anywhere!

Portability and a high degree of interactivity have made mobile apps phenomenal marketing tools Having said that, in order to stand out in a market flooeded with apps, businesses need to think out of the box to gain maximum marketing points from their apps

Spread The Word

Mobile applications are also a great way to advertise or talk about promotional campaigns and special announcements and send across the message to your target customers

For instance, if a business is announcing a clearance sale in one of its stores, then it

is cost effective and simpler to send out the notification of this clearance sale to mobile devices

With the current technology businesses can easily add directions to their store in the message and even offer a social sharing tool, enabling users to share the

information about the sale with their friends This brings us to the next point…

Makes You More Social!

Apps can also make your social media campaign more effective By linking mobile apps to social networking sites, you increase their social sharing potential, thus increasing your chances of getting free word of mouth publicity

With the growing penetration of smart phones, it’s time for every business big or small to grab the opportunity to tap into this market It’s a guaranteed fact that the mobile apps space is going to become more competitive in the near future

So, the question you need to ask yourself is -Are you game?

Sources:

http://mobithinking.com/

http://snaphop.com/2012-mobile-marketing-statistics/

Chapter 3: Apptract Customers!

How local businesses can attract more customers through mobile apps

So, you are thinking an app makes sense? Wait till you are done reading this chapter!

Apps Are A Part Of Life

We all know that the generation of extra-connected, hyper-mobile users has arrived across different age groups and emerging markets The current generation is equipped with unparalleled computing powers such as - smartphones, notebooks, tablets, and other affordable Web-enabled mobile devices

Portable devices such as mobile phones are more personal and satisfying The phone is not just a phone any more, it’s basically your alter character – it’s central and vital to whatever you do.”

Over the last few years mobile applications have changed the entire web experience First thing in the morning you check your mails on your iPad – that’s the first app

During morning tea you glance through Twitter, Facebook and your regional newspaper – additional three apps At work, you have IM and Skype conversations and you go through the RSS feed - some more apps

So, basically you spend all your time on the Internet and not on the Web

Considering the current scenario, mobile internet is expected to surpass Desktop internet by the end of this year

Attract Business With Apps

Small businesses have a lot of advantages of mobile Internet Essentially, they can use mobile apps to attract and retain more customers

Mobile apps have the potential to hold attention and help customers keep businesses, at top of their mind Here’s how they can help you attract more customers:

Attract Customers With The Power Of Apps!

• It’s a Communication device – The fundamental use of a mobile phone is that

it facilitates communication

When your customer is using your app, you can take it to the next level by including functions such as click-to-call/text/email, so that the users can get in touch with you instantly

You must incentivize these actions or just initiate a call to action

• It’s a location based device – Smartphones have in built GPS Businesses can

use this technology to interact in a location based style For example if the

potential consumer is near your locality, you can use the app to entice them through special discounts, offer coupons to visit your business location

Also, if you knew your potential client is nearby, you could use the mobile app

in place of a sales executive to convince them to pay a visit

Thus, a mobile app can give a huge boost to your business

• It’s a multimedia device – You must make use of all multimedia functions in a

smartphone such as social networking websites This will help your brand engage with the users at a deeper level

Cool right? But that’s not all that Apps can do! If you look around at some of the

as phenomenal marketing tools!

Chapter 4: Look How Restaurants Went Appy!

The hospitality industry has made uses of apps for marketing and how! So, whe not learn from top restaurants on how they successfully used mobile apps to improve their business

Serving Up Yummy Apps!

Interactive menus: Some restaurants feature their menus within their mobile apps

Thus offering customers a more visual and stimulating experience, even before they step into the restaurant

Interactive menus also allow users to share pictures and descriptions of their

favorite dishes with friends, thus opening a free publicity channel for the

restaurant

It also eliminates the need for them to print up menus, especially for customers who want home delivery of their orders

Lesson For Your Business: Use mobile apps to feature a list of your product or

service offerings that customers can access to find more information

Cost savings in advertising: Mobile app marketing costs very little in terms of

time and money, especially when compared with traditional forms or print or

media advertising

The best part is that businesses can make it far more targeted and reach out to those customers who are most likely to make purchases Restaurants have been using apps to send meal coupons, event invites and intimations to their regular customers directly through mobile apps

Most restaurant apps also have social sharing features, allowing patrons of

restaurants to share invites, messages, discount offers, etc, with their friends

Lesson For Your Business: Create apps that your target market will find useful

and engaging Once they download the same, you can use these apps to send across discount coupons, offers, free samples, etc, to your customers directly

Order online: Some restaurants even allow customers to place their order online

through clickable phone numbers

It saves precious time on both their ends from the traditional form where customers have to punch in the number and place an order

Customers can select the items and quantities and even make payment online

through the mobile apps

Lesson For Your Business: Offer online shopping options through mobile apps

Since users can access information on mobile devices even on the go, it makes sense to give them the option to shop on the move

The fact that more and more people have now started shopping online through tablets and smartphones (see chapter 1), makes the case of offering online

shopping through apps even stronger

Loyalty programs for customers: A few restaurant apps allow customers to keep

a score of how many times they have visited their restaurant

After a certain number of visits, restaurants can offer discount coupons via mobile

apps to entice them to keep coming back for more visits

Lesson For Your Business: Offer loyalty programs through mobile apps They are

a great way to make the customer feel more valued and reward him/her for doing business with you

No matter which business you are in, you can adapt and adopt these techniques to increase your profit margins!