3 Necessities for a Branded Mobile App
There are now close to half a million apps in the Apple App Store. The Android Market is growing daily too. This is obviously great for the future of mobile marketing. The more competition out there, the more app developers will be forced to compete to have the most successful app. The tricky thing is what is needed for a successful app varies dramatically from creating a utility that will help you find your car to one that will allow you to knock out a talking cat. Success is not guaranteed for any app no matter how good it is. But what about for retailers, banks, packaged good companies and other brands? Are they in the same boat as Talking Tom Cat? Not necessarily.
Many brands already have an established presence coupled with proven marketing channels and the resources to promote. They also, we assume, have a deep understanding of their targets giving strong insight into what they are looking for from their brand. Sadly, these 'advantages' often handicap a brand's attempt to enter the mobile space as they end up relying on the 'if we build it they will come' strategy and end up neglecting three main necessities for their mobile app.
USEFULNESS
I've blogged about this one before. This is a often the most difficult one because there are a lot of misconceptions as to what the word actually means. For instance, one trap that brands fall into is thinking that because they put it in an app, it is automatically useful. You may think it is easier for someone to open up your app and use your store locator to find the closest location, but isn't it just as easy to open up the phone's built-in browser and search google? Or even visit your site? Just because it is 'easier' doesn't meant that it is necessarily helpful enough to merit regular use let alone a download.
Another misconception is what consumers will find useful from an app. Some brands swing the opposite way and add too many features in the hopes of covering every possible thing that a user could ever hope to use. This ends up becoming overwhelming and many people end up never accessing 75% of the app features. It should be the goal of a brand to be the one app consumers associate with one specific action. For instance, if you are Pizza Hut, you want them to think about how it only takes 3 minutes to order pizza with your app when they think about ordering dinner. It is better to be amazing at one thing than do a bunch of things mediocre. Especially when there are plenty of other app developers out there that are going to be focusing on those other areas and killing it.
GREAT USER EXPERIENCE
This is another one of those that seems obvious but gets neglected in the rush to get the app out. How often have you downloaded an app and opened it up only to see a mobile website? This is where faulty strategy destroys an important interaction. It's better to get something out there and then update it down the road right? For the most part NO! Many people will give your app one shot. If they don't like or understand your app the first time they open it, most likely they won't ever open it again. Creating a great user experience starts from the download. Does your icon look pixelated? Does you app look appealing? Does it function like it is supposed to? Does it make sense when it functions? Does it force quit all the time? Does it work fast? All of these things will impact the user experience. In a rush to get something out, neglecting the UI & UX will kill an app no matter how useful it is.
CONNECTION
Most brands primary goal is to get the download. They really want to put on their reports: 'We've had 100,000+ downloads of our app!' Of course they do. Who doesn't? But what does that mean? If you have a smart phone, you have probably downloaded plenty of apps that you don't even remember. I do monthly housecleaning deletions on mine every couple of months and many times I stumble upon apps that I downloaded, used once and never thought about again. A download is pointless if it is never used. Don't let someone sell you of the benefits of having your logo on someone's phone is worth getting a crappy app out there. Especially if it is on the 4th screen in a subfolder. A brand needs to focus on what happens after the download. Sure you want them to use the app, but how are you going to use the app as a means to connect with them on an ongoing basis? Many apps will ask on first open if it can send push notifications. I typically say 'no' since I don't know what they are going to push to me. That's like going to someone's website for the first time and having them say 'Can I send you email?' before the homepage has loaded. I don't know what you want to send me so why would I say yes? Why don't you sell them on the benefits of getting push notifications before the ask? Or what is better, link your email or SMS program to sign up. Then when you send them an email or text, use links that get opened in the app. Connecting with the consumer will allow you to show them the benefits of the app over a period of time. Also, knowing which of your users have downloaded and used your app will help you speak to them more intelligently in other areas.
If a brand includes these three areas into their application, they will have a solid foundation for creating a successful mobile app. What did I leave out? What is another area that you think an app should have? Leave a comment and let me know!
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Kacy Maxwell enjoys his work, family and a good challenge.
