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. Disclaimer 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. Index 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! Introduction 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! Here are a few ways mobile marketing towers over social media in terms of 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 become extremely important to target the growing market of smart phone users. 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: [...]... 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... 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... information on whatever you are pointing your mobile device’s camera at For instance, if you are pointing your mobile camera at a historic site, then the mobile application will be able to tell you information on that historic site Imagine going shopping for onions and using your camera to tell you all about the vegetable simply by pointing your phone at it Streamlining apps As popular as mobile apps are,... users are going to be pruning their collection of apps With the increasing availability of free mobile apps, we may see a decline with users choosing only the ones that have stood the test of time Shifting target markets Mobile apps will also need to address niche target markets such as children and senior citizens with apps that are relevant informative and useful to them Children take to technology easily... 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... 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! Chapter 5: Gazing At The Crystal Ball! So, what does the future hold for apps? Honestly, the mobile application market is a very interesting place to watch for it is constantly evolving and catering for changing customer... plenty of examples of how apps can be used 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... needs and relevance for the customer A customer will find a mobile application useful when it provides him with not just information but the correct information and at the correct time Mobile apps and augmented reality Augmented reality is a massively useful concept And this is going to be integrated even more into the world of mobile apps marketing Augmented reality works when you are able to get...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... easily and swiftly and more and more mobile apps are going to be built for their consumption In Conclusion Hopefully, by now you know how apps can turn around your business and what are the key features that any marketing app worth it’s salt must have! Now, it’s your turn to put on the thinking cap and come up with winning ideas for your apps But, before you do that, the one question you have to ask . many more. A Quick Guide To Attracting More Business with Mobile Apps Vishal Gumber Copyright © 2013 By Vishal Gumber, Appsquare Australia Published At. 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