As more and more people use smartphones, mobile applications are now the hottest means to get connected to the Internet. Since the use of handheld devices overtook desktops in terms of connecting to the Internet, the demand for downloadable applications has been growing significantly.

While increasing demand for apps might be good news if you want to cash in from your mobile app development efforts, it may also act as a challenge. As the number of apps increases further, you need to make it more engaging to ensure that your customers or users access it frequently. Faced with millions of apps, users have the luxury to delete poorly performing apps and install a better alternative. To avoid seeing your app gets uninstalled, you need to make it as entertaining and useful as possible.

Ways to Boost Mobile App Engagement

There are many techniques and strategies to make your application more enticing to use. Here are some actionable ones that you can apply at once:

Establish constant communication with your users

As a mobile app operator, you need it to communicate with your users continually. If you rarely send a message or chat to them, it may imply that you are ignoring them. Take time to initiate conversation or communication with them by sending relevant, educational, or entertaining messages via multiple channels. You can ask them for a rating of your app through in-app messages, or remind them of another feature or event through push notifications.

Send timely and relevant emails

Another way of initiating a conversation with them is by sending them old-school emails. Even though this channel may seem old-fashioned, it remains significant in conveying information and sending personal greetings. Aside from sending a welcome email after a user downloads your application, you can also send them an email for these purposes:

• Encourage them to explore an unused feature
• Introducing a new feature or product update
• Notifying them of new promos or freebies
• Greeting them in their essential dates such as birthdays and anniversaries

Personalize Your Content

Smartphones are designed to deliver private messages. It is not the proper device to consume formal and generic content. So, see to it that you communicate with your user on a personal level. Use words that directly interact with them at a personal level. You may need to hire a copywriter devoted to craft personalized messages as if you are talking only to a single user. Moreover, you may need to tap a mobile app development company to ensure that your messages are delivered in-app or through push notifications.

Use CTAs (Calls to Actions)

Your content is only a one-way conversation unless you request (or instruct) your users to participate in your monologue. You can guide your users on what to do next by placing CTA buttons. Many apps fail to draw reactions from users for the simple reason that they don’t contain CTAs. When correctly worded and designed, these buttons can persuade users to buy a product, respond to a message, subscribe to a newsletter, or take part in a conversation.  Also, make sure to place the button (or buttons) to strategic places in your app so that users can notice them quickly.

Use Analytics Tools

Activities in your app can be tracked using different tools. With these mobile app tracking tools, you can use the data you’ve gathered in making adjustments, updates, or tweaks in your application.  With this set of information, you can have a glimpse of who are your users as categorized by gender, age bracket, nationality, and frequency of app use. The tools can also give you information on what they are doing when using your application.

Encourage Social Sharing

Social media is the hottest tool for communication in the digital age. Make your app social media-friendly by incorporating icons of popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and others so that your customers can easily share your content. You can also think of ways to encourage your customers to share their experiences by giving them incentives or rewards. They can win a freebie (useful e-book) or get coupons or discounts if they like, share or comment on your social media posts.

Offer In-App Customer Support

Many customers, especially first-timers, might have difficulty operating or navigating your app. Others may want to ask for help. One way to help your customers is by integrating live chat assistance within your mobile app. Through this tool, your customers can chat real-time with your support team in times of need.

Try Advertising

Advertising is a useful way to attract user engagement for your mobile apps. You can use display ads to help you show rewards, discounts, or notifications to select applications or website. Investing in search ads lets you engage with potential customers who are looking for what you are offering on search engines. Meanwhile, retargeting allows your ads to appear on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms. These are just a few examples of how you can use different types of modern digital advertising types to improve user engagement.

Having a high user engagement is key to the success of your application. With the help of reputable app developers in Pensacola and other professionals, you can make your application more relevant to your customers.

In a world where the internet and social media is part of the society’s mainstream consciousness, everybody and everything has the chance to get their fifteen minutes of fame through virality. Seeing that this phenomenon has the potential to boost the exposure of businesses, many marketing managers use viral marketing as a strategy.

For your business, why not make use of one of the trendiest marketing tools? Launching an application and making it viral can be beneficial to your company. Read on to know more about mobile app virality.

Why should I aim to make my mobile app viral?

The first question you might be asking right now is this: why should I seek virality? Being viral has numerous benefits for mobile app developers and business owners alike. Here are just some of the advantages you can enjoy when your application goes viral:

Rapid Reach Expansion

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of having a viral mobile app is the rate at which is gains audiences. Applications that reach virality gets attention at tremendous speeds. Normally, you will need to rely on your marketing strategy to try to gain more users for your app, thus also increasing the reach of your business.

Once your mobile software goes viral, especially because it will enjoy exposure through mainstream and social media. With this, you will see a sudden growth in users, which then translates to your business getting wider exposure.

Reduction of Advertising Expenditure

The best thing about virality is that your app itself becomes its greatest advertisement. One of the most tangible effects of this is you can cut down costs funnelled toward your marketing campaign. Mainstream and social media are one of the most important aspects that minimizes the need for extra marketing funds. As your program and consequently, your business, get coverage from these platforms, you are essentially getting free advertisement.

Reputation Improvement

As more and more individuals download and use your application, you are increasing your chances of getting reviews and ratings from real users. Keep in mind that consumers tend to try out software that has higher ratings. After all, 5 five-star rating seems better than 3- or 4-stars.

Aside from this, you can use the feedback system as a way to find undetected bugs, allowing you to address these issues. Moreover, you can get a pulse on what your users want to see, as well as what they find helpful.

How can I achieve virality of my app?

Now, that you are aware of the benefits virality has to offer, you may be thinking of ways to ensure that your business’ application will reach virality. Before you proceed with the mobile app development process, you want to make sure that your mobile program is designed to go viral. Check out these useful tips for developing the next viral software for your business.

Come Up with a Viable Idea

One of the most important things you should do even before you aim for virality is to make sure that your idea is realistic. You may come up with the best and most useful program for smartphones, but is it achievable? Moreover, will it be perceived positively by your market?

Remember that your target audience is your main clientele, so you need to make sure that it will be appealing, useful and accessible to them. When thinking of a concept, treat it like a business plan. You need to consider the feasibility of the project in order for it to gain traction.

Make Your App an Interactive One

In this modern age, interactivity is an important aspect of formulating various concepts, from mobile app development to social media marketing. Look at it this way: when your program requires or encourages users to interact with their friends and family, then they are likely to recommend it to these individuals.

Use Stunning Visuals

A huge part of the consumer population is made up of Millennials and a large segment of smartphone users are Millennials and Gen Z. It is essential to note that these individuals place a premium on aesthetics. With this in mind, you want to make sure that your software fits their taste for visually appealing elements such as colors, color combination, font faces and other similar aspects.

Provide Incentives for Users

Selling your app is pretty much like promoting your business. You offer incentives to encourage potential consumers to become actual paying customers. Look at what ride-hailing apps did. They offered discounts and promotions to users who manage to persuade their friends to download and use the program. By incentivizing referrals and recommendations, your users can work for your marketing campaign.

During this modern time, taking advantage of the digital culture has become necessary. By following these tips, you are on your way to creating the next viral smartphone software!

Individuals and organizations have many reasons for investing in app development. For some people, companies, and non-profits, these applications often serve as a platform for brand awareness. But others engage in developing applications as a tool to earn a profit.

The Multibillion Mobile App Market

The mobile application market is worth billions. Analysts project the industry to grow further at substantially higher rates with CAGR of 15.14% from 2017 to 2021. This astounding growth is driven by the continuous surge in the number of smartphone users across the world. The falling prices of phones, even as its underlying technology improves considerably also contribute to the steady growth of the mobile app development industry.

This expanding market also opens increased employment or business opportunities for developers. According to estimates by Sensor Tower, the Apple App Store raked in $38.5 billion in revenue in 2017, an increase of 34.7% over the 2016 figure. In the same year, Google Play Store earned around $20.1 billion, posting a 34.2% growth from the last year. Combined, the revenue of both app marketplaces valued at around $58.7 billion in that year.

These numbers rose further in 2018 when the mobile app market reached $92.1 billion. Experts expect this figure to expand further as more and more people are gaining access to smartphones. They expect the increase in adoption of handheld devices in India and China will drive more growth in smartphone use, which is seen to reach 3.8 billion by 2021.

Ways to Monetize Mobile Apps

The growing demand for smartphone applications creates multiple money-making opportunities. There are many ways to monetize from mobile applications. Here are some of them:

• Advertisements – Marketers are on the hunt for platforms or avenues for better brand visibility. One of the best methods nowadays is by putting ads on popular applications. These professionals can promote their brands through various advertising options, which include:
  • Interstitial or full-screen ads – These advertisements are typically found at natural pause points, such as between menus.
  • Notification ads that pop up in the status bar of smartphones and tablets to better catch the attention of its presence.
  • Capture form that offers incentives such as points and freebies for users who key-in their email addresses.
  • Advanced overlay – Like interstitial ads, these are placed in transition points but are more interactive instead of being simple clickable images.
  • Banner ads are popular promotional tools that you can find at the top or bottom section of the screen.
  • Text ads – Merely composed of words, these ads contain links that redirect to the site of your advertisers.

Once your mobile app developer integrated the ads, you only need to focus on marketing your application to multiply your user base.

• Freemium – With this model, you will allow users to download a version with limited functionalities of your app for free. If they find your app useful, they can purchase the full version.

• Subscriptions – This model allows your users to use some features or consume content provided they will pay a subscription fee every month for continuous access. Of course, you should give them the option to unsubscribe.

• Affiliate Marketing and Lead Generation – For mobile applications, affiliate marketing means you can get a commission fee whenever a mobile app you are marketing gets downloaded, or users perform a specific action with an app using the link placed inside your app. A variation of this method is lead generation, where instead of selling products or services, marketers aim to capture the contact information of users who are interested in buying certain products or services.

• Sponsorships – If you were able to build a huge user base, you could ask for sponsorships from some significant companies. You can get a substantial sum of money in exchange for posting their logo or other branding materials.

• Donations – If you think your app can solve the problems of your users, you can ask for donations via crowdfunding sites such as IndieGoGo, GoFundMe, Kickstarter, or Patreon. This monetization technique is an excellent alternative for advertisements, which can annoy your users with notifications and pop-ups.

• SMS Marketing – Even though SMS marketing seen as obsolete, using this channel can still attract active engagement. To monetize via this channel, you need to use tap databases of contacts of smartphone users. By sending a well-written text message, you can promote your app or sponsors. Just keep in mind to avoid distracting recipients, by sending polite, direct-to-the-point messages, preferably with some humor.

• Rewarded Ads – This option works best in mobile gaming apps. Through this model, the user needs to watch a 30-second ad to unlock or acquire something special, such as doubling his coins or points, providing extended health or playing time, or any other feature which will benefit the player.

With the help of mobile app developers in Orlando, you can use any of the monetization methods to cash in from your application. Just make sure to select the one that fits your application.