If you can't beat the big apps, use them to your advantage

upstart.bizjournals.com

The UpTake: Rather than invest your entire marketing budget in a standalone app for your business, investigate alternatives like advertising on highly-successful apps, or platforms like Instagram.

Dear Shama,

Can you please tell me where apps fit into my marketing strategy? Are they replacements for a website, or critical supplements?

Thanks,

— Deepa

Dear Deepa,

What an apt question (pun intended). So, here’s the scoop: those with Android and IOS spend 80 percent of the time on their device utilizing an app — and only a mere 20 percent browsing the web. Those are compelling numbers, so you may think the case is made for you to shift at least some, if not most, of your attention from maintaining your website to designing and promoting your app. But before you get too excited, consider this next statistic. In Forrester’s recent report, “2015 Mobile App Marketing Trends,” it’s cited that the average US consumer may use 24 apps per month, but 80 percent of his or her time is spent on the same five apps.

With Facebook, YouTube, Maps, Pandora, and Gmail topping the list, it’s going to be hard to break into those top five that are most often at hand. Other major players are Netflix, CandyCrush, Instagram, Weather, and Hangouts. Given the competitive climate and consumers’ habits, it may be more prudent to think less about innovating your own app and think more about investing in app advertising. Online pundits seem to agree that it’s only a matter of time before sites like Facebook and Instagram began to turn to sponsors and partners to turn their popularity into profit.

Another option is to amp up your engagement on the most-used apps. Do you have an Instagram account that’s been collecting dust or a YouTube channel that’s been neglected? Can you leverage these platforms to get your message out and attract new customers? Studies show that that users of these apps tend to show high levels of engagement and if you can capture their attention, you may have a whole new, and relatively cheap, way to connect with your target audience.