PUSHing Profits

You might not be convinced (yet) that you need to develop a mobile app for your business, but if your business could talk, it would disagree. Like the Venus flytrap in “Little Shop of Horrors”, it would be begging, “Feed me, Seymour. FEED ME!”
So, before you put this idea on the back burner—and let’s face it, nothing worthwhile happens there—here are seven reasons that you need a mobile app for your business.

#1. You Need to Generate, Capture, and Convert Leads.
You can’t survive on the business you currently have. If you’re not generating and cultivating leads, then you’re sitting in stagnant water. You can choose to use the old-fashioned way of digging around to uncover leads, sending out mailers, shaking hands at trade shows, and cold calling—or you can join the 21st century and let technology stimulate a more cost-effective, productive lead generation process. The investment in a mobile app will deliver a powerful return on your investment, particularly when you weigh in the cost-per-lead of your current system.
Do one thing right now. Go to the app store (e.g., Android Marketplace, Apple App Store) on your smartphone or other Internet-connected device. Type in keywords that someone looking for a business like yours would use. See what comes up. Are your competitors there? If so, they’ve got a head start on you. If they’re not there, you have the opportunity to break new ground and reach out to your marketplace before them.
The app stores are an untapped lead generation source that businesses are starting to discover. These m-commerce sites are search engines for smartphone functionality! When you have your own mobile app, you upload it to the app stores and input your keywords to help users find your app (just like you would do to drive Web surfers to your site). You also enter a keyword-rich description of your app in this store, another way to bring those buyers to you.
These app stores are such great search engines that I have seen my clients generate more than 500 new subscribers or hot leads within the first week of going live with their mobile apps. How do I know the leads are hot? The people who downloaded them actively searched the app store to find what they wanted and needed. They sought out the app, so they are clearly interested in what it offers.
Now that you have the leads from people who have your app, cultivate them.
• Tempt them with content that is relevant, timely, and appealing. Dangle a free report, informative newsletter, or demonstration video in front of them—something that hits their pain point and makes them really want what you have. All they have to do to receive this freebie is opt in with their email address. And they will if your enticement is enough to make the swap. And remember that unlike emailings, you’re not giving them spam. The app user has the option of requesting this information, and when they do, you have an even hotter lead—and one that is open to receiving this kind of information.
• Use your app to link the user to your Facebook or other social media page, where they can find more reasons to stay connected with your business.
• Send push notifications to your clients and customers. Hitting them on the smartphones has proven to deliver 97 percent open rate. Where else do you get results like that?
And think about this. The shoppers in the app stores have their credit cards on file there, to make purchasing one-click easy. As you seek to monetize your app, you have a captive audience that is not only ready to buy, but can do so in an instant. Get them motivated and when you convert, the customer just has to push a button to feed that desire.
To push your customers to your app, include a QR code or URL in your marketing and promotions so that potential app users can easily find you. It’s all about visibility, and when you go mobile, you create more ways than ever for customers to see you.

#2. You Must Differentiate or Drown in a Sea of Sameness.
If you keep doing things the way everyone does, you won’t create a buzz. You won’t be noticed. You’ll prove to the world that innovation is not in your DNA. Stop blending in with the crowd. Exit that field of sameness and step into the bright, shiny, golden opportunity that is mobile apps.
For example, about ten years ago, supermarkets starting converting some of their checkout lines to self-serve. Consumers could bypass lines, scan the barcodes on their items, and bag them (with the bread and eggs on top, thank you very much). It sounded like a great idea!
But the usage peaked at about 22 percent. By 2010, only 16 percent of supermarket purchases were made via self-serve checkout. Sure, some of the customers were intimidated by the technology, but the truth is, the majority of supermarket shoppers want service. They don’t want to handle the task of checkout themselves.
Customers want service. They want you to make it easy for them to get what they want. It’s your job to figure out how to make that happen. You need to create a “Wow!” factor, which requires innovation and strategic thinking, a sort of melding of the right and left brains. Look at the present and then envision the future. Where is commerce going? It’s online. It’s mobile. With time as a premium, as well as fuel prices, shoppers need a reason to go to a brick and mortar location. If you’re in this group, you can’t rely on traditional advertising because more and more buyers aren’t seeing it. They spend 23 hours a day with their smartphones at hand, so why wouldn’t you use this technology marvel to your advantage, particularly when mobile apps make it so easy?