Acquire and Retain Customers Using Mobile

Over the last few weeks our blogs have focused on the need for businesses of all sizes, whether small or medium sized, to put strategies in place to retain existing customers. The benefits of retaining customers can be felt in all areas of a business, from increased profitability to better brand awareness or recognition. In our opinion every business should try to do more to retain existing customers. However, in reality many businesses are placing more emphasis on attempting to acquire customers rather than focusing on keeping existing customers loyal.

With that being said, the focus of today’s blog is to highlight how mobile websites and mobile apps can help businesses of all sizes acquire and retain customers.

Traditionally, business owners have viewed mobile websites and mobile apps as serving the same purpose, namely providing customers with a mobile experience. However, it is paramount to understand the distinction and difference between the two as they aim to serve different objectives.

The primary aim of a mobile website is to acquire new customers by serving a mobile optimised or mobile friendly version of the website. By displaying the information in a mobile friendly way it is anticipated that the user will remain on the website longer and find out more about the business. The end result will potentially be a new customer that is interested in trying the products or services offered by the businesses.

The focus of a mobile application is to boost engagement and retention between the business and its customers. For example, having features that encourage repeat purchases such as a loyalty programme is a great example of fostering retention amongst customers. By using a mobile app in the right way, any business can convert its customers into loyal customers and brand advocates.

As highlighted above, a mobile website is a website that renders information, images and videos specifically for the smaller screens found on smartphones. With many businesses migrating to responsive websites powered principally by WordPress creating a mobile version of a website has never been so accessible. However, there are still a plethora of websites that are not mobile friendly, particulatly with the small or medium sized business market.

Navigating to the website of many local businesses highlights this issue with many websites presenting a desktop website to a mobile user. Forcing the user to zoom in and out, rotate their phone or double tapping to view information is a cumbersome experience for many customers. As a result, the bounce rate for many non-optimised websites is significantly high. A mobile website seeks to remedy this by serving and displaying information in a way which is easily accessible and digestible for the end user.

With many businesses spending vital marketing budget on promoting their business through online or offline advertising and directing the user to their website, not having a mobile site is a significant problem. A mobile friendly website will ensure that every businesses has the best possible chance of keeping customers on their website and thus potentially securing or acquiring a new customer.

A mobile app is very much focused on engagement and interaction as discussed earlier in this blog. This is achieved through the type of content contained within the app and how appropriate it is for the audience. For example, a mobile app should make it easier for the customer to complete everyday tasks such as ordering products or services, making a booking, sending information or participating in loyalty programmes.

Harnessing the power of a smartphones native functionality is what truly separates a mobile app from a mobile website. Native functionality are the features that are built directly into the users smartphone such as the GPS chip, the camera or the voice recorder. By utilising these features, a mobile app is able to offer every customer a rich user experience that keeps them highly engaged.

When native functionalities are mixed with great content and delivery in the form of push notifications or geo-targeted push notifications, every business can create brand advocates because they are delivering information that is highly appropriate for their audience.

As we have seen throughout this blog, there are significant benefits that can be derived for any business by incorporating mobile technology into their marketing mix. Clearly defining the role and objectives for creating a mobile website and a mobile app are crucial in not only acquiring but also retaining customers.

To find out how you can help businesses create a winning mobile marketing strategy that utilises both mobile websites and mobile apps, contact the Eazi-Apps team.