Is an Android app your next step for marketing?

Your business marketing is right on track. For one thing, every social media account is buzzing, you have a mobile-friendly website and your brand delivers valuable content on a regular basis. Then, are you ready to start engaging your audience in new ways? It might be time to launch a branded Android app.

Developing and deploying your app

Worldwide, Android claims 84.82 percent of the market share for smartphones. In particular, about 45.1 percent of the market goes to Android devices in the U.S. This represents a large potential audience for an app designed to bring more visibility and awareness to your brand. So if you’re ready to tap into such a potentially lucrative market, consider these questions to create your app strategy.

What will the app deliver?

You monitor analytics to study how consumers interact with your brand and use the information to design marketing campaigns. By all means, draw on the same data to build a streamlined platform delivering exactly what customers want from your company. Go beyond the offerings on your website by providing tools to make the user experience easier and more interesting.

Popular app features include:

• Bill payment
• Branded games
• Flight or hotel registration and check-in
• Ordering food or drink
• Shopping online or ordering items for in-store pickup

Other unique features, such as scheduling delayed text messages, are useful to customers as well. As a result, these can increase the desirability of your app. Create a landing page on your website to talk up the app, and include download links in prominent areas on other pages.

How can you promote the app?

With 2.8 million apps available in the Google Play store, you can’t expect yours to take off without a strong promotional campaign. Customers need to know you’re launching an app and need an incentive to download it once it becomes available.

When listing your app on the Google Play store, optimize the title and description with relevant keywords. Make the description unique and engaging, and include a collection of screenshots to offer customers a preview of the features. A branded icon grabs attention in search results and can help encourage more downloads.

Use your reach on social media to talk up the app in advance of the release. Highlight the most interesting features, showing what sets it apart from other branded apps. After the app launches, also include download links or QR codes in all your marketing materials.

How will customers stay engaged?

Most people use multiple apps every day, meaning their attention is divided among their favorite brands. Keep your target audience engaged with opt-ins for special push notifications. These may include:

• Exclusive coupons
• Event announcements
• Limited-time deals
• Rewards for checking in at your physical location

The more you can personalize the experience, the more connected customers will feel to your brand. Focus on making user interactions with the app as enjoyable as possible to prompt positive reviews.

Making an Android app part of your marketing strategy increases awareness of and loyalty to your brand among users. By leveraging the large Android user base to engage more customers, you can expand your current target market and develop relationships with an audience eager for what your company has to offer.

(Featured image by Ash Kyd via Flickr. CC-BY 2.0)

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DISCLAIMER: This article expresses my own ideas and opinions. Any information I have shared are from sources that I believe to be reliable and accurate. I did not receive any financial compensation in writing this post, nor do I own any shares in any company I’ve mentioned. I encourage any reader to do their own diligent research first before making any investment decisions.