TIPS TO ENSURE YOUR APP IS DOWNLOADED

After careful consultation, meeting with the developer and looking at your business model, you’ve made the forward thinking decision to get a mobile app for your business. Congratulations! You’re one step closer to modernising and expanding your business. But there’s one key question to consider; How do you make sure people to download the app? Lets look at some ideas and tips that will ensure your customers, old and new, always want your app on their smartphone.

Is It Worth It?

The simplest way to ensure customers will download your mobile app is to make sure the app adds value to the customer experience. To ensure your app will be valuable to everyone, you should have a clear idea of the areas of your business that the app can improve. You can do this by consulting with your customers and staff before you sit down with your developer. You can appeal to all your customers if you offer specific rewards for making purchases or bookings within the app, or appeal to particular groups with more specific features that the app offers; the ease of booking an appointment at your salon, or the informative Push Notifications that guide their retail decisions.

Pro Tip; if you use customer or staff suggestions in the app, mention this in your marketing. It shows that you listened to their answers and you’re happy to share the credit. Plus, it will encourage downloads as people will want to see their suggestions in action.

Cross Promote with Other Businesses

It’s common marketing practice for small businesses in complimentary industries to support each other through cross promotion. If an area has separate hair, beauty and nail salons, all three business might regularly refer customers to each other. With a mobile app the same process is just given a digital twist. If the hair salon already has an established mobile app, they could use their push notifications to tell their customers about the nail salons new app. The favour can then be returned and repeated. If you’re the first local business to get an app, just lean on those same connections with your new promotional material. Add information about your new mobile app to your posters and fliers, and include a QR code that takes people to your Android or App Store page.

Pro Tip; Don’t feel limited to promoting within your industry. If you’re a restaurant you can still market through a hair salon or a local shop; be creative, make a flier that encourages the hair salon customers show off their new style at your restaurant- with 10% off if they scan the QR code on the poster.

Email, Text and Social Media

You should already have a social media presence, mailing list and systems to text message your customers individually or all at once. When launching your app, utilise all of these platforms to promote, promote, promote. Make an event of the launch day and offer a reward to the first 100 customers who download the app. Once your app has been launched and is established, you should make sure that any new customers are always in a position to download the app. Feature links to the App and Android store pages prominently on your website and social media platforms. When new customers join your business, email and text them links where they can download the app. You might consider having a permanent link to the download pages in the signature of all your business emails.

Pro Tip; Encourage customers to Forward, Share and Retweet your promotional materials by offering rewards for referrals.

Staff Upselling

Your staff will be face to face with your customers almost constantly. Just like in larger business your front line staff are positioned to encourage customers to download your app at their point of purchase. Feature QR codes visibly around your business and at the checkout counter, so customers can always just scan and download. Your staff could mention the app if a customer calls on the phone to make an appointment, pitching it as a way to make their next booking even easier. You could give customers 10% off their purchase if they download the app there and then, or upsell the Loyalty feature that your app can include. Let regular customers know they are missing out on rewards by not downloading the app.

Pro Tip; Reward your staff for promoting the app in a way that suits your business but feels real and tangible to the staff.

For more advice on creating the right type of download strategy for your mobile app and maximising interactions, contact E-Apps Solutions today.