Any marriage counselor will tell you that the best relationships have real substance behind them, and that same advice is quite applicable to mobile apps and their users. If a company’s mobile app attracts users, the company has direct access to an audience already familiar with their brand with whom they can build a lasting relationship. This works, however, only if their app offers something that audience values. In fact, according to a Harris Interactive study from October of 2010, “69% of people agree that if a brand name’s mobile app is not useful, helpful, or easy to use it results in a negative perception about the brand.” Because of this, mobile app developers need to focus design around their target demographic and curate the experience deliberately to them.
The most fundamental piece of the design lies in the content that the app will deliver to its users. Content is defined in this context as whatever you are using to engage the user; whether it is by providing information, a service, or entertainment.
One of the biggest challenges is not just choosing which content to offer, but ensuring that it will remain engaging over time. One good practice is diversifying which content is offered to continually engage app users in different ways. By focusing on content foremost, developers can be confident they have a strong foundation to build a compelling app around. First time app developers often struggle with generating successful content on their own, but if they utilize Mobile Roadie’s development platform it can actually be quite simple to continually deliver quality content.
Finding Success With Mobile Roadie’s Content Management System
Dynamic, fresh content is one of the most compelling drivers for app use, but continuously updating an app’s information can be taxing on developers. Mobile Roadie’s Content Management System makes it much simpler by allowing developers to provide users with real time updates that are synced across iPhone, Android, and the mobile web. By making it possible for developers to update their apps through their web browser and see results immediately, Mobile Roadie makes it simple to keep apps fresh and engaging.
Mobile Roadie’s CMS also integrates social media directly into the app, allowing developers to tie all of a company’s social channels and news together so users have a one stop source for all the latest information. The CMS directly connects to the accounts and automates the content delivery, furnishing the app with fresh content continually with no work from the developer.
Finally, detailed analytics are provided within the CMS that outline how users are interacting with your app. By providing information that includes statistics outlining the most popular content, browsing time, and frequency of use, Mobile Roadie makes it easy for developers to analyze their mobile strategy and adjust it to maximize their user engagement.
Guiding Users to Good Content
No matter how great the content within your app, sometimes users still need an extra nudge every now and then to encourage them to return to your app. That’s where Mobile Roadie’s push messaging is effective. Push messaging allows developers to send a message to everyone with the app and can be effective at generating app traffic. Often used for special deals or time sensitive content, push messaging is extremely effective as long as developers are considerate of their audience. Send too many messages, or irrelevant ones and users can be annoyed or frustrated enough to remove the app, but if the content of the message is relevant or timely it can effectively encourage your audience to check out what’s new. By using these messages to promote good content, developers have seen an 80% higher retention rate just over the first month. By the second month, effective push messaging is responsible for generating 74% of all app use, and by month three 81% of all app visits are inspired by push messages.
Proximity Marketing
Geofencing is another tool offered by Mobile Roadie that is extremely effective at increasing traffic within your app. Developers can compose a message that users receive automatically when entering a certain area. Often used to provide users with information or coupons upon arriving at an event or venue, it engages users with relevant, timely content that they’ll appreciate. Easy to implement and maintain within the CMS, geofencing offers developers another effective avenue to deliver quality content with little hassle.
The Bottom Line
Apps only retain users for as long as they can provide them value. The companies that develop apps but ignore their maintenance struggle to hold onto their users and find very limited success. Those companies who remain dedicated to their app beyond it’s original development retain their users and can greatly benefit from the relationships a great app forms with their consumers. Mobile Roadie’s CMS is a powerful, one stop destination for creating and delivering quality content that helps developers with any level of experience successfully execute their mobile strategy.
