Mobile apps today are what websites were in the 90’s. The honest truth is that no one cares anymore that you have a website. They have simply become a normal cost of doing business. In today’s market, a mobile presence can give your business a leg up on the competition.

Mobile apps allow people to digest more and more online content from mobile devices. This trend will only continue to rise. Within the next two to three years it is easily feasible that, just as websites, mobile apps will become just another part of doing business. For the time being, they are a great marketing tool and are changing the way companies advertise and do business. Mobile searches are on pace to exceed pc searches in 2013. Mobile marketing revenue exceeded $30 billion at the end of 2012, nearly double from 2011. It is easy to see why.

Winds of Change

Mobile app browsing is faster, more relevant, and readily available. As competitors try to undercut each other in the tablet and smartphone market, they will become accessible and affordable to more people. The introduction of new tablets like the iPad Mini, has exploded the number of tablet users from 34 million in 2011 to nearly 70 million in 2012. It is estimated that by 2017 there will be 5.2 billion mobile users.

The explosion of mobile app use is way fundamentally changing the way we do business. The smart phone has become the new personal computer. The uncertainty during the recession has only added to the trend. Freelance businesses have risen by 70% in just the last few years. More people are working from home and on the road, so the smartphone is the ideal place for commerce. Mobile users are now more likely to make purchases after researching the product on their device. As consumer habits develop and change, marketing must adapt.

Mobile App Data

User behavior is being monitored closer than ever. Mobile marketing is beginning to harness the potential to optimize campaigns based on performance. Mobile marketing is ideal because you can target individual consumers. From the moment a user lands on a site, to the second they close the page new technology can track every move. Millions of data points provide mobile app marketers with a wealth of knowledge on user behavior that wasn’t previously available.

Mobile Apps Using Targeting

All of this data is being collected with one purpose in mind; to get the ideal product in front of the ideal customer. Understanding demographics, behavior patterns, and their sources allow marketers to be more successful. The ability to target, create and track mobile marketing campaigns allows for a better understanding of your ideal audience.

Re-targeting and Real-Time Bidding

The job is not done by just getting a product in front of your ideal customer. Many times, inactive or dormant users can dilute the effectiveness of a campaign. Apple recently introduced the Advertising Identifier to help with this very problem. As most companies want to get the most return on investment possible, marketers are sure to use tools such as this to help them continue their campaigns.
The Advertising Identifier is a sophisticated real-time bidding and retargeting technology. It enables you to target inactive users directly in order to get them engaged with your product again. Real-time bidding is an immediate transaction that charges a market-driven price for every online ad impression. Retargeting coupled with real-time bidding gives buyers more access, marketers better campaign results, and sellers a greater return on investment.

Geo-Targeting

Smartphone advertising targets users by their specific location by displaying ads that are relevant to their geographic context. This advantage is two-fold. Businesses can make quicker decisions on campaigns based on real time information on what works in a particular location. And users only receive information that is actually relevant to them so they do not feel spammed. Coupons, offers, and promotions directed at potential nearby customers help both the consumer and the business owner. Consumers can be sure they are getting the best deal possible, and businesses are attracting new customers they may not have otherwise had.

Mobile apps are helping businesses through increased efficiency, and relevancy. Instead of screaming on deaf ears from traditional media, mobile marketing can narrow down the target audience to people who actually will buy a particular product or service. Businesses can lure both new and old customers more efficiently, and customers can shop on their own time and make sure they are getting the best deals. Everyone wins.