Static Internet properties may have been of high value several years ago, but they’ve quickly fallen out of fashion. Google updates to its search algorithm, and even the evolving ways in which consumers use the Internet, have rapidly eroded the value of Internet pages built to live forever while producing an ever-running trickle of online traffic. Today’s online properties need to be relevant to modern-day Internet consumers, and new technology is changing those consumer habits faster than many businesses might expect.
For years, content has been lifted up as the undisputed king of digital marketing. Its relatively low cost, high-value lifespan, and organic traffic generation potential has enabled its use as the foundation of many digital marketing strategies. And while it’s still an extremely valuable and indispensable component of successful digital strategy, mobile apps are quickly gaining clout as a valuable marketing tool and as a means of increasing customer engagement. Even so, mobile apps aren’t right for every business.
For Search Visibility, Content is Still King
Despite the recent buzz about the importance of developing mobile apps, businesses shouldn’t overreact: Content remains an essential component of effective digital marketing. One key reason for small and medium-sized businesses is the cost: developing an app isn’t cheap, and the sheer cost can exceed the marketing budgets of some companies. Even if a mobile app might be within your budgetary limits, content marketing still provides plenty of bang-for-your-buck that needs to be considered when putting together a marketing strategy.
Online content helps drive up search engine optimization scores, and it provides a shareable item that can be distributed online through social platforms, thereby presenting the opportunity for free, organic distribution of your content and, through that, your brand. Businesses shouldn’t consider apps as a replacement to written content, but for some organizations it might be a useful complementary piece.
With Mobile Consumers, the Change is More Urgent
No one is going to say that a dentist needs his own app to sell himself to digital consumers. But any business that depends on mobile devices as a revenue stream should at least look into the benefits of developing a mobile app. Recent research shows that consumers spend 80 percent of their tablet and smartphone screen time using mobile apps, greatly reducing the reach and influence of a mobile browser.
Consumers are generally spending more time online, regardless of the platform they use, and that’s a good thing for content marketing as well as for mobile apps. But while the average user’s daily web browsing time increased by just 10 minutes over the past year, mobile app usage almost doubled from 43 minutes to 82.
Experts are starting to understand the reason for this gravitation toward mobile apps. Functionality and convenience may play a small role, but the greater influence comes from the unique experience provided by an app.
Apps and the Power of Creation
Mobile web browsers offer access to the whole Internet, but the experience is limited: websites are constrained to the limitations of the browser, both in terms of technology and the space. Mobile web browsers offer a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t always encourage the best user experience possible.
That’s exactly where mobile apps flex their power. With a mobile app, developers and businesses can work together to create a seamless, intelligent user experience that mixes media with ease to create a new digital experience. Consumers respond well to these innovative experiences and use mobile apps to seek them out. The quality and aesthetic of a mobile app, in contrast with a website, can dramatically increase the extent of a company’s engagement with users, and, by extension, their brand’s relationship with its consumer base.
The more a company depends on mobile consumerism to pad its bottom-line, the more valuable a mobile app may be. But before you pull the trigger on mobile app development, make sure you have the best information and a concrete plan for your future. Contact DBC Digital today and see how we can prime your business for the digital future.
