- Mobile apps are an effective way for companies to engage consumers and meet business objectives. Nearly 90% of marketers agree that mobile apps are the most effective technology for engagement. - Successful mobile apps drive brand engagement through direct marketing, customer loyalty programs, and customer service/support features. They also frequently update content and promotions to encourage repeat usage. - When developing a mobile app, companies should define clear goals, integrate social sharing, consider gamification elements, and learn from highly successful apps like Victoria's Secret and Amazon.

1. Using Social Apps to Drive Brand Engagement
Mariana Antonescu
Business Consultant
MBA Social Media Marketing
mariana.social

2. • Today 47% of Europeans own a Smartphone.
(Source Eurostat)
• Smartphones have revolutionized the way
consumers interact with companies and shop for
products and services. In 2014 for the first time
54% of consumers shopped on a mobile device
over a laptop before making a purchase and 34%
preferred to use a Smartphone over a tablet or
laptop according to a Mobile Audience Insights
Report conducted by Eurostat.

3. Furthermore
90 % of mobile searches lead to action in 2014, more than half lead to sales, and
74 % of people used their mobile phones to help them with shopping (Forbes)
More than 96% of consumers are planning to use a mobile Smartphone in 2015 to
find the best retail deals (Shopular 2015 Mobile Retail Outlook Survey)
60% of customers seek discounts and sales via mobile (Ninth Decimal)
Adults redeeming coupons via a mobile device for online or offline shopping will
increase from 78.69 million to 104.11 million between 2014 and 2016.
(eMarketer)
As we can see the buyer’s behaviour is changing rapidly. With many companies’
consumers turning to their mobile devices to find information and shop, it has
become a necessity for companies to integrate mobile into the marketing
communication plan. The mobile channel provides companies and brands with
the potential to reach consumers while they are on the go, provide customer
support and engage with them in real-time, by location and with profile
information.

4. There are many mobile channels through which companies can
reach consumers. However according to a survey of 5,000
marketers in ten countries conducted by eMarketer in USA in 2014,
nearly 90% agree that mobile applications are the most
effective technology to engage consumers while simultaneously
meeting business objectives.
Branded mobile apps are becoming a particularly powerful form of
advertising as they present a unique opportunity for businesses to
push personalized marketing messages, targeted deals, ads, buying
advice and other information to shopper’s Smartphones based on
the visitor’s location, time of day, purchase history or other mobile
behaviour. They're also a powerful way for brands to build deeper
relationships with their customers and create loyalty by providing
long term value to their clients.

5. Fig 1. The number of app downloads from Apple's App Store from July
2008 to October 2014 (in billions).
85 billion apps had been downloaded from the App Store (this
includes entertainment as well and shopping apps). According to
Apple.com this number has increased to 100 billion downloads in
June 2015.

6. In addition
There are 1.2 billion app users worldwide and this number is predicted to increase
to 4.4 billion by 2017
The average consumer is spending 86% of his mobile media time within these
apps, compared to only 14% on the time he spends on the mobile web.
45% of consumers in Europe indicated that they have made a purchase as a result
of receiving a discount offer through a shopping app while 61% of Smartphone
users want ads customized to their immediate surroundings.
76% report that they are more likely to read a message sooner if it’s a notification
on their mobile/table that if it’s an email.
(Statista.com)
As we have seen expanding market reach through a mobile app is necessary as
the number of apps downloaded and the time spent within these apps is
increasing and consumers purchasing preferences are changing.
So how companies can successfully integrate mobile apps into their marketing
communication program, drive brand engagement and ultimately achieve
business growth?

7. • Companies should use mobile apps as a direct marketing channel.
One of the biggest benefits of having a mobile app is that is helping businesses
increase revenue largely by increasing efficiency. Instead of advertising to broad
spectrum, users can be narrowly targeted as apps can provide news feeds,
general information, search features, user accounts, prices, booking forms and
much more. Through push notifications businesses are getting even closer to a
direct interaction, and can easily remind customers about their products and
services whenever it makes sense. A national chain could easily send city- or
region-specific notifications about special offers based on what users in that area
are interested in, a restaurant could boost loyalty by sending a special offer to
customers who had been in the past year but not in the last two months, a store
could announce a sale on sunglasses when its predicted to be sunny soon.
• Cultivate Customer Loyalty.
With all the noise out there-banners, flashing signs, billboards, newspaper ads,
coupons, flyers, websites and website banners-companies slowly lose their
impact on customers because of the immense amount of advertising
surrounding them. Mobile apps provide companies with the opportunity to
connect directly with their consumers and understand how to personalize their
services based on consumer preferences. By personalizing services a company
creates a unique experience for customers and keeps them coming back.
Likewise by connecting mobile apps to social media, it can obtain customer
feedback through the app directly to their social media channels. Specialized
service and a focus on what’s important to individual customers will set the
business apart.

8. • Provide customer service and support.
A crucial part of a company’s business is maintaining a strong relationship with
their clients. It can be difficult to achieve in practice, but they need to deliver
great service in order to keep and grow their customer’s base. This is where
the mobile world can help. A chat feature in the mobile app directly connects
companies to their clients, providing clients with real-time customer service.
Apps can also include a feature to book appointments and set reminders.
Another important aspect of utilizing a mobile app is that companies can collect
valuable information and feedback about consumer behavior. By requesting a
quick survey or asking customers to join the business’s mailing list, they can
gain insight into customers’ location, interests and preferences. This feedback
can be crucial to continually improving the business.
• Update the app frequently.
Once a customer downloads an app, it will constantly appear on their device.
This ensures a company’s brand visibility every time they look at their phone or
tablet. For this reason, mobile apps should be frequently updated with product
information, new offers, etc. One way to make sure that loyal customers are
receiving information about new products, promotions, or upcoming events is
by enabling push notifications. A company can also include mobile app
exclusive discounts or specials to make sure that customers check the app
often.

9. Brands should consider the following when building their own custom
apps
• Define Your Goals.
As with every other strategy marketers employ, success in mobile marketing
starts with a clearly defined goal. Knowing what you want to achieve will go a
long way in helping you decide the right app and type of engagement. You
need to build an app that accomplishes your goals while targeting your desired
audience. When defining your goals, consider customer service, consumer
engagement, revenue generation, coupon or sales promotion and the
campaign component (part of broader campaign).
• Integrate social sharing and encourage social referrals.
Amazon allows app users to share with friends reviews of the services and the
products right at the point of browsing or sale. ‘You telling your friends about
Amazon is the most successful touch point for customer acquisition’ said
Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos.

10. • Add a gamification element.
More and more businesses are developing social games as part of
their marketing programs, integrating product information with product
reviews and even gaming elements to reach consumers. From in-
game advertisements to entire games built around brands,
engagement through games-based apps takes on multiple forms and
presents unique opportunities for marketers. Social gaming is one of
the best medium that can be leveraged by companies to capture the
attention of their audience as well as engage them. Social games are
interactive in nature which in turn makes marketing easier as
information can be given to customers and awareness about their
brand can be created. This interactive mode of social gaming helps not
just in promoting and raising awareness of a company’s brand but also
in keeping customers engaged for a long time.
Highly interactive and with viral components built in, social games
provide the perfect vehicle for fuelling fan growth and building a
community. They also serve as a perfect vehicle for driving brand
awareness, revenue, and promotions. If you’re looking for a leader to
follow- or one to borrow ideas from- look no further than McDonald’s.

11. To promote their new
collection of sauces,
McDonald’s launched
an online game-
‘McNuggets Saucy
Challenge’-
challenging those who
dare to test their
Chicken McNuggets
sauce-dunking skills
and win real world
rewards.
The company
incorporated
giveaways into their
social gaming giving
players something
tangible to strive for or
achieve in a fun and
entertaining way.

12. The world’s most popular apps and why they are so successful
Victoria’s Secret
• Leverages it’s message center for time-sensitive deals and offers
• In-app messaging and push notifications
• Gets consumers to regularly interact with the app through
campaigns
• Runs a number of in-app games around certain times of the year
to engage users
• Provides exclusive content as part of seasonal campaigns
• Location specific content and notifications of offers based on
past purchases
Amazon
• Focuses on providing content that is both relevant and valuable
based on an understanding of consumer data
• Allows users to customize the types of messaging they see in
the message center based on specific shopping preferences
• Includes a messaging center to encourage consumer service and
support
• Simplifies the buying process- consumers can buy with just the
touch of a button.
• Integrates social sharing

13. Mobile applications are one of the best mediums that can be leveraged
by companies to capture the attention of their audience in an
environment build completely around their brand as well as to drive
business growth.
Integrating Mobile Marketing into a company’s marketing
communications program is necessary to help bring companies closer
to their customers, to listen to them, to meaningfully engage with
them and ultimately boost customer service, brand and sales.

14. Thank you