Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Websites | Infographic

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When you finally decide that you want to start establishing an online presence for your company or agency, you are going to be faced with a decision. Do you want to focus on building a downloadable mobile application, or do you want to focus on building a mobile website? On the surface, they can appear very similar. However, when it comes to applying them to real life business situations, several factors, such as target demographic, budget available, your intended purpose, and required features come into play.

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Before you make a decision, you will obviously want to educate yourself on the differences between the two, then go through the pros and cons of using each concept. To start, both mobile apps and mobile websites are accessible on all mobile devices. Mobile websites are designed much like regular websites in that they are made using browser-based HTML pages that are linked together. They can show text content, data, photos, and videos. Along with this, they can also use features that are specific to mobile like click-to-call and location-based features.

Mobile apps are downloadable and can be installed on any smart mobile device. Once they are downloaded, they are essentially built into the phone so there is no rendering within a browser. Apps are their own entity and are downloadable from Apple’s App Store, the Android Market, or Blackberry’s App World. Apps have the ability to pull data and content from the internet or it can just download the content so that users can access it without having to connect to the internet.

Your final decision should be based off of your primary goals. If you want to keep it simple, you generally want to start with a mobile website, then move on to a mobile app later. Mobile websites are a good spot to start if you are simply wanting to establish an online presence. If you are wanting to accomplish a more specific goal, then a mobile app might be the way to go. But choosing isn’t always that easy, so we have compiled a checklist to help you get into depth when deciding between a mobile website, a mobile app, or even both.

Benefits of Mobile Websites vs. Mobile Apps

Like mentioned before, mobile websites are usually the place to start if you are wanting to get your presence felt online. However, mobile websites offer much more than just that.

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Immediacy

Mobile websites are available whenever and wherever there is an internet connection. They are also accessible from virtually any device. This includes iPhones, iPads, Androids, Blackberries, etc. Apps, however, have to be downloaded and then installed by users. This can be considered detrimental because it requires a lot of action on the user’s part and can be a big obstacle between inital engagement and dialogue between you and your users.

Compatibility

A mobile website will be able to reach across all platforms and devices. Apps have to be designed specifically for each particular mobile device. Also remember that mobile website URLs can be integrated with other technologies like SMS, QR codes, and near field communication (NFC).

Upgradability 

As far as being dynamic, mobile websites are definitely more flexible than apps. Mobile websites are easily editable and you can publish an edit across all platforms. App upgrades require much more work since you need to promote the upgrade, then hope your users download it.

Ability to Be Found

Since they can be found in search results and in industry-specific listings or directories, mobile websites are much easier for users to find. They can also automatically redirect users to their mobile site if users were looking for them using their browsers. App visiblity is unfortunately limited and will probably only show up in manufacturer app stores.

Ability to Share

To share a mobile site using email, text message, or social media, all you need to do is copy and paste the site’s URL. It’s very easy to direct your audience to a mobile site using a blog, website, or even print media like newspapers and magazines. Apps, unfortunately, CAN’T be shared.

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Reach

Mobile websites have far greater reach than apps due to their ability to be acessed by virtually any platform, their superior sharing abilities, and their ability to show up in search engines.

Lifecycle

According to research, mobile apps have an AVERAGE shelf life of about 30 days. Mobile websites, on the other hand, cannot be deleted and are always available for users to return to them. So unless you have a truly innovative and unique idea for an app, we’d suggest sticking with a mobile website for now.

Time and Cost

Mobile websites are usually always more time and cost efficient than mobile apps. If you are wanting a presence across multiple platforms, go with a mobile website. You can create a mobile app for every platform you want to reach, but that will require much more time and much more money.

Support and Sustainability

Maintaining and supporting a mobile app over time is considerably more expensive and tiresome than developing a mobile website. App development requires constant upgrades, testing, and compatibility resolution.

You Can Do BOTH

You can create a mobile website as a database-driven application that will act like a native app. A mobile web app can be a great alternative solution to native apps. If you like the benefits of mobile websites, but like the feel of mobile apps, this might be the solution for you.

So it appears that it is obvious that you should choose a mobile website over a mobile app. Or at least develop a web app that incorporates features from both. So why would you choose just a mobile app?

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When Should You Use a Mobile App?

To keep things simple, if you need to do one of the following, developing a mobile app may make more sense than a mobile website.

Interaction

If you want to design an interactive game for your users, design an app. This should not be a hard decision. Consider the success of popular games like Angry Birds or Temple Run.

Personalization

If you feel like your users are going to be using your app on a regular and constant basis, then an app may be right for you. Don’t get arrogant though. Just because you think users should be using your app everyday doesn’t mean they will.

Detailed Reporting

If you need something that can take on a lot of data while allowing you to influence it with complicated calculations, charts, and reports, then an app is the way to go. This is good for banking or investment companies.

Native Functionality is Needed

If you need something that users can access their cameras or phone processing power with, then go with an app. They can do this along with click-to-call, SMS messaging, and GPS.

No Internet Required

Native apps do not need the internet to work. So if you think your users will need to access your content or perform tasks without an internet connection, then go with a mobile app.

To put it simply, if your goals are to increase or establish an online presence, deliver content, and establish a broad mobile presence, go with a mobile website. If you intend to create an interactive experience with your users, or you want to provide something that works more like a computer program than a website, then a mobile app is what you want. Then again, you can always do BOTH and win at all ends. The choice is yours.

Effective In-App Advertising | 3 Approaches to “Appvertising”

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There have been rumors throughout the mobile marketing industry that the web is dying, but before you jump up and call us crazy, let us explain. This theory is based on the primary belief that customers and end users will start to navigate the web more prominently through peer-to-peer networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and thus increasingly on apps in the near future. This is where in-app advertising comes in.

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We already know Facebook has grown its empire to over 1 billion users, and Twitter is at about half that with approximately 500 million users. So the first part of this line of thinking has already been proven true with seemingly everyone on at least one type of social network. So if everyone on the web is on social networks, then the other non-social websites aren’t getting as many views or as much traffic as they would like. So why would you advertise on them? Marketing agencies, other websites, and product and service based companies are starting to move their advertising efforts to within apps as opposed to on the web itself.

If you are thinking this is a bad thing, it’s not. Think about it. Advertising on the web has been tough for marketers since visitors to websites usually do not click on banner ads, most notably on Facebook, and they usually view any type of ad as an unwelcome intrusion to their browsing experience. Further supporting this, a recent study by Appssavvy reported that in-app advertising is 11.4 times more effective that your generic banner ads. This only means that in-app advertising is almost as effective as search.

All of this being said, we have put together a few key pointers to know when you begin to develop an “appvertising” strategy for your in-app advertising.

Work From the Inside Out

This is essentially blending your advertising into the app. For example, when Dr. Pepper advertises their product, they don’t simply put a Dr. Pepper can in the background. Marketers have learned that to effectively market the product, in this case Dr. Pepper soda, you want to have a key character actually drink the product during a pivotal moment, such as when the character is very thirsty. So how do you apply this to apps?

Microsoft worked this angle beautifully with nqmoco’s (yes, that’s spelled right) “Godfinger All-Stars” in which players are given the ability to control and manage their own planets. The goal of the game is to grow and make money and ultimately get to the next level, much like any other game. However, Microsoft, working with Appssavvy, created a Windows Cloud to put IN the game. Users could then visit Microsoft’s cloud the same way they could visit friends’ planets while also getting the opportunity to earn money within the game. They could also click through to a mobile landing page to learn more about Microsoft’s Windows 7. The campaign resulted in 10% of the game’s players visiting the cloud, or 6.1 million visits. All because Microsoft put themselves IN the game.

Give Incentive to Viewers and Gamers

If you don’t want to go through the work of placing yourself within the game, then you can forget blending completely and simply give your consumers and gamers incentive to view your ads. This involves you giving them some type of in-app currency in exchange for sitting through an advertisement.

SocialVibe was able to implement this strategy by giving currency to players who viewed their “Big Game Tournament”, which featured characters from FarmVille, YoVille, FrontierVille, and others in a football game that was sponsored by Kia. And boy did it work. SocialVibe ended up generating the highest time-spent-per-user of any SocialVibe game, ever! The average time? 170 seconds, which is unheard of when it comes down to literally paying virtual money to have viewers see your ads.

SocialVibe went on to receive $20 million from Northwest Venture Partners as a result of their successful campaign. Not too bad for a little in-app marketing.

Be Creative

You can settle with standard in-app advertising and just get standard results. Or you can choose to create rich media and get rich results. It has been proven that rich media performs much better than standard advertisements, so if you’re really wanting to garner results out of your in-app marketing strategy, then you will want to be creative and imaginative with your media and advertising. Draw people into your ad. Don’t let them just dismiss it as another annoyance while they are within the app.

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Westinn Hotels has a great creative app which actually engages the user from the beginning. Users are introduced to the app with a “frosted” screen that asks users to “warm up” by rubbing their finger on the screen to “remove” the frost. As you move your finger removing the frost, a nice, warm Westinn Resort is revealed underneath. This was a very simple concept, yet it fulfilled the purpose of drawing the user into the app and engaging them right away.

So you can see that there are different ways of approaching in-app advertising, or “appvertising” as it is becoming known. The good thing for marketers is that in-app advertising is relatively new to the industry, so there is still a little time to figure out its nooks and crannies. However, if you take too long to implement mobile in-app advertising into your overall marketing strategy, you will find yourself and your company on the outside looking in when it comes to mobile marketing in general. Don’t be one of these companies!

Niche Mobile Marketing Apps | Take Advantage of Small Business Markets

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Marketers traditionally have wanted to go after the largest markets they can find. However, taking advantage of niche markets, despite their smaller numbers, can be surprisingly profitable, especially if you do it right. This has become particularly true with mobile marketing. If you take the time to develop the proper niche mobile marketing strategy and corner a niche market, not only will you be exceptionally profitable, but you will face virtually ZERO competition and will be able to enjoy the advantages of having an extremely loyal group of customers.

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There are essentially 5 steps to developing a successful niche mobile marketing strategy. Follow them and you will be rewarded grandly.

Know Your Customers

This is probably the most important step of developing ANY marketing strategy. You need to know your market in and out. Study your market, speak and discuss with members of your target demographic, and follow and learn their activities. Make sure to read as much as you can into what their primary problems, issues, and worries are. If they want to do something better, learn how you can solve that problem for them. Be willing to stop and talk with them at any time, gather as much information as you can about them, and generally immerse yourself into their worlds so you can better understand them and how they operate.

Once you’ve become an expert on your target demographic, you should be able to satisfy their wants and needs quickly and efficiently. If you do not do any of this, you will effectively become an “outsider” to your targets and they will not be able to relate or identify with you. Make sure you know your target demographic to a tee and you’ll be off to a great start.

Learn Customers’ App Wants and Needs and Create a Customized Offering

Now that you’re an expert on your targets, you can start to figure out exactly what it is that they want on their mobile apps. Keeping it simple will usually give you the best results, so focus on sticking with what is proven to work, then add more features as you see necessary as you go along. Realize that you don’t always have to add more. Sometimes just sticking with the original simple idea with minimal features on the app will give you better results than if the app becomes cluttered with unnecessary add-ons.

For example, if you are working with a restaurant that does take-out, then you will probably want to add a feature that allows consumers to place orders through the app. However, if you’re working with a high-end restaurant, then you would have no use for that feature on the app.

You want to be creative, but you don’t want to overdo it. NEVER take the one-size fits all approach. Treat each client and company as an individual entity, because they are. Research and find out what it is that makes each company special, then tailor your marketing to reflect that.

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Figure Out Where Their “Homes” Are

DON’T use the same mediums and channels for your niche market that you would use for other markets. Niche markets are special, so you need to treat them as such. You’ll want to start by finding out where their favorite hangout and meeting spots are. They might like a particular internet forum, so go find them there, chat with them, and find out what’s important to them and what’s not. They may host events like conventions, online webinars, conferences, or seminars; so go to them and interact with your targets. When you show your customers that you are willing to adapt to them, instead of the other way around, they will notice and you will be accepted with open arms. Once you’ve gotten to this point, working with them to make an ideal app will be easy.

Get the Ball Rolling With Freebies

Once you’ve established connections within the niche market you are targeting, you’ll want to get them to try and test out your app. The best way to do this is to simply offer it to them for free. Everyone loves free stuff and the best way to get feedback on anything is to have people test it out for free. The feedback you get back will be honest and straightforward, and may even be a little more positive since you let them try it without having to pay. Make sure you are listening intently to everything they say to you about the app, good or bad. This stage of the app development process is critical because it will ultimately determine the overall quality and usefulness of the app. If you are getting positive feedback, be sure to gather these as testimonials. You can use these testimonials in the future when you are launching the product publicly.

Realize that niche markets are ultra-connected communities of people. So if you get one good referral, that one referral could be the key to your app catching on like wildfire. Never underestimate any of the referrals you are getting. Knowing this, it is never a bad idea to add extra incentive on top of the free app so that more people will be willing to give you feedback.

Adapt, React, and Respond

Just because you’ve launched your app and gotten plenty of feedback does not mean that you are done. App development is a never ending process, and if you don’t learn to adapt, react, and respond to your customers’ ongoing feedback for your app, it will become destined for failure. The most important thing to remember when designing an app is that it should directly reflect the wants, needs, and feedback of your users. If you do this, your success is all but guaranteed.