Over the last decade or so, smart phones have become an integral part of the lives of many individuals. In fact, I think it is safe to say that many people would feel a little lost without their smart phones. I know if I leave the house and realize I forgot my cell phone, I would immediately return home to retrieve it!
Because our smart phones play such an integral part of our lives, it is important as business owners for us to consider how we can use the medium of smart phones to communicate with our customers and prospects.
In a previous post I talked about should you be using text message marketing in your business, but text messaging is not the only way to reach or communicate with your customers and prospects on their smart phones, Mobile apps are another way that businesses are using smart phones to their advantage.
So in this post I decided to compare using a business mobile app to using text message marketing to reach your customers and prospects on their smart phones.
Mobile Apps
Mobile apps are a great way for businesses to reach customers and prospects. When mobile apps first came out, many of them were similar to a downloadable version of the company’s website. However, apps have evolved over time and are now tools that individuals can use to make their lives easier.
For example, I have downloaded the app for my bank and it makes it easier for me to easily check my account balances, make transfers, and other simply transactions. I enjoy using my banking app because it is much easier to pick up my phone than to have to log on to my computer and go to the bank website.
However, my bank also offers text message capability where I can text to get my balance or the last 5 transactions on my account, or you can also sign-up for text alerts when your account balance reaches a certain level or if a bill has been paid, etc.
As a consumer, I enjoy using both my mobile banking app and being able to receive text messages regarding my account.
However, as a business owner you have to consider the fact that creating a business mobile app can be time consuming and costly. Most customized business apps are going to cost you hundreds and even thousands of dollars to create,while many text message platforms are affordable and can cost less than $50/month.
The other thing to think about as a business owner is most apps require that the consumer seek it out on their phone and use it. As I mentioned, I use my banking apps on a regular basis, but I have over 50 apps on my phone and I probably only regularly use about 10,so 80% of the apps on my phone, I hardly if ever used.
So a a business owner, you wouldn’t want to invest so much time and effort in an app that may not be consumed on a regular basis by your customers and prospects.
Text Message Marketing
Text Message Marketing is a great way to communicate with your clients and prospects. When individuals sign-up to receive text messages from your company, they have opened the door to permission based marketing on their smart phone.
For example, I receive text messages from a company that is inspirational and motivational. I enjoy receiving messages from this company because I agreed to the communication and I always find their information valuable.
As a business owner, it is important to approach text message marketing as a way to reach individuals (clients and prospects) who have given you permission to reach out to them on their smart phones and provide them with valuable information.
The biggest advantage of text messaging over a mobile app is text messaging allows you to push out messages to your contacts while mobile apps allow you to provide information when people log in to your app, so it’s a push v. pull strategy.
If your goal is to push out relevant, timely, and valuable information, then you are better off using text message marketing instead of creating a mobile app for your business.
However, if your goal is to provide a valuable and useful tool for your clients and prospects, then a mobile app maybe a better way to go.
What do you think? Are you currently using a business mobile app or text message marketing for your business? If so, what do you think works better? Be sure to comment below.
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