The concept of the mobile app as a marketing tool is no longer new. There are written and unwritten rules, and there is also statistical data to see how consumers perceive this mobile application role. First and foremost, the mobile app is your constant presence to your potential customers. People take their cell phones everywhere, even when they go out for lunch. And the role of smartphones is changing how we connect with our customers and this ripple effect is touching  a multitude of industries from entertainment and media to businesses small and large. Thus, thanks to their dedicated applications, companies can now reach potential customers through a device they already use for business, shopping and communication with their favorite brands. The only thing to do is to create and promote a mobile app! The question is how can you integrate your mobile application into your marketing strategy?

1. Push Notifications – Send them at the right time

A study conducted by Leanplum , a mobile marketing automation platform, on 671 million push notifications sent in 2015 revealed a disturbing trend: more than 63% of companies send their messages at the wrong time. The number one problem identified in the study was, surprisingly, not to take into account time zones. The second: do not send notifications in the time interval where users are most likely to interact with them. It’s easy to avoid these mistakes and get the most out of push notifications that have proven to be more effective than email or browser notifications. Use the analytics you have and discover when your target audience interacts with your app. In this way, you can send your push notifications at the right time to maximize their openness and readability.

2. Make your application detectable

Your mobile application is a valuable digital property, just like your website. Since you are working hard to promote your website and make it visible through SEO, social networking and AdWords, why not include your application in these efforts? By the way, did you know that 25% of users discover apps through searches? This means that without proper promotion, you risk losing 1 in 4 potential new users. An appropriate mobile app promotion strategy includes:

• Pre-launch the social media campaign via special landing pages, and even invite your existing subscribers to test the beta and give feedback.
• Launch date: live events on social networks, polls, inviting your subscribers to share videos on the use of the application and publish their content.
• App Store Optimization: Find relevant keywords to include in your app description, as well as a short and memorable app name.
• Post-launch campaign: Keep promoting your app via your website and social networks(Facebook offers a customizable call-to-action button that gives users access to the app’s download page).

3. Use the app updates to promote your business

When you publish major application updates, you can use this opportunity to inform your customers of upcoming special discounts, new product versions, or new sections of your app that have been included to better serve them.

Large application updates should always focus on adding new features, either in response to your user’s comments or to increase the value of your application. Just like the launch of the app, major updates should be promoted through an integrated website campaign via email and on social networks. You can also attract new users to the app by offering discount coupons for installing the updated application.

4. Integrate your application into other marketing efforts

Since the smartphone has become the first device to browse the Internet, it has never been easier to integrate your mobile application in your web marketing strategy. For example, you can include links to your app store download in your newsletter headers and even in the electronic signatures of all your employees. The mobile app can also be used to send reminders for sales campaigns, online contests, events you host, and also as a simple tool to confirm participation in these contests or events.

5. Monitor and make use of mobile traffic analysis

There is a lot to learn about how and when your customers interact with your app. This helps your organization understand how customers prefers to communicate with you, shop, etc. In addition, when you use applications in conjunction with website analysis, application data can help you identify stagnant customers, as well as new customers who may become loyal brand ambassadors.

The information you collect from your mobile application determines how to shape your marketing and remarketing strategies , targeting the right users at the right time and on the right device. In this way, you will maximize the lifetime value of your customers, fine-tune your customer acquisition cost calculations and segment your customers more efficiently.Your mobile application may be more useful to your business than you could have imagined. By combining the right promotion and application development strategies, it can complement your website in terms of lead generation and conversion.

Let’s get your mobile app appearing at the top of the app stores search!