Сложности с маркетингом мобильных приложений (12.12.2009)  

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Challenges with mobile application marketing

The good news is that thousands of mobile applications are on their way to the market for commercial launch in 2010.

Tesco, Financial Times, Ocado, Natwest, Nationwide and many mainstream brands have already launched their apps. This is an encouraging sign which indicates the resounding demand for apps on the high street and that the market is not just limited to early adopter techie brands.

However, as the market is flooded with good, bad and ugly applications it becomes difficult for application publishers to reach their target audience. Discovery of applications and adoption are the biggest challenges faced by brands over the next two years.

The branded app stores owned by handset vendors and mobile operators have limited capacity to accommodate the huge demand for preferred advertising slots and placements.

In our view there are many solutions to overcome these problems and we are listing some options which brands can follow.

1. Time to market / Be the first: You can be the first company in your designated vertical to launch an application in a particular App store supporting certain operating systems. This can give you a temporary early mover advantage but it becomes difficult in the long term when competitors join you with their me2 apps. This will require you to keep innovating and build different versions of your app for multiple handset formats or operator requirements.

2. Build Differentiated Apps: Building community specific services or unique product attributes will definitely help you in creating a market and retaining your customers.

3. PR & Viral Marketing: Well thought of PR and viral marketing campaigns can give your brand a big push which leaves a lasting impression in the consumers mind. However, there is no free lunch in the long term unless you are a viral marketing guru or you have invented something which can scale up to the level of Twitter or Facebook.

4. Mobile Advertising: There are specialist mobile advertising networks and application marketing hubs where you can reach a wider audience through a large network of mobile advertising channels.

5. Integrated Marketing Strategy: The best way forward is to use every trick in the book and integrate your marketing and advertising strategy. This includes below the line and above the line advertising which supports your brand as a whole. The recent campaign for the Natwest Mobile Banking application in the UK was supported by TV, Print, Internet and Mobile Advertising.

Whether you are in the stage of designing, developing or plain thinking about Mobile Applications. Wireless Expertise can help you in implementing a successful mobile application marketing strategy.

Placement of your app in the various operator and handset stores is just the first step, there are many more untapped marketing opportunities to exploit.

We look forward to hear from you and discuss with you how we can be of help to your company.

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