Market leaders turn to apps to address mobile device users

Apps are emerging as a new frontier for market leadership.

Demonstrating market sector credibility is  important in gaining thought leadership.  A company that demonstrates its expertise in their market opens the route to sales. Customers figure if they are that knowledgable, then buying their products is a safe bet. Traditionally there have been several routes to make this land grab for the moral high ground of the sector. For example through presenting conference papers, publishing white papers, guide books and giving lectures. Or by having an industry guru who is expert in the state of play, of say the technology deployed , the current thinking and best practice. Now into the marketing communication mix comes the company app for mobile devices.

As momentum shifts from desk top to mobile devices like iPhones and iPads, so customers want access to company information through an app, not necessarily through a mobile version of the company web site either. Research conducted by Forbes Insights - The Connected Marketer:How Apps are engaging Customers, Partners and Employees - suggests that "A compelling mobile strategy requires that marketers design, develop and deploy apps that are capable of delivering a range of online services, from product communications to fresh content, unique specials and even gaming."

Forbes Insights survey identifies a number of trends:-

• Customer-facing apps are on the rise - 78% report increases in their mobile app audiences.
• Internal apps are driving efficiency.
• Marketers are not all relying on IT departments to develop apps.
• User experience is the greatest challenge for marketers - the ability to design user-friendly interfaces, to keep users interested and returning to their apps.
• Many marketers are not measuring app usage, but those that do look at number of downloads or content views rather than metrics measuring navigation, pathing and time spent.

B-2-B marketers should be figuring out how to design apps that have value to their customers and prospects, value that will translate into sales.