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With The Mobile Apps Craze Businesses Need To Look at User Base

How many of you have wondered how that little freaking bird can hit the green pipe everytime? Ugh! Yes, I am talking about the mobile app Flappy Bird. This was the viral app to have about a year ago and one in about a thousand like it that have been the app of the minute. ( For those of you like me with the attention span of a squirrel on Redbull, you understand.)

While games are usually not a business’s first thought when it comes to mobile apps, let’s step back and first look at why you are looking to have an app for your business.

1. You need it for an internal audience, i.e. the sales team
2. You need your customers to have a way to interact or order product easily
3. You would like to push information to a desired audience easily
4. You want brand recognition

Who is your audience? I ask this each time I start the pre-development process. This information is crucial to find out if you really need a mobile app or if you can just use a mobile website to accomplish your goals.

Each age demographic looks at technology differently. Baby Boomers are increasingly good at web based searches and Facebook, but are not likely to use a mobile app or device to communicate. The Gen Xers, like myself, are not afraid to mobile app it out when needed. However, the Mellinials are literally programmed to use mobile apps on a smart phone. It is their first method of communication. If you are like me and have teenage children, you know how hard it is to have a conversation with a kid who is Gramming… (Mom you were right, payback sucks!)

So I want to get back to your reason for wanting an app. If you know your audience and what content you need to get to them, then there are reasons to use a mobile app versus a mobile website. Some things such as push notification and embedded content are only done in an app. Embedded content is useful when you are using this app for a sales force and need access to certain documents when they are in the field away from cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. A lot of things can be done in an efficient mobile website, and it costs less, but you sacrifice some performance and an understanding that offline access (not having an internet connection) is not an option.

If you are just looking at getting an app out there for some brand recognition, another thing to remember about an app is that if the user interface (UI) is crappy, your adoption rate and usage will suffer. Keeping it simple is always best, and not overloading content and buttons will further enhance the user experience. It won’t matter if your company or brand has an app if nobody uses it.

If you know your audience, how you want the content delivered and know how to best deliver it, then maybe an app is for you. Now just try and get to one hundred points on Flappy Bird without using a four letter word. I dare you…

Kiar Media is a full service interactive advertising agency specializing in mobile apps, website design, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. For more information on how Kiar Media can help your company grow its online presence, visit kiarmedia.com or call 920-403-0576.

About the author: Kiar Olson has been at the cutting edge of advertising, media, websites and interactive strategy since 1996. His love of 80’s hair bands and all things from that era make him well versed in being made fun of by his wife and two teenage children.