Making Mobile Apps Part of the Bigger Picture

Most companies want to connect the dots between marketing channels. Here's how to integrate mobile into your overall marketing strategy.

Ported Post: This entry was originally published in the Artisan Mobile blog. Artisan was rebranded as In-App Marketing after being acquired by TUNE in July of 2015. 

There is a lot of frustration in the marketing industry about the fact that mobile apps are typically isolated from other online and offline communications channels. Despite the amount of time consumers spend on mobile devices, and the amount of money companies invest in developing and supporting applications, we hear regularly from prospects who tell us that their mobile apps aren’t tied to other forms of marketing outreach. Most companies want to integrate mobile into marketing channels. They just don’t know how.

Fortunately, while there are still some technology gaps, there are also many effective ways to integrate mobile apps into a broader communications strategy. You can examine how users get to your app, track what they do when they get there, and pinpoint ways to re-engage with them after they leave.

To start, you have to combine data sets in order to follow user activity from one realm to the next. Data might come from analytics you collect from registered users on your website, from a direct marketing list, or from a marketing event. Regardless of the source, you need to be able either to import this external data into a Mobile Marketing Automation platform where your mobile app analytics are housed, or to export your app data from a Mobile Marketing Automation platform so that it can be analyzed alongside this existing information in another reporting dashboard. By combining data sets, you gain a clearer picture of how marketing efforts impact audience response, and how users move through different online and offline domains.

Beyond merging data sets of user activity, you also need to track specific patterns of behavior within your app. The conclusions you draw from mobile app behavior can often be applied to other marketing channels. For example, what messages or images resonate best in your app? If one piece of content leads to greater user engagement than another, you can use that information to reinforce marketing efforts on your website, in advertisements, or anywhere else.

Finally, while you don’t have direct control over where users go when they leave your app, there are tools available for nudging them in a particular direction. Consider sending a push notification with an incentive to help drive users to your website or even to an offline location. Push messages are a great way to influence behavior not only in your app, but in other areas where consumers interact with your brand.

While mobile apps have historically been isolated in the marketing world, they don’t have to remain that way. In fact, they can’t stay separated if companies want to drive a greater return on mobile investment. It’s time to integrate mobile into marketing.