How Your App Can Escape the Doom of Becoming a Fad

By Evan Rutchik On Mar 20, 2019

Last year brought a powerhouse class of apps that changed the mobile landscape, not only for consumers but also for marketers and app developers. It is clear that the goal for developers and marketers in mobile is to connect with their users, bring them together, and create or enhance experiences. Some examples we have seen would be MoviePass’ attempts to disrupt how audiences go to movie theaters, or HQ Trivia’s push to bring audiences together at designated times and deliver real-time interactive experiences.

While these companies, and others like them, were based on innovative ideas that became popular almost overnight, their inabilities to evolve with consumer interests caused these once-rising stars to lose their moment in the spotlight.

From marketers and developers to investors and CEOs, there are a number of stakeholders who want to know how to avoid becoming the next trendy fad app. 2018 might have been the year of one-hit-wonders, but the secret to success in 2019 involves creating a deeper, lasting bond with consumers based on different insights. App developers might think they are already developing and executing on the best data available, but often times these individual companies do not have the resources at scale to develop a true understanding of their customers based on behaviors inside their app and out.

Fortunately, marketers can take a few steps to head in the right direction.

Start with Data — Consented Data

New analytics tools can create context in the chaos, opening up the gates of mobile data and making it more transparent and accessible for marketers and developers. However, the key differentiator to look for is consented mobile data, where consumers agree to release their data in order to receive a more personalized experience. They understand the value exchange. Bad data, such as biased, self-reported, third party, or even unconsented data, can ruin any app strategy — especially in today’s GDPR age.

Consented mobile data is not based on consumers’ expectations of themselves or their personal opinions, but is based on objective behavioral information drawn from users willing to share their observed mobile journeys. This consented data can then be leveraged with technology to fuel goals-driven insights.

Look Beyond Owned Channels

The challenge most app publishers face is that they don’t see data beyond their own siloed universe, you could even consider their own channel as its own walled garden. When it comes to their own mobile channels, marketers can see exactly what their users clicked on, when they engaged and how long they stayed in the app.

But this is only a fraction of consumers’ screen time on mobile. After all, the average person spends five hours per day on their phone, and we all know the average time spent on an owned channel is much less, maybe minutes per month.

This is where the power of AI comes into play. With purpose-built Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, marketers can have a more comprehensive view of both app and mobile web behavior outside of their own channels and beyond the walls of the walled gardens. Combined with consented data, marketers can use this to understand holistic journeys weeks, days, even minutes before and after users interact with their app or website. This mobile journey is crucial to helping marketers create meaningful personalized connections with their users, and to sustaining a long-term valuable relationship with them.

Expand with Smart Partnerships

With clearer visibility into user journeys, marketers can turn this data into actionable insights to reach new audiences. Often times, marketers target new audiences by using tools that guess or make assumptions of a user based on stale data or a single data point. While that’s certainly useful, it might not be as accurate. It’s really only one piece.

Marketers can use mobile user journeys to identify and uncover new potential partnerships, rather than guessing where users will be at. For example, if a new gaming app is noticing that their consumers are visiting Tinder before opening their game, then publishers can partner with the dating app to reach new audiences and inform media buying strategies. Know more about the user’s true behaviors, and again you will be able to establish a more meaningful relationship.

All these steps help mobile marketers understand their customers, which creates timely, personalized, relevant content and outreach programs that truly resonate and speak to customers’ core interests.

Armed with advanced technologies, marketers can stop wondering if they’re creating the next big thing or the next big flop. By being able to connect with customers at a deeper level, app companies can create strong emotional bonds that not only improve customer experiences and increase company revenue, but also stand the test of time.

Read More: 2019 is the Year of AMP