Apps Are the Future of Marketing

New research indicates that the vast majority of the time people spend on their smartphone is used connected to the internet. It’s estimated that US adults on average spend 4 hours on mobile internet and, of that time, 88% is on apps. Furthermore, the latter percentage continues to grow with each passing year.

In 2020 alone, about 83% of the time that people spend using tablets is going to be on apps, which is a significant increase compared to just a few years ago. However, this is still less when compared to 90% of the time that people spend on apps on their smartphones.

Nevertheless, the distinction between the time that people spend using browsers and using apps is constantly blurring. According to a study from last year, about 9% of the time that people spend on Facebook was actually within embedded browsers. Additionally, some advanced websites are able to provide users with an experience that’s highly similar to apps.

The ongoing pandemic has further influenced the use of mobile web and apps, as well as their mix. Most minutes in the past few months have been gained on a few key apps, such as those by big social media platforms, as well as video and messaging apps.

For 2020, most marketers were expecting the trends already evident towards the end of 2019 to continue, including the time that people spend on streaming video, audio, along with gaming and social media. The pandemic only served to further accelerate these trends. Current predictions state that the average US adult is going to be spending 23 more minutes of their day using their smartphone, while tablet use will increase by 2 minutes per day, both of which are big spikes compared to the pre-pandemic estimates.

For brands and corporations that are looking to make successful and data-driven digital marketing strategies, they need to look no further than smartphone apps. Creating productive campaigns that are going to reach the target audience is easier and very versatile on smartphone apps. Research has shown that vertical content is a lot more engaging when it comes to mobile app marketing, and one of the most popular features that social media platforms provide to their users is Stories.

These days, approximately 400 million social media users are using stories on a daily basis, and the stats show that all of these users are a lot more likely to share stories rather than new posts on their feeds. Marketers can use this data and all this information to deliver even more value to their target audiences. Using countdowns, giveaway contests, polls, as well as other types of video content is an excellent way to attract audiences.

However, using these content strategies without providing the audience with a unique and interesting app is going to be useless. Keep in mind that many users aren’t patient and rarely give apps a second chance, so make sure that there is enough information on what the audience wants before introducing an app to the market.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR.