Five things you need to know about optimising mobile apps

1. Engage your audience. The days of hard selling are gone, consumers increasingly want to be engaged, entertained and stimulated and apps are the ideal platform through which to do this.

You should seek to build in interactive elements into your app to engage your audience. Micro games, augmented reality and location-based elements enrich the audience’s mobile experience, while special promotion offers and social-networking services help the users to relate to the app.

2. Understand that global trends are playing differently in Hong Kong. Consumers in Hong Kong have expectations and behaviours that are different from the rest of the world, remember this when designing and launching a mobile app.

When location-based social network Foursquare launched, it was a big hit overseas with more than eight million users. In Hong Kong however it had little to no traction because consumers are interested in local apps such as 'Leisure guide' which offers local information and services they can relate to.

Learning by this example and adding a local touch would definitely help boost the success of your mobile app.

3. Capitalise on your mobile app. An app is more than a platform to engage your audience, it is an opportunity to generate revenue. Capitalise on your mobile app traffic by placing ads on the app itself. You can charge the advertisers on different metrics like CPC (cost per click) and CPM (cost per mille), while using different forms such as text ads, banner ads, click-to-call and videos.

4. Advertise your mobile app. There is no point in having an app if no one knows about it. Place ads on related websites and advertise your app on other apps. One strategically placed ad can significantly increase traffic to your app.

When placing in-app ads, it’s important to understand the mobile app’s traffic pattern and the user’s usage. For a food and beverage app, place your in-app ad on other lifestyle apps, preferably on a Friday or weekend when people are more likely to be seeking for food and beverage related ideas. For a financial service app, place your ad on other business-related or news apps, preferably on weekday mornings, taking advantage of financial sector consumers  who will be already be reading the latest news of the day on those apps. 

5. You need a distinct reason to have a mobile app. Similar to how Facebook pages are in great demand without any specific reasons, many brands nowadays insist on a mobile app. However, ask yourself whether your brand really needs a mobile app? Perhaps not.

The mobile app has certain limitations such as a miniature screen, standardised code base, limited graphics and flash support, etc. Since these limitations prevent brands from creating a full experience for its users, the mobile app should only serve as part of a 360-degree advertising campaign.

Even though there is an enormous hype about building mobile app, make sure your mobile app should have a specific use (e.g. complementing your web page or providing geo-targeted promotional offers) and weigh up the advantages and investment before developing one.