Marketing strategies may look complicated for managers that aren’t familiar with promotional approaches. All these social media pages, engagements, targeted ads, conversion rates, and other tricks focused on boosting your company’s results are not as simple but essential. Nowadays, it’s possible to streamline processes and improve performance through innovations and, particularly, new apps. They are wonderful if implemented correctly.
In the guide, we will not touch plain and well-known suggestions such as «study your clients and competitors» or «measure KPIs». Really, every marketer knows about these strategies as they are industry standards already! Instead, we want to talk about innovative software applications for powerful marketing campaigns and ways in which you can use them or their ideas. Wait no more, dive in the world of fresh marketing!
Mobile Apps as Innovations
Let’s begin with a simple stuff. Traditionally, innovation is any new idea, either postulated or already implemented. More precisely, an innovative application is a finished product based on certain approaches that change traditional vision, push new methods, and deliver new benefits. According to Merriam-Webster (and other dictionaries), the modern definition of an app refers to software products designed for mobile devices so we will focus on these gadgets.
Well, the first reinvention of your marketing approaches should be focused on a pretty simple idea – usage of applications. Yes-yes, this part is obvious but we can’t skip it because mobile apps are innovative by their nature. Thus, focus on five key rules of adopting applications for your business needs:
- Engage users with the perfect first impression.
- Use push notifications to improve conversion rates.
- Answer with personalized responses.
- Consider using a freemium model.
- Design apps with efficient yet simple UX/UI.
By the way, if you don’t want to spend money on own IT team, consider outsourcing to Ukraine or other states of Eastern Europe where rates are quite low while the developers are nearly equal to American colleagues in terms of skill and knowledge.
Okay but what about real innovations? The fastest spacecraft ever designed for getting solar probes and bananas that can grow in cold climates are outstanding, undoubtedly. Nevertheless, the software development sector has some interesting stuff to show, too.
Innovative Applications and Lessons They Teach
Apart from the innovative idea of all applications and their usefulness for marketing efforts, there are some products that show how businessmen can utilize new approaches. Basically, the most effective marketing technique is based on content marketing but the next two places by popularity are focused on innovations: artificial intelligence (AI) + machine learning and Big Data. Means, you can add specific AI features to your application or use a third-party app with the implemented functions to attract more users, improve performance, and get higher profits.
Well, it should be easier to grasp the idea with examples. Let’s look at several applications that show how to use innovations in your favor.
500px
Here, we’re interested not in the app itself but in its new feature called Splash. Long story short, with it, you can draw something like your old Paint pictures and then get dozens of beautiful images similar to this sketch. The approach is wonderful when you can’t search for an object using words but can draw it somehow.
Key idea for marketers: search is vital for nearly all businesses. 500px combines the importance of search and simple AI tools to deliver a brand new user experience. The «visual googling» may look a bit odd but it works, definitely. Thus, you also can test different search options to find the best one for your business.
Duplex
This application is also developed by Google and based on the famous Google Assistant. Duplex is a new breed of smart apps that help in daily life as it can interact with real people on behalf of its owner. For example, a user can use the app to make a dinner reservation, book tickets or contact hotels. Duplex trains itself constantly with real phone calls.
Key idea for marketers: continuing the idea of digital help, Duplex brings AI and machine learning to new heights. Marketing campaigns based on the strengths of innovative smart virtual assistants can deliver unique value to end users. Depending on your audience, you can use machine learning for various tasks.
Lookout + Be My Eyes
There are a lot of users that have various visual problems. The main issue with app assistants is that they require constant picturing of surroundings. Lookout by Google can be worn on a lanyard or fixed in the pocket so it will identify objects, read labels, and scan codes without manual interaction.
The same concept of helping blind or visually impaired people is realized in the app called Be My Eyes. Instead of machine-based assistance, this program engages social responsibility and volunteering. People can easily sign up to help other people with identifying objects or solving various daily issues.
Key idea for marketers: for these two applications, the idea of visual search is defining, too. Lookout utilizes AI algorithms while Be My Eyes software is based on socialization. Developers can focus on social benefits with either innovative or traditional tech methods to gain higher attention from the target audience.
Pokémon Go
Right, it’s the same highly-hyped game where you catch well-known creatures from the beloved Pokémon universe on the real streets using your phone. Pokémon Go utilizes augmented reality (AR) features plus camera modules. In 2018, the game reached 800 million downloads worldwide so it’s difficult to deny its engagement rates!
Key idea for marketers: the success is partially based on the franchise’s popularity but AR ideas are powerful drivers, too. Despite AR/VR approaches aren’t as innovative today, they can provide for some unique functions that will be perfect for your users. For instance, architects and surgeons should appreciate AR workspaces a lot.
Square
Square is a pretty famous financial service developed for financial transactions processing. Its killer feature is a mobile terminal compatible with smartphones that easily connects to them and accepts payments made from physical credit cards. It should be suitable for individual workers, accounting departments, and warehouses.
Key idea for marketers: Square blurs the boundary between digital applications and real-world devices. The combination of two approaches is potentially extremely profitable because you can expand the functionality of an app with more features integrated into physical gadgets. This mix requires proper planning but its innovativeness is undeniable.
Final Words
Marketing is required. Apps are powerful. Innovations are engaging. Bring these three things together to get a good boost to your campaigns. It’s clear that people want to feel involved in the modern trends. It’s also clear that modern users are quite versatile and dynamic. Hence, basing your marketing efforts on applications with innovative features like smart assistants with self-taught experience will bring additional benefits.
The only suggestion from us: plan everything properly. With the constant analysis of the audience, you will be sure that one or another feature is really demanded and profitable.
