If you like email marketing because it connects you with your customers, you’re gonna love mobile apps. You may have thought you have to choose one or the other, but there’s good news – you can (and should) take them as a pair. The two go together – like PB&J, peas and carrots, or Jay-Z and Beyoncé. They’re each great on their own, but you’ll be amazed to see how stellar they are as a couple. They’re quite different but in many ways the same. And they complement each other quite nicely.

Email marketing – the steady one

Email marketing is familiar and comfortable. Nearly every consumer or business you serve uses email. In fact, by the end of 2016, there will be over 4.6 billion inboxes worldwide – and growing.  And individuals are sending and receiving over 215 emails per day.

You’ll find your audience is receptive to your messages once you’ve been invited into their inbox. Provide a good reason for them to join your list, make it easy to sign up, and you’re in business. Results are predictable, and it’s easy and affordable to reach, engage, and convert subscribers into loyal customers.

Here’s what you can do:

• Communicate the value of subscribing – offer “VIP” status with members-only offers, including the instant gratification of a “welcome” deal
• Build your audience – add a signup form to your website, promote it on social media, collect signups at the point of sale
• Send valuable content regularly – including news, product announcements, events in mobile-responsive templates to look great on every device
• Surprise & delight them occasionally with special “members-only” offers

Mobile apps – young, sexy

A bit younger and definitely sexier, mobile always has people talking. Mobile apps are where the action is – U.S. consumers spend 2.8 hours per day on smartphones and the majority of that using apps. Consumers are finicky, though, using only about 26 apps in an average month. Yours should be one of them! Mobile apps offer great branding on the home screen and push notifications allowing you to reach out to customers and rise above the chaos of the inbox, so you’re not competing for attention with hundreds of other emails.

Here’s what you can do:

• Communicate the value of downloading your app – offer “VIP” status with members-only offers, including the instant gratification of a “welcome” deal
• Build your audience – promote your app in email, in-store, on the web, through social
• Send valuable content regularly – post text, photo, and video updates (or pull the feed from your website), send push notifications to get your audience’s attention
• Surprise & delight them occasionally with special “members-only” offers which can be tracked by a loyalty program in-app and transactions can take place in the app

Hmmm… does this sound familiar? We’ve got a perfect match for mobile apps!

Email + Mobile apps = Better Together
As a busy small business owner or group organizer, should you take on both email marketing and mobile apps? The answer may surprise you – yes! Though it may seem daunting to add another channel to your marketing strategy, remember these easy tips for email and mobile app marketing and you’ll be on your way to mastering your own multi-tier marketing program!

Like every compatible couple, both email marketing and mobile apps share a number of similar characteristics – listed above. But also like every perfect pairing, each is unique and has complementary, but different strengths. Use email and mobile apps the following ways to support your marketing to all audiences on all devices:

Email marketing

• Send weekly or more often, predictably, and reach people on PCs, tablets, and smartphones
• Send emails to promote your mobile app and encourage downloads
• Link email content to a responsive website OR your mobile app for videos, loyalty punchcards, scheduling, or e-commerce on every device

Mobile app

• Land on the home screen for valuable branding to stay top of mind with customers
• Offer the same rich content text, images, and videos, and transactions all in one experience
• Reach your most loyal customers more often with push notifications, even refine your focus to nearby customers with geo-fencing

Conclusion

You could settle for just one of these great marketing tactics, but you’ll be much better off offering both. Like Jerry says to Dorothy, “You… you complete me.” By bringing email marketing and mobile apps together on an ongoing basis, you can ensure that you’re reaching your customers whether they’re at their computer, on the go, or anywhere in between.

Ready to share the love and get started on mobile apps to complement your email marketing? We’ve launched a brand new service that makes building mobile apps scalable and affordable. If you’d like to learn more or get early access to our new mobile apps program, fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch shortly.

© 2016 – 2019, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.