What are the differences between responsive mobile websites and mobile apps? Why would you select one over the other for your business?

Two of the most effective tools in online marketing over the last few years have been the mobile website and the mobile app. However, most businesses that do not have the budget to have both must choose one or the other because of financial constraints. The question then becomes: Which outreach vehicle is the best way to facilitate an online marketing campaign?

The answer is not a set yes or no; rather, it must be determined by the kind of marketing that you need to do based on the audience that you have targeted and are trying to attract. Below are some of the ways that you can know to choose one 
over the other.

One – What kind of an audience is your target market?

Overall, mobile websites are much more relevant to the business community in the industries that have to do with manufacturing, retail, complex business operations, management, administration, etc. Any topic within an industry that deserves a more serious and thorough treatment should have a mobile website so that it can be talked about in a complete way.

On the other hand, mobile apps are more useful for younger demographics and businesses in industries such as entertainment, retail, apparel, etc. If your business is a personality driven business rather than a product driven business, you may do a lot better with a mobile app than you would with a mobile website.

Two – What is the purpose of the interaction with your audience?            

Mobile websites and mobile apps interact with the audience in two completely different ways. Mobile websites, although they can be made quite interactive, are inherently much less interactive than mobile applications are. Although you can get a lot more information about your company and your service on a mobile website then you can on a mobile app, the experience is much more passive for the potential consumer.

Mobile apps are by nature more interactive. Many mobile apps attempt to solve a problem in real time for a potential customer, and thus require the complete attention of that customer in some sort of active display. This means that mobile apps are better for consumers who appreciate direct interactivity and have an active need for a problem-solving application in real time.

Three – What is the conversion action that you wish to take place?

For most businesses, the conversion action that they want will be a sale. However, this is not the case for all businesses. Conversion actions can be as varied as opting into an e-mail list all the way to signing up for a company newsletter. Whatever the conversion action is, you should identify it well before you try to decide between a mobile website and a mobile application.

Because of the more passive nature of the mobile website, conversion actions that are successful will more than likely be more passive as well. It is much more difficult to get a potential customer to spend money through a mobile website that is through a mobile app. Many mobile apps actually require monetary exchange as a part of their operation.

Basically, if you want your conversion action to be a sale, mobile apps is the way to go. If your conversion action is anything other than a sale, you might do better with a mobile website.

Online marketing today offers an incredible number of methods, a select few being more effective than the others. Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization rank number one and number two in terms of marketing effectiveness and possible ROI. So, what ranks number three? When done properly, the third most effective online marketing method is email marketing. If your business is working on a limited budget, employing SEO, SEM, and email marketing would alone guarantee significant business growth. While blogging, social media, videos, and several other techniques are still recommended as part of an overall online marketing strategy, they don’t come close in effectiveness to email marketing.

SEO and SEM are pretty straightforward and easy to understand, but email marketing confuses a lot of people. When using the term email marketing, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is SPAM. Everyone hates SPAM, right? Mass bombing your message to thousands of strangers is NOT an effective email marketing method. However, there ARE many ways to use email as a marketing tool without getting your domain blacklisted and blocked by the internet. Some examples of non spammy ways to make email marketing work for you:

• Monthly newsletters
• Event reminders
• Sale confirmations
• Quotes
• Invoices

Just about anything your business currently does via mail can be turned into an email marketing opportunity. Emails that are already being generated for routine functions can be turned into email marketing by adding a simple line to each email pitching a new product or service, or announcing a special sale. In this fast paced world no one has time to think about the millions of messages that we are all bombarded with every single day. That’s why effective email marketing works so well. You are using a message that your intended recipient is expecting, and sometimes excited about. Since they are checking email, chances are good that they’re working, so your message will reach them in a decision making mode.

With 93% of all consumers today receiving business data and product information through email every day, any business that ignores email marketing is making a serious mistake. Once you have decided to take on email marketing for your business, the only thing left to do is find an experienced online marketing firm that is willing to sit down with you and help you put everything in place. Competent internet marketing firms will have plans setup that can help you get an effective email marketing campaign off the ground. They will work with you to integrate email marketing into your existing processes and can design a campaign for you that matches existing branding.

When marketing products and services via social networking, a completely new and different approach must be taken from conventional marketing strategy. The difference here is in the way people think about social networking. It is a fact that when marketing via social networking, you must be prepared to engage in more conversation and relationship building than ever before. For some types of products, the increased time requirement to make social media marketing a success simply does not make sense. For others, social media marketing can be just as effective as traditional word of mouth.

In times of economic uncertainty, most people like to do a lot of research and learn as much as they can about a product or service before they buy it. Favorable reviews are very helpful to convince potential customers to go through with the sale. In such cases, it becomes easier to sell your products when they are linked to social networking sites that host interaction with existing customers and positive reviews of your business. An important component of your marketing strategy should be a Facebook integration, allowing your customers a way to interact with your business outside of your own website.

Word of mouth has proven itself, time and time again, as the single most effective method to grow a business and increase sales. More than just promoting your products and services on social networks, there are ways you can convince other people to begin talking for you. Viral marketing ideas come in many forms, but the element of success is always the same. You put something out that there captures the minds of the viewer or entertains them in such a way that they are compelling to post about it on their own social networking pages, blog about it, or email it to friends.