The mobile market has seen explosive growth in recent years and many companies are choosing to take advantage of the enormous opportunities to reach their customers on their mobile devices by implementing a strong mobile marketing strategy.
One question business owners frequently ask is whether they should go for a mobile website or app for their business, especially since the differences can be subtle, making it difficult to understand the difference between the two.
Keep in mind that when it comes to mobile marketing, the two platforms are fully capable of helping you achieve your marketing goals, but the following list should help you get an idea of the pros and cons of each.
Mobile apps
The advantages
• Once downloaded to your customer’s phone, a well-programmed application can offer your customers ‘the Cadillac’ of user experiences, allowing the user the luxury of being able to access information quickly and easily with a minimum number of clicks.
• Applications offer a high degree of functionality, especially since they can take advantage of smartphone technology such as the accelerometer, the built-in camera or even the user’s address book and other information.
• Another advantage of having an app is that it will be displayed in app stores for people to search and download, which can lead to more exposure; For example, if your app is built on iOS, it will show up in the Apple App Store, which can be a key advantage over mobile sites.
The disadvantages
• Depending on your requirements, applications may take slightly longer to develop than a mobile site and will require the help of a developer who has experience in mobile development.
• Any change or revision to an application must be applied by releasing an update in the application market and its users will have to manually download the updates to see the changes that have been made, although any customer who has experience in using applications in your mobile devices are probably very used to this process
• Applications do not automatically adapt to all mobile platforms and therefore you will be asked to secure development for each platform you want your application to work on; For example, if you want to reach your customers through iOS and Windows, the application will need to be developed separately for each.
Mobile sites
The advantages
• Mobile sites are very fast and easy to create.
• Mobile sites can be a little less expensive than having a developed application; however, these days there are a number of general applications available to businesses at very low prices if you’re willing to take a look.
• Mobile sites are a one-size-fits-all solution, which means they are accessible on all platforms.
• Deploying updates to a mobile site is generally a very straightforward process, as any updates you apply will automatically update for each of your users.
The disadvantages
• Mobile sites are a beautiful thing; however, they can also be more cumbersome than an app, sacrificing some advantages such as ease of use and speed.
• A mobile site can be significantly more difficult to navigate and it can be much more difficult for customers to enter and manipulate data than it would be if they were using an application.
So which one is right for your business?
Both of these solutions can open up a world of opportunity for your business, leading to explosive growth in your marketing efforts.
Just make sure you understand the differences before making a decision to make sure you’ve commissioned the right solution for your business. Ideally, any company you choose to work with when it comes to development should offer a free consultation to determine which solution best suits your business needs.
