Mobile Groove

Months of research, hard work and teamwork enter a new stage today as I deliver the final manuscript to the team at Adams Media for a new kind of app book ebook that equips developers, small businesses and brands with the business basics they need to produce and market mobile apps.

If you want to create an winning app you must have a broad base of knowledge that allows you to indentify your target audience and delight them again and again. Get ready to be an expert in applying design basics, conducting app t…

Smart developers understand that selling apps is a serious business. But a raft of research suggests a singular focus on driving downloads is patently flawed. It’s really how well app developers can persuade us to make their app part of our regular routine that will make or break their app business. Winning is all about making the right choices to delight us again and again.

The bottom line: app developers need to work out a strategy to increase engagement, not just downloads. To provide them a …

Why are so many mobile developers so blind to the Boomer opportunity? Is it because they believe that Boomers — people born from 1946-1964 — are so far behind the times that they cannot possibly appreciate ‘shiny shiny’ apps let alone invest in the smartphones to deliver the experience? Suzie Mitchell ‘knows’ Boomers and shows why mobile developers need to rethink their attitudes (and marketing) to reach this huge, untapped and affluent market — and drives her po…

Location data and location-aware sensors. At one level, it’s the information that equips marketers to deliver the contextually relevant marketing and advertising people find convenient and valuable. At another, it’s a technique that (if wielded improperly)  can move consumers to distrust the mobile channel and shut the door to the mobile advertising and apps it delivers. Joy Liuzzo tracks recent events and warns marketers that they are only experiencing the calm before a sto…

What do we really want from our branded, self-service mobile apps? The numbers tell a mixed story. Usage data shows we appreciate instant access to the companies we do business with via mobile apps aimed at taking the heavy lifting out of resolving customer service issues and questions. Meantime, a raft of reports suggests the appeal of instantly downloading the latest apps is losing its luster.

But rather than speculate about consumer attitudes toward customer service apps Nuance teamed up with Vocalabs to find out what consumers really think about their self-service apps. The findings are a wake up call for companies everywhere.

Mobile is fast becoming the device we reach to for advice and assistance throughout our daily routine, so it’s little wonder that verticals such as Health & Fitness and Finance ­ are stepping up mobile advertising activities and spend.

It’s a massive mobile advertising trend that marked 2011, and sure to gain additional momentum in 2012, according to the 2011 Year In Review SMART report (Scorecard for Mobile Advertising Reach and Targeting).