“When you’ve got it, flaunt it.”
That line, first used in the 1968 Mel Brooks comedy, The Producers, has inspired countless uses and variations over the years.
From the long-running Braniff Air commercials to commentary on the latest supermodel, the message is clear: when you have something this good, use it to your advantage.
The quote itself suggests cool. It suggests sexy. But one thing it never suggested – at least not for the vast majority of people – was computer software.
Until now.
Right now, mobile apps are cool. Creating your own mobile app is sexy. And the best news is: you don’t have to be born looking like Gisele to have it. And you don’t have to be as smart as Steve Jobs to flaunt it.
All you have to do is build an app.
Build a mobile app… then flaunt it. So what do you think? Is your company ready to play with “the cool kids?”
Generating Market Buzz with a Mobile App
Let’s say you have a product. Let’s go a step further and say it’s a physical, mature product. Most people in your target audience already know about your product – but no one’s writing about it. No one’s talking about it. No one’s excited by it anymore.
Now let’s say you don’t do anything to actually change that product. All you do is build a new commercial app to go along with it. That’s the scenario Dave Todaro recently tackled in How an App Can Increase the Value of Your Current Products.
Suddenly, that mature product – which still hasn’t physically changed at all – has become something new. Suddenly, people are writing about it. People are interested in what you’re doing and checking it out. Even better, some people are excited by it – and buying it. So who’s the most excited about all that? Why, you, of course.
Or maybe you’re using a mobile app to repurpose your product in a new target market. That’s one of the topics I addressed in How to Get New Customers with Your App. Repurposing your product and reaching new audiences with a mobile app will most definitely generate some buzz, too.
Either way, the press will look at you as an innovator. They’ll write about your products, your strategies, your new directions. And more customers will find you because of it.
Creating Internal Buzz with Mobile Apps
As without, so within.
No, I’m not talking about ancient Egyptian mysticism here. I’m talking about how the buzz you generate outside your organization with a mobile app is mirrored inside it. Remember when I said mobile apps are considered cool and sexy these days? Embarking on a mobile app project can create a lift of energy and excitement within your organization, too.
That’s because starting a mobile app development project is not a “same old, same old” kind of activity. In fact, for most companies, it’s quite the opposite. This is something completely new. Something your employees can get excited about. Something they’ll talk about and share.
Your development team will be stoked to work on it, of course.
Your sales staff will be eager to tell prospective customers about it. “Did you hear about our new app?”
Your account reps can engage key customers during the research phase to ask them what they want. This serves to strengthen ties and loyalty with those accounts. And by showing early versions as each development sprint is completed, your key customers share in the excitement as they see how you’re innovating.
Your customer service staff will enjoy that they can direct consumers to it and possibly reduce some of their general inquiry volume. “Now you can request that straight through our new app… without having to call in.”
And your marketing staff will be eager to launch new campaigns highlighting the new technology, capabilities, and features. As discussed in the previous section, a new mobile app can provide a tremendous lift to their efforts.
Just about everyone in your company can find some reason to be excited about a mobile app – even if it’s just the expectation of improvements to your bottom-line.
