One Awesome Way to Lock-in Client Engagement

We love our clients. We really do. And, despite fierce competition, we want them to come back again and again and again. Are you selling coffee along with three other shops pretty much on the same block? Are you competing with four local dance clubs? Are you a dress-maker? Restaurant? Personal trainer? Real estate agent? How can you become your clients' and potenial clients' first go-to? How do you stay just a touch of a button away? The answer is simple:  Publish your own mobile app.

Now, don't run away because it sounds scary-techy. It's actually easy to develop an app. And, if you think that mobile ain't gonna be that important, have a look at this.

Once you have an app ready and are advertising it as part of a healthy marketing plan, clients will download and install your app. That app is on your client's phone. That app will encourage your client to come into your store for specials, help new clients find you, help clients contact you for customer service, keep clients informed about special events. The more engaged and immeresed your clients are in your solutions, products, and services, the more they will buy.

What can help keep clients looking at your app for information, or using your app? Loyalty Cards will definitely encourage them to drink that tenth cup of coffee. Are you a local club? Keep your clients informed with Event Listings or links to bands' playlists. Keep your clients always up to date about specials or promotions with direct access to your Twitter and/or facebook feeds. Offer Coupons incentives only available through your app! And you can actually sell your wares right off of your app with E-Commerce. Seriously.

If you are a little tech-savvy (enough to build your own drag and drop mass email for example), you can develop your own app fairly easily through drag and drop menus on free sites like my.como.com/. If you are daunted by the technology but savvy enough to understand just how important mobile apps can be to your business, hire someone like me to help you develop a small app ($500-750) or you can go big and spend around $3,000-5.000. It's up to you.

But if you get an app and market it well as part of your overall stategy, that app will pay for itself many times over. You will see an increase in repeat customers -- and you might get a few brand advocates out of it, too! People love convenience and connection.

Good luck out there!