There’s already an uphill climb to gain customers, and to get them to use your app is even more of an effort. App adoption rates are generally very low and as many as 78 percent of mobile apps will be abandoned after their first use.
If you’re lucky and have a decent, well-engaged audience for your website or product, you’d do well to get 20 percent of them to download your app, but they need a reason to keep coming back.
Create a New User Walkthrough
When someone opens your app for the first time, they need to be guided through your top features, and how those features help improve their lives. Otherwise, users are likely to open your app, peak around for a minute, and never come back. Think of it this way, take the customer by the hand and show them exactly they need to know.
Make It Easier
Maybe the best rule of thumb for anything you create is that it can always be easier. Learn how users interact with your app (and how they want to interact with it). Then tailor your app to what you’ve learned.
When your user interface matches your user experience – when everything is as easy to use as possible – then users will keep coming back to your app. In fact, as another rule of thumb, every dollar you spend on making your app easier to use will earn you exponentially more.
Design, Design, Design
Take any two products. Apps, websites, cars, apples (the fruit) – take any two products that do the same thing, provide the same experience, and cost the same. Which one will you pick? The one that looks better! All else being relatively equal, design is the deciding factor.
Generally speaking, apps are a competitive space, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that there’s someone else who does what you do. You need to figure out how do you differentiate yourself, make it look and feel better to the customer if you want them to return.
Give Them a Real Reason to Come Back
People will not keep coming back to your app because you’re a nice person. Your app needs to provide some kind of legitimate value to users. Find a way to save users time or money, make their lives easier and entertain them along the way. You need to provide value that they wouldn’t have without you.
Continually Engage Your Customers
When kids grow up and leave the house, they don’t think about their parents until Mom starts calling. If you want to keep users coming back to your app, you’ve got to keep reaching out to them.
Send users emails, app push notifications, add a badge notification to your app every time you push an update- something. Other added value offerings could include discounts for sharing your app or bonus features.
There are a hundred ways you could do it, but you’ve got to continually reach out and engage your users if you want them to return.
Personalize Every Message
Nobody really wants something generic. Instead, personalize what you send users. Include their first name in emails. Tailor notifications and alerts to match each user’s settings and activities and make it feel like their app, where everybody knows their name! Customers need to know you care about their needs.
Debug and Add New Features
Chances are your app is not going to be bug free when you first push it out and you’ll consistently need to fix the hiccups
In addition you should also add new features based on feedback and the latest design. This goes along with always trying to make things easier, but more importantly it helps provide a better experience.
When you make things smoother and more robust, everyone wins.
Read more tips on acquiring and audience on Tech.Co