It used to be that companies drove traffic solely with a new product launch. While that’s still largely the case for how marketing cycles work, we are in an era of consumer event triggers where each product cycle is increasingly dictated per person. Why? Because new things launch every day and we are constantly inundated by all forms of outbound marketing messaging. There are very few things we need (not want) when they’re new. Sure, new things can be better, but when we have a problem and need a solution, we don’t care when the solution was created; we care that it’s available at our fingertips.
“There’s an App for That”
Nothing speaks to the on-demand nature of solution-seeking like mobile apps. I recently was trying to clean up my music library and after five minutes of de-duping, I thought I’d test out the whole “There’s an app for that” adage and go searching for a solution. Hallelujah! An app that instantaneously answered my prayers — one thousand duplicates gone in a flash! I paid $10 for it (pretty steep by typical app purchases), but well worth it. That app could have been published two years ago for all I care, but it was there when I needed it. It was new and life-changing, and that trigger led me to other apps that I didn’t know I needed or wanted. I became drawn into an ecosystem of products I would not have looked at otherwise.
Greatest Hits
Everyone has a mobile app strategy these days, and we’re motivated by what’s new. It quickly becomes old, but the moment a customer finds it the first time, it’s brand new again, and the customer is receptive to what else you have to say or market. When thinking about integrating mobile technology with all of your other assets as a company, remember that timeliness and newness are synonymously sexy to your audience. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your greatest hits or brand spanking new that got someone’s attention once you’ve gotten it.
For more information on integration and mobility, watch this webinar featuring Forrester Research Senior Analyst Michael Facemire.
