Latest Mobile Marketing News and Trends: Chat App Usage is on the Rise

As consumers turn increasingly to mobile, chat apps have emerged as a new online marketing and content distribution channel.

According to the latest mobile marketing news, users of messaging or chat apps increased 100% in 2014, the same year that mobile usage surpassed desktop usage. An article that appeared in Entrepreneur (@Entrepreneur), “The Future of Social Is Messaging Apps, But How Do Brands Fit In?”, recognizes that messaging apps like WeChat, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger have capitalized on the emergence of mobile and mobile chat apps at this critical juncture, and are now reaping the rewards, simultaneously opening up a new channel for content marketers.

As more investors enter the landscape, though, more pressure will be put on developers to create platforms that not only have a significant and growing user base, but a monetized one as well. Unfortunately, building a great mobile or chat app doesn’t guarantee business success.

As reported in the Forbes (@Forbes) article “Five Killer Marketing and Distribution Strategies for Your App,” over a million apps vie for users in the App Store. The article cites as a cautionary tale the demise of Everpix, a well-known photo storage app that offered great sorting features. The app developer’s mistake was to focus all monetary resources on product development, leaving only a meager amount for business sustainability.

Gaining a foothold in the flourishing app market at the right time may seem like everything, but you should also attend to other equally critical aspects to keep your business going. The first step to gaining an edge is to look for a specific niche in the app market. While you may have obtained a specific audience for your brand, it’s a different story when it comes to your digital product. A good example would be the chat app QUAD, whose bulk messaging feature found favor with college sororities and fraternities. Its popularity and significant user base gave it an established place alongside other major apps like WhatsApp and GroupMe.

Moreover, be sure to promote your app and grow your user base through social media. A lot of users share their discoveries and experiences with one another through “traditional” social networks after all, so you should leverage this word-of-mouth functionality. Similar to how you optimize your website for search engines, it’s also crucial to optimize your app for app stores, so that interested users will find it among the first search results.

Looking for more awesome mobile marketing news and tips? You can count on Marketing Digest to publish the latest mobile marketing tips and news, written by established entrepreneurs and industry experts.

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Megan Pearson

Community Manager at Marketing Digest

Megan Pearson is a hard-core online marketing consultant and evangelist. She is also passionate about design and fashion. Being part of Marketing Digest allows her to keep track of developments and innovation in the industry.