Smartphones are everywhere. No matter how you slice it, your visitors explore your destination with the support of a mobile device in hand. This a perfect opportunity to connect and guide them with an app tailored to share your destination’s unique offerings.
But maybe you already know this and it's your boss that needs convincing. We’re here to provide you with 10 reasons why an app can take your team’s marketing to the next level:
Reason #1: An app is complementary to your website.
Think of an app as an extension of your website, not a replacement or competitor. When travelers start to plan a visit to your destination, your website is where they go to decide where to eat, play and stay. Once visitors are in-market and experiencing the destination first-hand, they will want specialized information. An app will easily map out the details of where to go next.
Reason #2: You can inspire your visitors.
Visitors rely on advice from locals as well as the travelers that have already explored your destination. Count on a visitor to search trending topics like “Top Instagrammable Spots,” “Five Best Burgers in Town” and “The Most Popular Activities Near Me.” Provide this mobile-friendly content as well as informational listings to help users map out their adventures.
You can check out Valley Forge’s mobile apps to see a balance of inspirational and informational content:
Reason #3: An app provides instant contact with onsite visitors.
Communication is key. A mobile app will enable you to reach out to your visitors even when they don’t have the app open. Push notifications can send messages straight to their lock screen. Are you hosting a popular event tonight? An app is a fool-proof way to let them know about it.
Reason #4: An app will provide content offline.
Once a user downloads the app from the Apple App Store (iOS devices) or the Google Play Store (Android devices), they are able to access your content even when they are out of service or offline.
Reason #5: You can give your branding more exposure.
Your marketing team will rejoice! The mobile app is yet another communication tool to help market your organization’s branding to visitors. You can personalize your mobile experience in alignment with your current branding such as your logo, brand colors, images and more.
Reason #6: You can take advantage of native app trends.
The native app can offer quite a lot of benefits compared to the mobile responsive web pages - offline use, communication through push notifications, personalized itinerary builders, faster page downloads - the list goes on. All of these key features within the native app are creating a better overall user experience for your visitors.
Reason #7: You will better understand your visitors with app user analytics.
VisitApps recently integrated with Google Analytics for Firebase. This amplifies the quality of information analytics can provide. Find out how long users are in the app, where they are clicking, and how long they are looking at each screen. Firebase also shares more information regarding your visitors' interests.
Reason #8: An app is easy to maintain.
We can’t speak for other apps, but VisitApps mobile apps require a small amount of maintenance. Once your app is launched and available in the app stores, you can update content as frequently as you would like. If you rely on feeds to populate your website, our team can sync that information directly into your app - no additional tinkering needed.
Reason #9: You can take advantage of gamification features.
The Digital Passport is VisitApps' most sought after app feature. With the tool, the user can follow a digital trail or tour, and “check-in” at different locations. Check-ins can be made at restaurants, bars, hiking trails or historic landmarks. You can even customize the adventure for your users.
Reason #10: An app can enhance the user’s in-market experience.
Apps account for 89 percent of the time consumers spend on their smartphones. There is good reason for this statistic. Mobile apps are easy to use and offer users content that is specific to what they need at that moment. They can browse everything about your destination with ease to create their own personal adventure.
With these tips and the right game plan, you’re one step closer to shining a spotlight on the elements that make your destination memorable on mobile. And if the reasons we provided are not enough to get the green light from your boss, please reach out to us and we’ll help you come up with Plan B.
