When you are engaged in the first mobile app or website development, you should understand that apart from the software itself, you will need to ponder on your startup promotion. And to acquire users you need to apply a specific strategy for your new mobile app or website development. But what strategy can be better? Let’s check it out together!
User engagement and user acquisition – two strategies
For the beginning, it is better to take a look at the Customer Lifecycle Funnel. What is it? It is a funnel that displays six stages of how custom er passes full cycle of a specific software use. Unfortunately, according to statistics, many visitors using your software only once. And when an ordinary visitor becomes an activating user, it means user acquisition strategy starts functioning. Also, when users become loyal customers, then user engagement strategy comes in force. These strategies can be highly important for your startup promotion. So at the early stages, you need to undertake 3 steps to engage users. Now you will find out what these stages are.
Adjust your product for user acquisition
You should know that it is hard to predict all the process of user acquisition and engagement from the start to finish. Nevertheless, you cannot ignore proper planning. When you start a business, you will face many challenges and risks, so you should always be on the alert.
Determine your target audience
Here you should determine your audience and make it as soon as possible. Divide your audiences into two groups: audience you already reached, and the audience you are planning to reach in future. Analytical tools and social networks will inform you about your audience at the moment.
The first impression can be the last impression
It is impossible to ignore the first impression your users will get. So think over your design not to push away your users. Interface quality is important, keep it in mind. So when they first launch your software, they already know whether they come back or not. Therefore, you’d better not passing by new design trends of 2017. There weren’t many changes in trends since 2016, but anyway something new was introduced. Let’s figure out how it is better to engage your potential customers using new design trends.
- Landing page
This trend remains one of the most effective instruments to engage your users. The main thing is the structure of your page. It can be made in a Creative Grid trend where you can build your website not in a common strict grid but with adding of some creativity.
Tell your users a story. It is a trend that doesn’t lose its topicality. If you manage to catch people with your story, it is already a part of success.
Search engine optimization. People won’t find your website if it will be in the end of Google search. Do you agree? So correct and thorough SEO will help you to gain the lead.
- Mobile browsing
Don’t forget about responsive web design that makes it possible to watch it with ease and comfort on your mobile device. More and more websites have responsive design since it can attract much more users.
In addition, if we speak about new UI trends, try Split content. It makes it possible for users to see all important messages on a single page.
Besides that, high performance is also very important. So Lazy Loading design pattern can become your best assistant in this case.
- New UI trends – don’t ignore them
If you cannot determine what design is better – Flat or Material design, this problem can be resolved quickly for today. Choose Semi Flat design. Flat design turns out to be more dimensional with some additional lights and shades that were more conventional for Material design. In addition, you have more freedom to experiment with dimensions in your UI designs.
And don’t forget about animations and GIFs. In some cases, they can become a real magic wand.
- Inspire your users
What do your users want more? Ask them using full-screen forms that will stimulate people to fill in subscription form or just write you some words.
Mobile trends in 2017: make your best product
The problem with the design is resolved. Not let’s speak about the software itself. You should create really attractive and competitive product that will be interesting for customers. In this case, you’d better follow new mobile and web app development trends that are at the top at the moment.
- Artificial intelligence: build your smart software
AI market is just starting and it is far from being a totally occupied. Why? Because nobody has created something fantastic with a perfect AI basis. Modern technologies are still limited in this field so you should pay your attention to AI techniques already available.
They can be the following:
- Bots with AI for home use or industrial application. It can be robots servants or autonomous cars.
- AI assistants like Siri, Google Assistant or Cortana.
- Machine learning for improvement of data search and recognition algorithms
But this area is very tricky and complicated. You will need to hire a team of developers that are skilled in not only software development but also in math, physics, and robotics.
- Data safety comes first
Everybody wants their personal information to be completely protected. Considering a large number of account hacks every year, users try all methods to make their accounts safe. So whatever you develop, you should encrypt personal data of your users first.Two-factor authentication, passwords, codewords – use maximum protection.
User engagement strategy: a clever approach
- Motivate your users to start
Your greeting page must stimulate more interest from your users so do the best you can to make your homepage attractive. So greeting page should welcome user, make a short description of your product, and ask him whether he needs any help. Bingo!
- Hold your horses and don’t rush your users
It is unlikely people will be satisfied with a bunch of information. So don’t overload them with all features your product have at one blow. Users need to get acquainted with your software bit by bit. They need more time to immerse in your product.
- Communication is the option
Speak with your users, don’t ignore them, reply to all their questions. If they want to be heard, do it immediately.
What should you undertake to measure user engagement?
You must optimize your product on the basis of analysis of user engagement. Your startup cannot succeed without these actions.
You need to analyze a total number of visits, a number of subscriptions and number or people who opened your welcome letter. For this, you should use metrics that connected with user engagement measuring.
How to do it? Google Analytics or WebVisor tools make it possible for you to monitor traffic and everything related to your product like sources, referrals etc.
Never stop – always move forward!
Even if you follow all the tips and work hard to optimize your website, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make changes in your software. Users are getting tired of the same info and pictures, so keep your software fresh. There is no a single unique optimization model, only trial and error method will lead you to the best result you want to achieve.
Be brave and follow the right road!