By Muhammad Ali
Ever checked into FourSquare, played Farmville or listened to music on iTunes? These popular social apps come with an evident price tag. Well, of course, there are those annoying ads that make you hate the apps, but more than that there is a hidden price tag.
The one which we give ourselves. The high-octane jet fuel of our social media. The juice of our habits, patterns and behaviors. And in doing so we don’t even know what price we are paying to satisfy our desires.
All the data we are giving away is gathered in the form of big data and used to influence us and sell us products that we desire. In the realm of the online world, anything you share or like may be used against you. However, big data can also be used for positive reasons. Let me explain:
- A new update to the Worldwide Semiannual Big Data and Analytics Spending Guide from International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts worldwide revenues for big data and business analytics (BDA) will reach $150.8 billion in 2017
- According to Statista.com, 2015 mobile app revenues amounted to 69.7 billion U.S. dollars. And by 2020, it is projected that mobile app will generate 188.9 billion U.S. dollars in revenues via app stores and in-app advertising
These two facts outline why big data is the key to your mobile app success. Everyone is receiving an enormous amount of data every day, but you need to be SMART with your Big Data. Here is what I mean by SMART:
Start with a strategy. First and foremost, start with why? Why do you want to build the app and how will it benefit the customer.
Measure the metrics. Action without analysis is a sure-shot way to fail. Do things and measure the results.
Apply the analytics – Analytics is the easy part, but what you do with that data is the crucial bit. You need to figure out ways to use data for your benefit.
Report results – Communicate your results well. Right from the top to the bottom of your company, make sure everyone gets their part of data.
Transform your business app in the most positive and productive manner you can.
How you can you make the most of big data for your mobile app success?
Find the Right Data
Start with the right data. Most companies fail to grasp what to do with big data. With a mobile app, you can use the data to identify your core potential customers. You can use the data to analyze the behavior of your customers. You can then use the data to give the customers what they want from your app.
Use Heatmaps to Leverage Big Data
Among many notable features of the mobile app, one feature I would suggest is the use of heat maps for visual mobile analytics. By using visual mobile analytics you can record the actions of your users, and dive into their mindset.
Don’t Just Target, Re-target
Cookies are everywhere. If you really want to learn how re-targeting works register on Amazon and see how they are using re-targeting to make customers fall in love with them.
It is time for you to re-target people who are already your customers. You can make them realize how your app can benefit them in the long run. Take out your app USP and re-market users again and again.
Bottle it All Up
The estimated global mobile app revenue was $35 billion in 2014, $45 billion in 2015, $58 billion in 2016, and a predicted $77 billion in 2017. To take advantage of this be ‘SMART’ with how you use big data to power your app.
Muhammad Ali, Digital Marketer, Branex
