Mobile usage trends and the explosion of apps

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Mobile technology usage is exploding and it seems the world has fallen in love with mobile apps so they have to be on the marketing for lawyers agenda. The money spent on them and the time spent interacting with them is consistently increasing. The trend is global and unprecedented. The statistics show that we can’t take our eyes off our smartphones. See this fascinating presentation by KPCB for graphic forecasts.

So the question in terms of marketing for lawyers is 'should you offer a mobile app to your clients'?

If you think that a mobile app could provide your audience with added value then there is a good reason to consider offering one. On the other hand, be wary of ending up with an over-hyped brochure or a replica of your website which could just as easily be viewed through a mobile browser without the need to download an App.

Those apps which take up space on the desktop without serving a purpose are just annoying. Unless a company shares useful information/ deals/ vouchers/ events etc through its mobile app I don’t see the point in having its logo plastered on my iphone.

My personal view is that mobile apps are an ideal vehicle for niche marketing for lawyers but you have to be innovative. Simply streaming a news feed of random legal updates isn't a good use of app technology. There are other more efficient ways to do that, such as RSS feeds on content rich websites and so your audience will soon get bored and ditch your app for another. The challenge is to keep them interested.

Your audience will ask ‘what’s in it for me?’ so don’t disappoint them. If you haven’t anything relevant to share with them via a mobile app right now, then it may be better to keep a low profile in app terms and signpost them to other channels such as your website, blog and social media accounts until you have that eureka! moment.

But if you want to look into mobile apps in more detail and devise a sticky app that will keep your target audience glued to it day and night, this Sweb Apps e-book will help you and this list of the top 50 mobile apps as compiled by the Telegraph in 2011 may give you some inspiration.