“Mobile was going to be big, mobile was going to be big, mobile was going to be big and now it is… Mobile always had so much potential, but it couldn’t become big until smartphones became widespread.” (Groupon President, Rob Solomon)
Mobile has “arrived.” And, although many brands are just starting to make their mark on the mobile web, soon enough it will reach the tipping point—brands that have a mobile strategy, whether that includes a mobile website, or an app native to the iOS or Android platform—or both—will succeed at capturing consumers’ attention at the expense of those that have not developed a presence on the new media platform. Moreover, as more and more businesses join the ecosystem, marketers need to start considering how they can distinguish their brand from others on the platform. Of course, as advertisers begin experimenting, multiple different ways of accomplishing this goal will emerge, but knowing which methods most effectively engage users is essential at this moment.
This was a topic of interest at the recent CTIA Enterprise & Applications Wireless Convention in San Fransisco. In fact, one whole panel was devoted to discussions of how social integration in mobile apps can increase user engagement and interaction with the app, leading to more downloads and higher ratings from users. The panel focused on two recent cases in which apps were built with social integration features, and developers saw higher levels of engagement 
from users around these features. In one instance, an NBA-basketball app streamed games live to users’ mobile devices. Additionally, this app included social functionality that allowed users to trash-talk fans from the other team in a feed attached to the broadcasted game. Using mobile analytics, the developers found that features of the app that incorporated social functionality had much higher rates of user interaction—the app was most successful when mobile and social converged. This data could be very powerful for marketers going forward—knowing what attracts mobile users, and how to engage them, will set savvy brands apart from the rest. But how can marketers apply this knowledge to create even better relationships with consumers and brand loyalists?
Facebook is working to facilitate the process. After releasing the new Facebook ‘Places’ functionality several weeks ago, the social network is now working with retailers to target users based on their location. The network is working on a new service that would push out location-based promotions through the Facebook mobile app based on where a user ‘checked-in.’ Furthermore, these could be offers based on brands or pages that the user or their friends ‘liked,’ ensuring total relevancy to that unique user in the hyper-present tense. This service would make cementing a considerable following on Facebook and other social networks critical to reaching mobile users, and driving sales.
Social functionality could also come into play in stores, when consumers are deciding whether or not to purchase an object. If a mobile user looked up product information for a particular item, and saw that several of their friends recently purchased it and raved about it on the brand’s Facebook page, the user would likely feel more confident about the item, and would therefore be more likely to complete the purchase—especially if the item required a greater investment from the consumer.
Seeing positive reviews from friends and other users could seal the deal for many shoppers that are on the fence about buying a big ticket item, such as a new appliance or personal gadget.
Another way that businesses and brands can leverage social media on the mobile platform is by stimulating friendly competition between friends over Facebook or other networks that allow interactions based on third party applications. Services
like Shazam and Foursquare have capitalized on this competitive trend (called game theory) by encouraging users to perform actions to earn points or badges that recognize and distinguish the user, perhaps making them eligible to receive special offers and coupons from affiliated brands and businesses. Starbucks took advantage of this trend by introducing a reward for Foursquare mayors—users that checked in most to a given location—incentivizing users to compete by checking-in to stores more frequently in order to earn the store’s ‘mayor badge,’ and receive weekly drink deals from the ubiquitous franchise.
Adding social functionality to a mobile app facilitates user engagement with the program. Moreover, social integration can transform an app into a platform that facilitates interaction between the user and their network of friends, followers and other connections, while raising awareness for a brand, business or cause. Allowing mobile users to connect and share around a company’s products and services will be indispensable to advertisers as mobile marketing progresses over the coming months and years, and these are just three ways to accomplish that goal—we expect to see many more emerge down the road. Finally, though many businesses are just now testing the waters of the mobile web, the platform is advancing at light speed—which makes now the best time to start thinking about how to differentiate your business and engage users on the mobile web.
