After establishing a fanbase, keeping your followers engaged becomes critical. It’s tricky, too, when all you have to work with are the tools social media can offer – the same tools every other channel has.
Go beyond vlogs and shared photos with these features you can have built into your own custom mobile app.
1. Push notifications
You can use push notifications to send quick, time-sensitive updates to your most dedicated fans. Have a concert coming up? Let your fans in the area know, and maybe offer a discount code for tickets. Set to appear on a morning TV show? Send out a link for live viewing. Push notifications appeal to content creators and fans alike because they allow interaction without needing users to open the app first. This increases the chances that fans who download an influencer app will still be using it three months down the road.
2. Trivia/Games
Games keep followers coming back to your app even after they’ve seen all your content. Challenge your fans to get the highest score on a weekly trivia contest. Reward winners with a blog shoutout, a personal email, or even a FaceTime date for bigger events.
3. Exclusive store
Having your own store within your app is better than offering merch through your YouTube channel or Facebook for two reasons. First, it’s easier. The entire purchase can be handled within the app, no need to click away. That’s important when every step between interest and purchase loses 20% of potential customers.
Second, exclusive merchandise sells better. Celebrities already take advantage of this trend with t-shirt campaigns that benefit charity, and the same tactic can work for your own merchandise. Having it offered through the app makes it seem more desirable.
4. Location-based actions
Use internal device features like the GPS to offer physically interactive fan events. Disney used location-based features to create a virtual treasure hunt for their latest Star Wars toy release. Fans could check in at retail partners carrying the products to receive collectible digital assets only available through the custom mobile app. On a smaller scale, you could release special video greetings to everyone who checks in at music stores on the day an album is released.
5. Custom digital assets
Online conversation is dominated by images. People hold entire arguments in GIFs and memes. Make your content part of the conversation with a library of your own GIFs, emoji, and stickers. Downloadable digital content is a way to give back to fans, to show them your app is more than just an announcement platform. It has the added benefit of making your fans into brand ambassadors: every time they use your content, you gain more exposure.
Get connected
Custom mobile apps offer a whole new level of interaction that’s impossible on social media. They’re tools for influencers who are serious about fan engagement. Depending on your level of commitment and what permissions you decide to request, you can make your fans feel like they have constant contact with you and your content. Let us help you build your app!
