If you’ve been a member with us for any amount of time, you’ve heard us reminding you to share, share, share that app!
While sharing your app regularly is essential to your success, it’s also important to make your app engaging and valuable to users. The more valuable your app to users, the more users are likely to interact with your app.
More user activity means more opportunities to track activity and identify opportunities. When monitoring activity in your app look for:
- Prospects providing buying signals
- Current customers needing support
- Current customers looking to expand their services
- Referral partners sharing your app
Increasing app engagement within each of these groups will help give you valuable insights on how to continue to provide helpful resources to these key groups.
Create Opportunities for App Engagement in Multiple Buying Stages
Your app is part of who you are, an extension of you personally and your brand. It’s important to evaluate your app regularly to make sure there is relevant and valuable content for users.
Your personal app is similar to a standard business card. It performs many of the functions of a traditional business card, just better and faster.
The primary difference is that a traditional business card is static and is intended to be used for an indefinite amount of time. It doesn’t need to change because it’s a single purpose object with a single purpose design.
Your app, on the other hand, is not single purpose – it should be dynamic.
Different people at different stages of their customer journey have different interests, needs, and goals.
The Early Stages: Before and During the Transaction
For example, a person visiting your app for the first time is essentially a stranger. They likely know very little about you barring the fact that someone recommended your services. In the early stages, a person is looking at the app evaluating the competence and credibility of you a a service provider. Increase app engagement at this stage by including content like:
- Reviews and testimonials
- A short biography or intro video about yourself
- Business practices that differentiate you from other originators
Next, as app users start the transaction process, be sure to integrate your process with your app. Aligning your app to your sales process not only helps streamline your sales process but also increases app engagement. Having quick access to resources like pre-qualification forms, applications, important documents, or a checklist will simplify this stage of the process.
The next stage is where users start researching which property and product fits their needs. This process requires your wisdom and experience to guide them. Your app should be rich with resources for this stage. Users will likely be using the calculators, researching the neighborhoods they want to live in, watching videos you’ve linked to, or looking for news updates about how rates are trending.
Once they find their property and enter the process with you, they’ll lock in a rate and start to think about the moving process. An upcoming move is a significant undertaking. It obviously means a new home but likely also means a new neighborhood and school district. Then there’s packing, moving, and other services like an appraisal or home inspection. Add value at this stage by providing resources like moving checklists and recommendations for appraisers, home inspectors, or repair professionals in your app.
The Later Stages: After the Transaction
When they’ve closed the transaction and moved in, adjusting to life in their new home begins. They may be first-time home buyers or experienced home owners. Regardless, it’s the time that different financial considerations come into play. They might be considering life insurance or estate planning. At this stage, consider having resources or adding co-branding to your app to feature an insurance provider or an attorney.
Borrowers may find that they need other services and turn to you as a source for a referral based on their experience with you. At this point, they trust you, know you’re well connected in the community, and will likely want your guidance with finance-related needs.
Ultimately, they may have a friend or colleague who’s looking for a home. Now is the time they can help that person by sharing your app with their friend, just as someone once did for them.
Focus on Adding Value
Different prospects are all unique, and your app can add value to each. Building valuable content in your app helps make their borrowing experience easier and more enjoyable.
Your ability to continuously be on the lookout for popular content and tools allows you to add richness to your app to increase app engagement.
Your prospects, customers, and referral partners will have a reason to revisit your app in different parts of their journey. As they revisit at different times, they should see new content. This helps solidify the value your app offers, encouraging further engagement with you app.