MARKETING PLAN: APPETITE MOBILE APP
MARKETING PLAN: APPETITE MOBILE APP
Table of Contents. 2
Introduction. 3
Section 1: Segmentation and Targeting Plan. 3
Section 2: Marketing Objectives. 5
Section 3: Marketing Strategy. 5
Product 5
Place. 6
Price. 6
Promotion. 7
Section 4: Tactical Plan. 8
Overview of Content Plan. 8
Choice of Social Network. 9
Design and Development of Pieces of Content 11
Conclusion. 12
References. 13
Appetite is an app that enables users to access information about restaurants, cafes, and pubs in the United Kingdom. The app also allows users to review or rate business premises in the U.K on the basis of their experiences. Appetite enables users to share images, text, and videos in restaurants, cafes, and pubs in the U.K. The unique proposition of the app is depicted by the fact that it provides users with social media experiences and a user-friendly interface. Notably, the users of the app are able to network on social platforms and share experiences, opinions, thoughts and views on business enterprises in the U.K. New and potential customers will be informed about restaurants and drinks joints of choice. Therefore, Appetite is an opportunity for customers of restaurants and drink joints in the U.K. to make informed decisions and to guarantee that they get value for money. A marketing plan for Appetite is presented in this paper. The marketing plan specifically presents a justification for segmentation, targeting, and marketing strategies for the mobile app. The marketing objectives and tactical plan for promoting the app are also presented in the plan.
Section 1: Segmentation and Targeting Plan
Two types of market segmentation will be used to market Appetite: demographic and psychographic. According to Wedel and Kamakura (2012), market segmentation allows a company to achieve commercial advantage and reduce market risk. Menzly and Ozbas (2010) add that market segmentation enables a company to create a specific strategy map for growing profits. Notably, segmentation will allow for efficient marketing and precise branding of Appetite. Through demographic segmentation, Appetite will target male and female segments. It will specifically target male and female users of between the ages of 18 and 35. Most of the target users are young adults who frequent various restaurants, cafes, and pubs in the U.K. The targeted users are also appreciative of innovative technologies, which make them suitable targets for the mobile app. In addition, the target users include students and working people who want value for the money they spend in restaurants, cafes, and pubs. Therefore, they will need an app like Appetite that will provide them with adequate information for making informed choices on the dining or drinking joints to visit.
Psychographic segmentation will provide for targeting specific app users in relation to their lifestyles, interests, values, traits, and attitudes (Gunelius, 2011). Psychographic segmentation is specifically beneficial as it enables a company to implement personalized marketing, which is the prerequisite to developing meaningful customer relationships. Therefore, Appetite will be able to retain its customers through psychographic segmentation. The mobile app will specifically target users of various social media platforms. These users love networking and will be able to use Appetite to share insights about dining and drinking joints in the U.K. Therefore, Appetite will target users who have positive attitudes towards technology and social media networks. In addition, the app will target users who own smartphones. This is because Appetite will be accessible through android and iOS smartphones. Users will be able to download the app from Google Play and App Store, install it on their smartphones and use it to network with users who frequent local dining and drinking joints.
Butler (2011) reveals that target marketing is beneficial because it allows a company to concentrate on consumer segments whose desires, needs, and interests closely match its service and product offerings. Therefore, it is through market targeting that Appetite will be able to attract users who will love its unique features. Luo, Andrews, Fang, and Phang (2013) explain that target marketing enables a company to tailor its marketing communication images and messages to match the interests and needs of users within specific market segments. Cost efficiency in marketing communication is also achieved through target marketing (Bellman, Potter, Treleaven-Hassard, Robinson, and Varan, 2011). According to Luo et al. (2013), companies prefer target marketing because it promotes consumer loyalty and the creation of sales leads. Notably, the users of Appetite will be able to share its benefits with potential users across social media networks. This will create leads for more sales and expand the consumer base.
Section 2: Marketing Objectives
The marketing objectives for Appetite mobile app are listed below.
- To gain at least a 5% share of the mobile app market in the U.K by the end of 3 years.
- To achieve more than 10,000 Appetite downloads in the first year of launching.
- To grow sales from Appetite downloads and use by 4% by the end of the second year of operation.
The product will be marketed through a demonstration of its value propositions. The benefits of the app will be presented to target customers to create appeal for the product and to encourage downloads. The value propositions of Appetite include allowing users to stay ahead and informed about local dining and drinking joints in the U.K. and enabling them to stay connected. The app will also enable users to take and share photos or images of their restaurant and pub experiences with other consumers. More importantly, users will use the app to find local drinking and eating joints that match their needs, such as cost, quality, service, and convenience. Therefore, the app provides for both discovery and entertainment through social networking and sharing of photos. The marketing of the product will also involve engaging user activity through social media platforms. Hui, Inman, Huang, and Suher (2013) assert that customer engagement is an effective strategy for promoting leads and referrals for a product. Customer engagement also promotes retention and builds the loyalty of consumers to a product (Allender and Richards, 2012). Testimonials and ratings of the Appetite mobile app will also be used to demonstrate why it is better than similar products in the market.
Appetite will be available at Google Play and App Store. This will allow owners of both android and iOS smartphones to download and use Appetite to meet their information needs on local restaurants, cafes, and pubs. The aforementioned distribution channels for Appetite are preferred because more than 30 million users visit them each month to look for apps that match their interests. Therefore, downloads of Appetite will grow significantly due to its accessibility through online mobile app platforms. App-focused websites will also be used to link users to App Store and Google Play download links of Appetite. Furthermore, the company website and social media pages will provide users with download links to the app. Users will also have the opportunity of sharing download links across various social medial platforms.
An economy pricing strategy will be used to promote Appetite. Liu, Au, and Choi (2014.) reveal that economy pricing is effective in attracting and retaining price-conscious customers. Sales for the mobile app will mainly stream from ads. Therefore, economy pricing is effective in attracting more users and making Appetite attractive to marketers of various products and services in the U.K, including restaurants, pubs, and cafes. Each download will cost only £2.99, which is cheaper than similar apps on Google Play and App Store. Liu, Au, and Choi (2012) demonstrate that consumers of mobile apps compare prices and assess features before making informed choices. Therefore, the economy pricing strategy and the attractive value propositions of Appetite will make it more attractive to users over competing apps. The ad pricing models will be based on a premium pricing strategy. This will allow marketers to pay premium prices for ads targeting customers of local restaurants, cafes, and pubs. A premium pricing strategy for the ads model will enable the appetite to effectively achieve its financial objectives.
An integrated marketing strategy will be used to promote Appetite. Luca and Suggs (2010) demonstrate that an integrated marketing strategy allows a company to communicate similar ideas and messages about a product across a wide range of media. Integrated marketing communication for Appetite will be applied across social media platforms, such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. Social media marketing will allow for the sharing of images and messages on the app by users, which will promote customer leads and viral marketing. Similar marketing communication images and messages will be shared on social medial platforms. These messages will be designed to denote the value propositions of Appetite. Social media marketing is appropriate for the app as it provides reputation monitoring (Gordon, 2012). The views of users will be assessed through social media marketing, which will provide for the integration of new or innovative features into the app. The other elements of integrated marketing communication that will be used to promote the app include search engine optimization, mobile marketing, and the use of company websites to spread information about the value propositions of the mobile app.
The tactical strategy for Appetite mobile app is content marketing. The goal of content marketing will be to reveal the unique and innovative features of the app which differentiate it from similar products in the market. Cortimiglia, Ghezzi, and Renga (2011) assert that content marketing allows for the publication of captivating content within a company’s web pages and social media platforms. Content marketing allows more customers to stick around a company’s online pages and gain familiarity with a brand (Strauss, 2016). Videos, images, text, and graphics will be used to present content on the features of appetite and information on how to access, download and apply it to gain information and share insights on local restaurants, pubs, and cafes. Jefferson and Tanton (2013) reveal that content marketing promotes the visibility of a product and ensures that it gets more referral traffic. The potential for a conversation about Appetitive across social media platforms will also increase significantly through content marketing (Cox and Park, 2014).
The marketing images and messages will be designed with the goal of improving the reputation of the app. Gunelius (2011) explains that content marketing enables potential customers to build impressions about a product. Therefore, the online content on Appetite will be designed in a manner that provides consumers with useful information to enlighten them about the benefits of using the app and its alignment with their unique needs and preferences. In this sense, the potential users of the app will develop positive impressions and be motivated to download it from Google Play or App Store. In addition, content marketing allows a company to build the confidence and trust of customers in its products (Levy, Carter & Levy, 2012). Therefore, content on Appetite will be created to demonstrate its authenticity and usefulness to customers of local eating and drinking joints.
Appetite will be promoted across various social networking sites, including Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. Twitter will be used to generate traffic into Appetites download links. The followers of Appetite’s Twitter pages and handles will have access to the download links, which will redirect them to the App Store or Google Play and provide them with download options for the app, depending on the type of smartphone they are using. Twitter also provides companies with opportunities of connecting with the followers of their brand, leading to the establishment of good consumer relationships and the building of brand loyalty (Bulearca and Bulearca, 2010). Twitter will specifically be used to promote Appetite because it calls for action, such as retweeting and downloading the app. The use of Twitter will also allow for the enhancement of images, links, and updates on Appetite, which will promote deeper user engagement and the sharing of useful insights on its unique features and usefulness to customers of local eating and drinking joints. More importantly, Twitter will make Appetite mobile app discoverable in online searches (Lieb, 2011). To enhance online visibility, Twitter hashtags on Appetite, such as features, rating, and usefulness will be used. Twitter is also an opportunity for the company to strengthen its relationship with consumers who frequent local restaurants, cafes, and pubs.
YouTube will be used to captivate users and to capture their attention to Appetite mobile app. Ashley and Tuten (2015) show that a creative YouTube video exposes a company’s product to millions of users every day, every minute. Therefore, the attention of more users will be drawn to Appetite through publishing content on its features on YouTube. The high traffic volumes that characterize YouTube specifically make it an appropriate social media platform for the marketing of Appetite. Miller (2011) explains that YouTube provides businesses with opportunities of sending messages to millions of potential or prospective customers, which guarantees high sales and an increase in profitability. In addition, YouTube is a cost-effective marketing strategy (Jarboe, 2011). Therefore, the use of YouTube will decrease the costs of marketing and maximize revenue from the mobile app. Furthermore, users will be able to share YouTube videos on Appetite on other social medial platforms, leading to viral marketing and enhanced popularity of the app in the U.K. market. The high search engine ranking of YouTube also makes it an appropriate choice for communicating promotional content on Appetite to potential users.
Facebook will also provide an opportunity for low-cost marketing of Appetite. The company will also be able to share basic information regarding its business models, strategies, and product value propositions on a Facebook page, which will enhance the brand image of the mobile app and its competitiveness in the target market (Burton and Soboleva, 2011). The company will create a Facebook page for Appetite mobile app and use it to share images, pictures, text, and graphics designed to show its attractive, unique, and innovative features which make it useful to customers of local eating and drinking joints. Stelzner (2011) adds that Facebook is a powerful marketing tool as it facilitates communication and interaction with potential and current customers. More importantly, Facebook enables a company to provide customers will needed support (Zarrella & Zarrella, 2010). Therefore, Facebook will be used to support customers on how to access, download, install, and apply Appetite to access and share information on local retardants, cafes, and pubs. Treadaway and Smith (2012) assert that marketing on Facebook is an appropriate strategy for promoting a positive image of a product and raising brand awareness within target market segments. Traffic to the download links of Appetite is expected to increase significantly during the implementation of Facebook’s marketing strategy.
Design and Development of Pieces of Content
Note that the above artifacts are for student work only. Therefore a live app is not available.
The appetite mobile app is a lucrative business idea due to its potential for increasing market share, sales, and profitability. The app provides customers of restaurants, pubs, and cafes in the U.K. with an opportunity of sharing information, images, and videos on their dining and drinking experiences. The value propositions of the app include its cost-effectiveness, unique design, interface user-friendliness, and alignment of its design with the needs of users. Demographic and psychographic segmentation will be used to target the market segment of female and male users between 18 and 35 years. The target users include owners of smartphones who frequently use various social media networks to access and share information and experiences on products and services in the U.K. Marketing objectives for Appetite will be achieved through the implementation of effective marketing strategies, including content marketing across social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Marketing on social medial networks will enhance brand awareness, increase market share and captivate more users to download the app from Google Play or App store.
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