The value that people bestow upon brands is based heavily on their first experiences. As people have begun to rapidly increase their mobile usage within the past few years, brands have come to realize that more attention should be funneled towards their mobile device strategies. Mere functionality is not good enough with such a paradigm shift in mobile usage. If ignored, brands’ first impressions could end up turning potential customers away.

According to a Harvard Business Review article, entitled For Mobile Devices, Think Apps, Not Ads, users spend an average of 82% of mobile minutes on apps and just 18% on web browsers. They normally download around 40 apps on their phones and only consistently use 15 of them. This gives brands a narrow passage for getting users engaged and active right away.

How can brands give users an unforgettable first impression? 

First, the experience must be easy and understandable. Navigation and access is crucial when making a first impression. The hard part is maintaining consistent brand positioning throughout the mobile platform.

Secondly, segmenting your audience by creating multiple apps for your brand can create the right experiences for the right people. By doing so, you will eliminate confusion and overwhelming first impressions for the right users–and, hopefully, all users. For example, Nike has created a handful of apps that speak to specific people who run, have a FuelBand or want to keep up with their golf game.

SEE ALSO: The Brand Myth: Demystifying Brand Development

With the increased usage of mobile devices, people are engaging with brands by way of apps at a much higher consistency than before. With a mobile strategy and the development of branded apps, organizations will be able to be in seamless contact with the right niche within their own customer pools. At the same time, they will be able to attract more interaction with new and returning customers by using a few strategies that position a good first experience. The high intensity engagement within these apps then lead to increased revenue streams as users discover more and more value in your brand.

Moral of the story? In order for your brand to speak loudly and efficiently amid contemporary markets, you must always consider the customer’s mobile experience and usage.