The use of apps is becoming increasingly important to the digital marketing efforts of brands and businesses, and is now a key component of overarching marketing strategies according to PR, search and social media agency Punch Communications.

Applications, or apps for short, are now a regular feature in the majority of people’s lives, particularly the younger generation who are effectively the future audience of many brands and businesses across the world. Whether it’s an app for a smartphone, or indeed an app on a brand Facebook page, they are both tools with which brands can engage their future consumers and develop a relationship with them.

Smartphone apps provide a means for brands to appeal to users from right inside their pockets, and bring added value to a users’ lifestyle, such as the Nike running app. Alternatively, Facebook applications, which capitalise on the immense size of the world’s biggest social network can facilitate a greater degree of engagement. In an environment where brands can make it very easy for users to talk about them and spread word of brand activity and initiatives, a great example of this being the app launched around the release of hit movie Toy Story 3.

Alex Smith, Account Manager at digital PR consultancy Punch, said: “The rate at which applications across platforms are being developed and also adopted by consumers shows that this is certainly one of the many directions that brands should consider when it comes to their overall digital marketing efforts.

“An application that appeals directly to the nature of consumers and the way that they interact with their extended networks online has the potential to go very far in terms of the number of downloads or views it can achieve in a relatively short space of time.”

Punch Communications is a leading Search, Social Media and PR company, offering digital services to a wide range of clients located all over the world.

For more information, please call 01858 411 600, or visit www.punchcomms.com.