Mobile Web vs Mobile Apps - Should your church invest?

There is no doubt that mobile web and app development is a communications strategy that churches should be considering. Engagement on mobile and smartphones is explosive. Here are just a few of the statistics: 

• 70% of the world's population have a mobile phone. In the U.S. its 9 out of 10. Yes, that stat includes children.

• Apple's iPhone has sold over 60 million phones to date, Google's Android platform has grown 886% in the last year and is expected to outgrow the iPhone in this calendar year.

• 53% of companies are expected already to have deployed iPhones.

• In the next 5 years more people will access the internet via mobile instead of a PC (video) 

• In 2011 smart-phone and tablet sales have surpassed desktop sales. (Read that again)

The question no longer is should your church or not-for-profit be on these mediums, but where should you start if you haven't started already. 

Should it be mobile web or an App? Nathan Deselm gives some insight and say's that an organisation should determine this by measuring new or returning visitors to their website (You can do this through Google Analytics).

Complimenting Nathan's thinking Richard Kang at Cultivate Conference 2011 dropped a insightful statement "Mobile is good for outsiders Apps are good for insiders" People are far more likely first time around to go to your website via their smart-phone rather than download an app.

Here are my recommendations. If budget is an issue, go mobile web first. If you have the budget, do both. They are both valid communications channels. Your internal and external audiences matter. 

How about you, what do you think? 

(Thanks to Kem Myer for the link)

 

Comments

[Martin Hathaway]

I think your distinction between new and repeat users is the best articulation of the App vs. Mobile Web dilemma that I have heard in a while.

[JohnsonStephenM]

Great topic, I was just thinking about this same thing the other day. You definitely helped me see the big picture of it a lot better, so thanks for that! Depending on the strategy of the church, I'd say go with a very simple, visitor/new attender focussed mobile app to answer questions and point to a member/regular attender connection and community focussed resource app. how's that sound?