4 Mistakes You're Making with Your Mobile App

With the fast-paced, information-led world we live in, the adoption and usage of our phones has exponentially grown over the years. To that point, according to Statista, in 2020, mobile apps generated about $188.9 billion in revenue via app store purchases and in-app advertising. In 2026, mobile apps are projected to make more than $600 billion, with some estimates as high as $1 trillion.

With our increasing reliance on phones for information and organizations continuing to tap into a profitable marketing avenue, it’s no surprise that new and advanced mobile applications are created each day. The advantages of your organization having its own mobile app include:

• Increased Engagement

• Customer Personalization

• Increased Revenue

• Stronger Brand Visibility

• Valuable Customer Insights

However, even today, most mobile apps are managed as a depository for the same content that can be found on a website. Managing a mobile application is often treated as a secondary venture rather than the opportunity some companies have taken advantage of.

Here are the 4 mistakes to avoid if you manage the mobile app for your sports or live-entertainment organization:

1. Mistake: Treating the App Only as a “Digital Ticket Wallet”

   The issue? Many organizations launched an app because they went paperless. For sports and entertainment companies, once the fan scans in at the gate, the app serves no further purpose. In most use cases, the fan closes the app and doesn’t reopen until the next time they need to access their tickets.

   Why it hurts? You lose 2-3 hours of engagement time while the fan is in your venue.

   How to fix? Your app should be the “remote control” for your event-day experience. Incorporate features that are essential during your event, such as real-time statistics or gamification that keeps the fan entertained. Ensure your mobile content is unique from your website. Provide behind-the-scenes videos or engaging content that makes the user want to find out what’s next before, during, and after the event.
   

2. Mistake: Allowing Fans to Remain “Anonymous”

   The issue? Are you looking for as many mobile app downloads as possible? Or, do you want to generate revenue from your mobile users? For teams looking to monetize mobile app users, you should avoid letting them browse your app as “guests” without ever identifying themselves. 
   
   Why it hurts? You don’t receive any actionable business intelligence. Once a fan browses your app as a guest, you lose the ability to retarget and/or know attributes such as are they a season ticket holder?
   
   How to fix? Don’t just ask them to sign in; pay them to sign in. Offer discount codes for their next game, provide exclusive access to team store merchandise, or entry into a contest in exchange for creating a profile. Making it a win-win for both parties gives the fan a first-class experience and gives you valuable data points to further personalize their future experiences.
   
   
3. Mistake: Selling “Digital Billboards” instead of Activations
   
   The issue? Banner ads on mobile devices are annoying. But, they’re more annoying when they’re static banner ads at the bottom of the screen. No one wins.
   
   Why it hurts? At this point, fans have banner blindness. Users ignore static ads, which means your sponsors receive low click-through rates and low ROI. Less conversions means difficulty for your team to renew and generate sponsorship dollars.
   
   How to fix? Remember, mobile is and should be an interactive medium. Shift to gamified sponsorships. What’s that mean? Instead of a banner for a car dealership, run a Predict the Halftime Score contest sponsored by that dealership. The engagement rates are higher and it positions you to engage the fan and capture specific lead data for the sponsor (ex. Are you in the market for a new car?)
   
   
4. Mistake: Going Dark in the Off-Season
   
   The issue? Once the season ends, it’s time for a break, right? A lot of teams let their app collect digital dust when games aren’t being played.
   
   Why it hurts? Leaving your app dormant for so long increases the odds of users deleting the app to save storage space between seasons. This forces you to spend marketing dollars just to re-acquire them.
   
   How to fix? Retention is always cheaper than acquisition. Your mobile app marketing should have its own 365-day content strategy. Use your app for exclusive off-season news, draft coverage, and priority access to non-game events. Keep your push notifications relevant, because you want to hold your real estate on their home screen.
   

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. Managing your mobile app is a full-time job. It’s why FanThreeSixty provides organizations an out-of-the-box solution for mobile applications, because mobile app adoption and user spend is continuing to grow. Avoid the mistakes above and your organization will have an enviable holistic fan experience rather than a neglected marketing avenue.