Marketers are wondering if they should build an app or build a mobile website. So far it appears that apps are popular among mobile users.

It’s a frustrating issue for business owners.

The question is – should you invest in an app or is a mobile website enough?

My argument is that you’re asking yourself the wrong question.

People Care About Content, Not Channels

We touched on this last week when we discussed mobile marketing content.

There will always be a discussion about channels. People use different channels. The focus you’re always wondering is if your target customer is changing their channel preferences. This is what’s important because if your customer truly changes channels (it doesn’t happen often) then you need to change your strategy.

There is also a change if your business changes its focus to new customers. Then it becomes necessary to focus on a new channel.

But the real discussion isn’t about the channel as much as it’s about the content you deliver.

The focus needs to remain on the content your customers are interested in consuming. You probably already have an idea. The channel doesn’t matter the most except you need to understand the channel preferences of your customer. My feeling is that if you create great content your target customers will prefer the channel you use. They don’t care about the channel as much as they care about the content.

The point I’m trying to make is that the discussion about apps vs. mobile web is important. You need to understand the channel preferences of your customer. I don’t want you to lose focus on the content, though. Your customers still want to consume content on the channels they prefer. Focus on the content first and figure out the channel second. If you don’t win the content battle then the channel battle isn’t even relevant in the discussion.

What channel is your business focusing on – apps or mobile web?

Don’t forget about the content. That remains important no matter how the channel changes in the future.