Creating and building an app is not an easy job. More than anything else, the uncertainty of the app’s success is the biggest challenge. While you may already have consumers who have the buying power, you also need to consider that this same set of consumers has a pair of discerning eyes and they want only the best value for their money. The market has become intelligent and practical, they will spend money on a product that will be of great use to them.
You cannot create an app and make people believe that it is the next best thing on earth when your market cannot even figure out how to use it. You cannot claim that you have created the best app ever as developers and companies are all in this hunting game where the predator never stops until he catches his prey. In this case, app re-skinning has become a strategy and it has become an important tool to ensure that everyone stays alive in the competition.
Writing source codes, designing the features, deciding on the template, choosing the app framework—these are just the building blocks of app development. Once you have created your app, there is still a significantly long list of things to accomplish. You still need to think on how to create your marketing and selling strategies to ensure that your app will be out there in the market, in the hands of your target audience.
It may sound tedious and an amazingly big chunk of work, so you need to be guided with pointers that will help you create a successful app.
- Determine your target market. Identify your audience and make sure that you know all of their needs and demands. You should know your consumer’s profile so you will not be taken aback by their buying behavior. You need to create an app that will cater to their needs, an app that will make them wait for your next product. Once you know who your audience is and their demands, it will be easier for you to create your next strategies to ensure that you will produce a great app. From there, you can come up with the best solutions for your business. Remember that the consumer is king—their demands and needs should be your top priority.
Identify the solution. Identify the unique selling proposition of your app and use this as your app’s best offering. While there may be a plethora of apps in the market today, you can still find the niche where you can tap a potentially big market. You can create an app that provides an essential tool to the consumer. You can provide apps that give solutions and that will be helpful to your market. That way, your app will become part of their everyday life and eventually, your audience will consider your app indispensable.
- Determine the devices and platforms. If most of your market uses mobile phones, you will need to create mobile app solutions that will bring your app closer to your market. If most of your audience are Android users, you need to create an app that will be compatible to Android. In this task, research is key. You need to do a deep dive of your market. You need to know the platform where it is easiest and best to tap them. Another important task on hand is to listen to them and to their feedback. Your consumers know best and their feedback can help you improve your app without having to spend too much. Once you already know what they want and what makes them satisfied, you just need to stick to these rules and make it your guiding principle for the next apps that you are going to create.
Evaluate your app. While it may be fun and income-generating to create an app, you need to be sure first if the app is worth your consumer’s money. You are dealing with a smart market so you better make sure that you yourself will not waste money and effort developing an app.
- Outsource the development. If it is your first time to create an app, you can opt to outsource it so you will not spend too much. You can work with a company who knows your budget and requirements and eventually, you can decide to bring the modification and maintenance in house when you are more confident with your skills. This is advisable since the first thing you want to accomplish is to prepare the app and make it ready to your customers as soon as possible. This allows you to gain traction from the market. Once you have enough funds to build your team, then that is the time that you can hire a developer or work with a bigger company.
- Post Your App to the Market. Once you already had your apps tested, you should now take into account the best feedback and implement final changes. Now, it’s time for you to send the app to the app store for review. You can work with a programmer to take you through how to submit your first few apps. The amount of time Apple will take to review and approve or reject your app will depend on whether you’re submitting on behalf of yourself or a company. If you’re an individual, takes three to seven days. If you’re a company, expect to wait seven to 10 days.
- Market Your App. Focus on a few key areas to effectively market your apps so you can encourage your customers to find out about your app and download it. Your app’s basic elements are marketing opportunities, and this will serve as your business building blocks.
Make sure you checkout the Mobile App Development Guide for more killer information and sources.