In mid 2011, a reporter for MIT Technology Review speculated that mobile apps would “soon be dead.” He believed at the time that web apps posed a crushing threat. At the time of the article’s prediction Apple sold 400,000 apps in its app store and celebrated 10 billion downloads.
But according to a report from Forbes in August, a staggering 1.25 million apps are available and over 50 billion downloads happened in just the last year. This is not to speak of the 900 million users that Google boasts.
It seems that mobile apps are only increasing in popularity as more and more companies jump at the chance to develop their own applications. If anything apps might now suffer from the sheer number which is available. A writer for the NY Times blog wonders if it is possible to suffer from mobile app burnout as app stores now seem daunting.
The vast sea of apps available makes it increasingly important to design mobile applications which are necessary, appealing and cutting edge. If you are considering creating an app for your company, here are some things to know so that your app doesn’t get lost in the crowd.
Ask Why
Although apps are the current business craze, they are still “just another marketing tool and like all tools, it’s not the correct fit for every business,” writes Scott Robinson. Before plunging into the development process, it is important to ask questions about the purpose and nature of your potential application. These include:
•What can be gained from an app?
•Will it bring in more business?
•Will it make operations for efficient?
•Can it produce more brand awareness?
Only when you have identified that it can positively impact your company and is not just a reach at a trendy marketing stunt are you ready to find Blue Rocket mobile application development and start moving forward. But if you jump the gun, going first to design and choosing features, you will probably wind up asking the questions anyway because determining the why will provide the objective for what your app needs to accomplish.
Make the App Work for You
Perhaps you need paperless inventory or want to enable customers to place their order before arriving in the store. Whatever the idea, you want to ensure that the app has a purpose which is useful to both your business and your customers because this will convince them to download it.
Promote the Final Product
Once you have researched the possibilities, it is time to collaborate with artists, designers and marketers. And when the final product is available, it is time to kick it into gear with intense promotional efforts. Because there are so, so many apps available, it is important to advertise your app’s existence via other social media channels and word of mouth among your clients. Let people know why yours is the best among mobile apps for restaurants to convince them to download it and try using it.
With these outlined steps to developing an app, your company can be on its way to benefitting from the marketing potential of its own mobile app.
Image from venturebeat.com