Technology is part and parcel a part of the business world; in fact, it’s integral these days. Smartphones play a phenomenal role in anybody and everybody around the world, accessing your business anywhere and at any time. This is why creating a mobile app for your business could be the difference between a negative quarter and a record-breaking quarter. Marketing companies can sometimes struggle with making an app that’s just right for your business and the key issue is the individuality. But before anything can be implemented, you’ve got to know what the best option for your target audience is. It’s more important to build an application that can fulfill the needs of your users than it is to just use a pre-existing design as the template for your app.
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The platform that’s right for you
Before you even begin an application, before you even set down the blueprint, you must decide which platform will work best for your application.
If you intend on making the most amount of money, iOS is the operating system for you as this is the system for iPhones and iPads. On average your application will go live within half an hour of it being submitted. Research has shown that it is more stringent getting downloads and revenue from an Android app that is is iOS. However, for promotional purposes, you should consider Android since smartphones which use that operating system are now dominating the race in the U.S with the majority market share according to the most recently updated reports.
Social sharing
It more than likely goes without saying, but don’t forget to add a social media sharing button to allow users to spread your app among their friend circle. Incorporate a feature in the app which allows them to share an article, a scoreboard and or a user rating. This is perhaps the most effective way for your app to begin journeying across the world without you having to spend large amounts of money on marketing doing this.
Free or paid?
Whether you’re making an app purely as a tool to expand the audience of your brand, or using it as a revenue increasing tool all depends on what your motivation is to make the app in the first place. If you would rather having your business name soar higher than ever before with newly found wings, then you should go with offering your app for free. If you’re well established or your analytics team has shown you figures which suggest the consistent popularity of your business, then you could take a risk and demand a price for the application before potential customers can download it. Some apps have shown themselves to be multi-million dollar profit machines and others have flopped; you’ll have to keep your finger on the pulse to figure out if your decision was the right one.
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Stay fluid
Users love the feeling of security in storage. If your business has the ability for users to access their data or files via on online system, embrace this into the app. Advertise accessibility via your cloud network which could be http://www.icloudlogin.com/. This is a niche approach to connecting with a customer’s emotions as a good service will always design into their app, a form of guardian that offers them protection and stability.
It’s not a silver bullet
It’s crucial you don’t see an application as a way to solve all your marketing problems as generally, most designs won’t be able to give the customers every little bit of information about your business; that’s what websites and blogs are for. You’ll need to condense down the most important factors of your business, purely in an effort to showcase the services you offer and why you’re the best option.
Updates are incredibly important to maximizing the platform you’re on and with staying relevant in your field. No one wants to be stale and pale, so update the app regularly with new products and system changes to keep your consumer base in the loop. It also shows you care, and you’re a constant flowing business, always trying to better yourself. You can employ an automatic system which takes the information you’ve updated on the website, to channel directly through as an update showing on the app.
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Maintain and entice
One of the golden rules in any business is to maintain contact with the customer. The longer you’re in their daily lives, the more you stay in their minds; so never undervalue communication. Users are more than willing to provide you with constructive criticism and helpful suggestions to improve usability. Make sure you listen to the most polite customer and note down what they like, as well as the most foul-mouthed disgruntled user. Any and all feedback is good feedback. For this, you should have a rating and comment system. The key to getting feedback is to make the process simple, an app is mainly used on the go, so the process shouldn’t have to take more than 30 seconds. A quick shortcut that could save people time is a simple up or down voting system.
Create reasons for users to keep coming back to the app. This could take the form of a miniature game or a quiz which entails a prize for the correct answers; forcing those who want something for nothing, to really work for that bone by keeping up-to-date with your business.
Conclusion
You might be asking, is the hassle and time worth it? For the answer to that, you must ask, what price loyalty? An application on a customer’s smartphone is a window into their life and buying habits. If you’re always in the mind’s eye, you’re never, but a short touchscreen tap away from selling your product or service. The effectiveness is all up to your theme, usability, reliability and your niche selling point. Remember that apps take up space in a smartphone, so you’ve got to offer consumers a reason to not just download your app, but to keep it on their phone indefinitely.
