Developing An App For Your Business
Developing an app can be beneficial to your business. In our day and age, there is an app for everything. From calling a cab to making an appointment at the salon, to tracking your caloric intake– there’s an app for that. Why shouldn’t there be? Mobile applications put the world at our fingertips. They offer a form of interactiveness that a website can’t match, while also providing heightened mobility. With technology ever advancing, apps are capable of such a wide variety of feats that we can guarantee no matter what field you are in, your business could benefit from having a mobile app.
Apps are a great way to reinforce your brand. Imagine your customers scrolling past your logo every time they open their phones! They can hardly forget about you when you are always in the palm of their hand. That makes you, well, handy! Plus, your customers are way less likely to try out one of your competitors when you are always just a tap away. They will love the convenience that an app provides.
And if an app is convenient for your customers, it is doubly so for you! Need to get the word out about a new promotion? Send out an alert! That slight buzz of their phones will have your customers reaching to see what’s new– instantly. Even if you already have a sizeable email list for just that purpose, you still risk sitting unopened in inboxes, or worse landing straight in the spam box. With mobile apps, you become front-screen news every time! Take advantage of this newfound line of communication to stay in contact with your clients no matter where life takes you.
One of the most obvious benefits of an app is increased sales. If you have goods to sell you can hardly afford not to have an app. If you have us design an app for you you are ensuring that your business is available to your customers whenever, and wherever the urge to shop hits them. Whether you rock the brick and mortar or sell primarily online, as your mobile app developer we can give you access to new pools of potential customers. Don’t risk losing clients to your tech-savvy competitors, let us design an app that will give you the edge you need to stay at the top of your game.
Another reason to consider hiring an app developer is the increased visibility. Owning a business is all about visibility. From billboards to commercials, to websites and social media, getting people’s attention is essential. Making yourself available on every platform allows you to maximize your outreach. That’s just good marketing. With smartphone sales increasing by the year, the reasons to consider a mobile app are steadily rising.
When you schedule a consultation with our trained team of app developers you are signing up for our undivided attention as we listen and assess the individual needs of your business. My Basic LLC thrives on being able to supply you with the very best in customer service. Our innovative designs will help your business flourish in today’s demanding, tech-saturated markets. Make sure to ask us about our portfolio to see how we have helped other businesses reach their goals.
There are several things you should consider when developing a mobile app. Take a minute and think about some of your favorite apps or even just some of the most popular ones in recent years. Apps like Candy Crush, Google Maps, Facebook, Walmart, and more. Think of how often you have apps like these running on your phone. Now, think of what all these apps can do. What these apps look like. How they interact with you. How you interact with them. Developing a mobile app requires a comprehensive strategy in order for it to be user-friendly and give both your customer and your business the experience and information you both are looking for. But, don’t worry, we will spearhead this process and will include you in it for the best results. When developing your mobile app, here are some things that should be considered:
Market Research
Market research is a great starting point for your app development. And really, it is a great starting point for any major project you will be doing, such as marketing. It can serve as a base for the other decisions you make. Market research will help you better understand who your audience is, who your competition is, the likes and dislikes of your use, and just generally what your market looks like.
Budget
Once you know who you are trying to reach and how it is best to reach them, it is important to take a step back and see how much you can really afford to invest in your app. This will ultimately determine what features you decide to incorporate into your app. There is a wide margin of the final sticker price of an app, so don’t get discouraged – we can help you find something to fit your budget.
Native vs. Hybrid Apps
Did you know there are different types of apps? Native apps are smartphone apps that are built specifically for an operating system using a programming language. Hybrid apps are web-based apps that are configured to work on smartphone platforms your choice of which type of app to go with will depend on your end goal and your budget. There are definitely perks and challenges with both.
Monetization Options
Ideally, you will make money off your app to help monetize your business decision – this will be part of your return on investment (ROI). And when it comes to monetizing your app, there are several different options:
- Freemium – The download of the app is free, but certain features cost money to unlock.
- Paid – The download of the app costs money.
- In-app purchases – This model uses the app to sell digital or physical products, as opposed to features like in freemium.
- In-app ads – This is simply incorporating some advertising space in your app and selling the space to advertisers.
- Sponsorships – This involves partnering with other brands and advertisers, and is similar to the in-app ads model.
Security Measures
You will need to include a privacy policy in your app since it will collect information from users. This policy needs to cover what information is being collected from them and how this will be used. In the early stages of your app development, consider consulting with legal counsel to give yourself plenty of time to get this aspect fleshed out. Ready to take your business to the next level with app development? We’re ready to help!
Interesting Trends for App Development
The mobile app industry is one industry that keeps refining nearly every day. So, it’s a job to keep up. But don’t worry – we’re keeping up for you. When it comes to developing an app for your company, it is important to consider what the trends in app development at the time look like. Of course, you always want to ultimately do what works best for your business, but this will help you decide what aspects might help you beat out a competitor, save some money, or just ultimately get the most return on your investment. As we turn a new decade, here are some app development trends you can expect to likely hear more about:
Beacon Technology
Beacon technology has swiftly been embraced by numerous industries. It is a great tool for location technology and proximity marketing. So, what is a beacon? It is a wireless transmitter that sends signals, which can then be used in the information exchange of sales.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance and is something mobile app developers will see numerous benefits from. For example, it is now easy to integrate chatbots into websites and apps. But in the future, you could see chatbots that respond more like a virtual assistant, making the user feel as though they are talking to a real person.
Impacts of 5G Wireless Services
Do you remember the days of 3G? Oh yeah, those are long gone. We are now looking at 5G technology in the near future and it is stated to be 100 times faster than 4G network. And if you are going to keep your user experience good, you need to take this into consideration. The last thing you want is a user downloading your app only to delete it because it can’t keep up with the speed of their service.
The Future of Wearable Devices
Wearable devices are nothing new – from Apple watches to Fitbits and beyond, these have been in our tech industry for years now. And their future is looking bright. These wearable devices have changed the way consumers interact with smart devices and have also, therefore, changed the way users interact with your app.
IoT Integration
IoT, or the Internet of Things, has become an industry itself that is evolving with time. Thanks to the capabilities of the IoT, users can access non-IT equipment using a remote control or an app. Because this is becoming and will become an essential part of some user’s lives, it is important to keep this trend in mind when developing your app.
AR and VR Capabilities
Augmented reality and virtual reality have grown immensely in popularity over the past few years and we’ve witnessed gaming trends evolve as a result, such as Pokemon Go, Dino Trek and more. Incorporating these capabilities into your app can be revolutionary for the user experience.
You have a mobile app idea, an idea that meets a need in a world where smartphones are more abundant than cars (smartphones v cars) as of 2016. How do you get your app to market? My Basic LLC has an idea. Which platform do you want your app to be released on? Google Play? Apple Store? Or both? These are questions we’ll look at and provide you guidance based on our experience and expertise.
Something to App about
Will your application have a need to enable users to create profiles or use their social media accounts to be able to log in? We’ll explore those options to find the solution that works best with your app, call us.
How much does it cost to build an app? This is a good question just like what is your budget? Apps can range from $20,000 to $300,000+. There are a lot of factors that go into the cost of app development so it's good for us to have a conversation to learn so we can give you a proper estimate, oh and don’t forget marketing the app. Here is another article that will confirm app development prices: App Dev Costs.
To develop an app it is not uncommon to have multiple people involved to make sure the requirements of the client are met. Usually, you’ll see a project manager, 2-4 developers, QA, graphic design, or more depending on the complexity of the app. If you need the app done in a shorter amount of time that can be an influencing factor on the price. Look, functionality and features also are factors in determining price.
When building an app you’ll also want to take into consideration web hosting. The amount of traffic you receive on the app will determine the kind of hosting you will need. Before we launch your app we make a recommendation to start on a VPS or dedicated server and wouldn’t recommend shared web hosting. If there is a spike in downloads and users the last thing you need happening is the app timing out, crashing, people being angry as a result, etc.
Will your app be free to the general public or do you want your audience to pay a monthly fee or flat price to use the app? These are important questions to address at the beginning of development so there is no confusion during development and launch.
With a good app comes managing updates and administration regularly
That’s right, you should be listening to your audience because they can give you valuable feedback on features that can be added to enhance your app or they may even point out bugs or features that are making your app difficult to use. It is good to have people on the project working in the quality assurance department to make sure the app is working right before, during launch, and along with the lifespan of the app.
Who is your audience? How do you plan to reach them? We know a thing or two that will help you answer those questions and we look to provide you with tools that will give you feedback on how people are interacting with the app.
How much can someone make from an app? That’s a good question, think hundreds of thousands, millions, and even billions (Candy Crush). This is not always the case but with the right conditions, it can happen through your app. Many businesses charge a flat fee to use their app, a monthly fee, or make the app free and monetize it or create in-app purchases. What’s your strategy? We’ll help you find it.
The fight against time
How do you reach millions of people in a short amount of time? Marketing and Advertising... sword and shield. That’s right if you have the world’s best app but now one knows about it that’s working against you and time. Word of mouth is good and hopefully, that will help in the marketing process. It’s S.W.O.T. time!
More coming in than what’s going out, the Budget
That’s right, there is a budget that should be involved at least in principle. How do you determine if your app is profitable? Look at your bank account. A strategy has to be put in place so you don’t burn through your cash and end up in the red needing to hold another round of investing to stay afloat. Welcome to entrepreneurship 101. Looking forward to our working relationship, let's grow!
At My Basic LLC, we want to see you succeed. There’s nothing like meeting a client who has an idea and we can help them bring their idea to pass and see it succeed. We want it to succeed, we need it to succeed because we are connected. We’ve invested our time which we can never get back and we want nothing but success for our client’s project. We will work hard, we will work smart, we will succeed, God willing…we are My Basic LLC. Call us for your complimentary consultation.