With an estimated revenue of $462 billion and 204 billion downloads worldwide across all platforms, the mobile application industry is on a steady rise. The number of mobile phone users is increasing every day with over 3.5 billion people having access to smartphones. Mobile apps give your business a unique identity and make it easier for users to get information regarding your business and products, allowing you to connect with your users more efficiently.  

Here are some amazing ways in which mobile apps help your business grow: 

• Easily accessible to users 
• Highly Scalable allowing future growth 
• Secure and Reliable Platform for users 
• Provide a better experience and Value to Users 
• Improve Brand Awareness and Recognition  
• Makes it easier to manage Data and Projects 

As you can see Mobile apps are really beneficial for your business and developing one is quite important if you want to expand your business. However mobile app development is not an easy task, it is far more difficult than it looks. Your app should be Fast, reliable and provide something new and unique to users that will help you to stay ahead of Competitors. 

Starting development for a new mobile app is quite a big investment and commitment for your business, it is extremely important to select the right company and follow the right procedures while developing your app.  

Conduct a Detailed Competitor Analysis

Just like you conduct market research before starting your business or launching a new product, it is extremely crucial to conduct a thorough competitor analysis before developing a Mobile Application. This helps you understand the pros and cons of your competitors’ mobile apps. Competitor analysis helps save you a lot of time by understanding which techniques work and what mistakes to avoid. However, you SHOULD NOT copy others ideas and strategies, what you can do is understand their approach and try to implement it in a better and unique manner. Competitor analysis is the best investment of your time, it helps you save a lot of money and avoid many mistakes in the future. It is certainly not something you want to miss or avoid while deciding on your app.  

Identify and Understand your audience  

After conducting a competitor it is essential to know and understand your customers for your app to be successful. You have to recognize your target audience before building an app as they are the ones who determine how good your app is. Your app should understand the needs and wants of the users and find the best possible ways to satisfy them. You have to take feedback and advice from the general public, this helps you understand their demands, solve their issues and live up to their expectations helping you build the best possible app there is for your particular niche. You can also create user personas to understand what features you should add that will help you sell your product and satisfy your user as well. 

Make Sure You select the Right Platform   

Currently Android and iOS are 2 major platforms that dominate the mobile app industry. iOS, which is owned by Apple powers 13% of the phones globally, whereas 87% of smartphones run on Android. Both these platforms have their pros and cons. iOS apps are faster and easier to create whereas developing an app with Android takes much more time. Apps created with Android offer a variety of features, designs, tools, and flexibility to users, on the other hand, iOS apps are faster and reliable. You have to understand your audience and market before selecting a Platform. If you want a simple, clean and user-friendly app then iOS is the right choice, but if your idea requires the app to be interactive and responsive then you should choose Android.  

Determine Ways to Monetise your App 

Before starting with development and hiring a company you should think of the ways in which you could monetize your apps. You have to implement the right strategies to gain a better ROI from your app. There are a few ways in which you can monetize your app such as: 

• Freemium: This allows the customers to download the app for free but they have to pay for additional features which improve the usability of the app. 
• Paid Apps: As the name suggests users have to pay to download the app. Paid apps are generally ad-free.  
• In-App purchases: Users can download and use these apps for free but would have to pay for extra items like music, special themes, subscription plans, etc. 
• Ad-Supported:These apps are free to download and use and generate revenue through users that click on the displayed ads. 

Set Short and Long term Goals for your App 

It is crucial to decide what you expect from your app in the Long run and well as in the short run. Setting goals helps you to keep your operations on track and understand what factors lead to growth and what stalls it. Tell your team what you want your app to do for users and what is the main purpose of your app. With the market research you conducted, note down the growth trends and achievements of other businesses and try to outperform them. Show your team how your products or services differ from existing options and what position you want to be in the market one week, month, year and decade from now. 

Select the Right App Development Agency 

The idea, design and purpose of the App is purely yours but you need an app development agency to execute it. The agency you select plays a very crucial role in making your app user-friendly and successful. Developing an app is a very complex and tedious task and you need the help of professionals to create a fully functional one. That’s why selecting the right agency, with the right experience and professional developers is very important. You can make the right choice by looking into various agencies’ portfolios, client reviews and ratings. The agency you choose is what decides how much time and resources you would have to invest in developing your Mobile App.  

Figure out the Cost and Time Required 

Several factors need to be understood and analyzed while determining the cost of developing an App. App development requires plenty of time and resources so you must utilize them in the most effective manner. Make sure you choose a trusted agency which provides services at reasonable costs. You should always fix your budget with the agency beforehand. Your budget should include things like development and maintenance, servers, hosting, customer service, various legalities and marketing expenses too. After determining the cost you will have an idea of how you should monetise your app and which strategies would work best for you. 

Make Sure your App helps users to Solve a Problem

You must decide the reason and purpose behind building your app. You must brief the developers on why you want to create this particular app that solves the particular problems of these particular users. Your app should not just sell products and services, it should make the lives of your users better. Your products must not just fulfill users’ needs but also should help them solve problems that others have failed to. You should set a vision for your app and make sure that it aligns with your goals. Make sure to fully brief the customer about the product by writing detailed and honest descriptions, this helps the customer understand whether or not your product is the right choice for them.  

Build a Strong Marketing and Promotional Strategy 

You might have the best possible products and services to offer but it would be useless if no one has ever heard about them. After understanding your target audience it is also necessary to figure out ways to promote your app amongst them. You should sit and discuss the best and most effective marketing strategies for your business with your agency. The better you market your app the higher will be your conversion rates and sales. It is important to have a step-by-step marketing plan ready before launching your app. Creative and effective marketing always provides a good ROI and helps you create awareness about your products and services.  

Conclusion 

Building a Mobile application is a really big step for any business as they not only require a lot of time and resources but if not built right, these apps can hurt your brand image pretty badly. You have to provide users the best possible services through your app, users should also feel secure while using your app. These 9 steps give you an idea of what you should do to build interactive and professional Mobile applications.  

Still, confused over who to trust and where to start? Not to worry because we at AdsCult help you develop leading and professional mobile apps. Our talented Developers have experience in working with numerous businesses across various industries and can help you create unique apps for your business too. So give us a call and ‘Make IT Happen’ today with AdsCult.