Guest Author Lance Cody-Valdez, Digital Nomad at free-lance-now.com
If you’re a small business, you may have already heard the statistics that there are nearly 3 million apps on the Google Play store and just less than two million available via Apple. Considering that 88 percent of our mobile usage consists of time spent in mobile applications, it makes sense to want to release your own. But, it is not as simple as downloading a template or telling your designer that you want an app.
There are lots of things to consider before you start the process. Beachside Social Networks shares the following application development mistakes that your small business should avoid when you’re ready to go mobile.
Not Doing Your Research
If you’re like most of us, you want to dive right in and create an app yourself. This is certainly admirable. However, it might not be the best solution. Although there are plenty of app creation tools available, it’s almost always best to hire a developer or a freelance app designer. The right team or person can take your idea and turn it into a functioning app. This can eliminate the hassle of learning how to code or releasing a templated product that is full of bugs and not catered to your clients.
Failure To Understand Your Customers
When you started your business, you likely did research to identify your target demographic. When you’re going to release an app, you have to go through this process again. The difference is that this time, you’re researching what your current customers want. Before you spend the money on the process, you’ll want to get to know your customers.
CustomersThink suggests that you can use social media, surveys, and events to grow closer to your customer base, which will give you an opportunity to find out exactly what they want in a mobile application. You might be surprised to find out, for example, that your customers want an option to buy online or to make reservations directly from an app.
Rushing The Process
In apps, as with most business moves, patience is key. Rushing too soon to release is a huge mistake that many companies, including Google, have made in the past. When you push an app through too quickly, you might miss fatal errors in the code or, just as damaging, not realize that your capabilities are inferior to existing products.
Moving too quickly may also result in a serious failure, such as a data breach or system crash. When customer or client information is jeopardized, more than your product or system stability is at risk — now you’re at risk of lawsuits and other damages. It’s wise to have a disaster recovery plan in place to have recovery software. With the right tools and disaster recovery protocols, you’ll be able to recover your data quickly and securely in case something does happen.
Missing The Budget
How much could it possibly cost to develop and release an app? More complicated apps can easily cost you over $50,000 to launch. This includes features, such as a social login as well as the visual and user interface design. Copywriting and branding also factor into the cost as does the complexity and the size of the database attached to your app. This figure doesn’t even take into consideration any changes you’ll choose to make after the initial release.
One way to save money here is to start with a “minimum viable product.” This is a scaled-down version of an app that will allow you to test functionality and perfect your basic products before adding additional features. If you need some extra funding to launch your app, look into potential grants. When applying for grants, be sure to include details like financials, the structure of your business, and marketing strategies.
Lastly, you can help put your budget back into focus by using free tools to help promote the app. For example, in place of hiring a graphic designer to design a logo, use a logo creator that allows you to put together a memorable image you can use on your website, social media, and even within the app itself. It’s a great way to be creative while saving some money.
Your mobile application can help your customers find out more about you and you more about your customers. But, you do not want to rush through the process. From hiring a developer that can help you work out the kinks to fully understanding the budget, plan your app development process well from the beginning, and you’ll be in a better position to lay a solid, digital foundation that will help you build your entrepreneurial empire.
Image courtesy of Pexels.