The app market is insanely huge today. There’s an app for everything you could possibly imagine.
There are hundreds of apps that monitor your heart rate, your footsteps, organize your work day, manage your funds and even spy on your spouse.
Mobile devices, such as tablets, smartphones and smart watches, consistently outsell computers, and there is no sign of this trend changing in the near future.
Many people are on their mobile devices up to 18 hours a day – they chat, they call and they surf the web. And, whatever you do on your mobile device, you will need an app.
App development is a big business. Thousands of apps are being launched every day on multiple platforms.
There are big companies who work on multiple apps at any given time, but there are also small startups or even freelance programmers that are just launching their first app. There’s only one sure thing about the app market: there’s room for everyone. Let’s face it, getting your app on a platform is quite easy.
Being successful, however, is terribly difficult. Estimates show that around 90 percent of app installs are generated by just 10 percent of the apps, so the competition is fierce.
To get your foot in the door, you’ll need to have a kick-ass product, an ingenious marketing strategy, and great customer support, among many others.
Here are the top tips that will help you hit it big in the app business:
1. Create a Really Good Product
The importance of quality cannot be stressed enough: you need to have a fabulous product. Most apps are not overly original or inventive. In fact, most of them only do one thing, but they do it very, very well.
It may not be the first app to monitor your footsteps when out on a hike, but it does the job perfectly. Another thing to keep in mind is that a good app will solve a problem, entertain users or vastly improve another app.
Also, a good app must look good, have a great, simple user interface and must be reliable. Simply put, quality is the foremost aspect when it comes to an app’s success. If it is good, everything else will be a lot easier.
2. Make It Work Both on iPhone and Android
Apple’s iPhone was, for many of us, our first introduction to smartphones and the starting point for the app frenzy.
Android, its main competitor platform, was only launched a couple of years after the iPhone, but it is now the dominant app platform.
To make sure your app is successful, start with the iPhone and go to the Android platform. Also, keep in mind that your app must work perfectly no matter the device. This will allow you to increase its virility.
3. Have a Virility Factor
Try to incorporate any type of virility mechanism in your app, so every user can attract other users into the system.
Aim to create a network of users who share your new app’s features, what it does and how it can help everyone.
Make it engaging, attractive, shareable and even more fun to use together with friends.
4. Marketing and Promotion
Make sure you have the right promotion and marketing funds before launching the app. Also, plan your marketing strategy from the earliest stages of development.
Try to attend conferences, workshops, meetings and any social gatherings to get your app known to the public.
Try to attract social-media influencers, tech gurus and trendsetters to review and promote your app.
For instance, if you have a skiing app, you should get famous skiers and other athletes to use or share your new app.
5. Make It FREE
Free is always good, no matter how much money you have. In the app world, there is a gigantic difference between a $1 app and a $0 app, especially for newly launched products.
Keep in mind that you can monetize your app later with further up-sells and in-app purchases.
Your main priority is to get a handful of initial users to get you started. A free app is the best incentive for anyone.
If you’re interested in learning more about app development, check out Kreativa.co, an online marketing community.
About the author:
Flaviu Mircea, is a small business owner who enjoys sharing his tips and insight sin to marketing. If you would like to learn more about Flaviu, you can check out his google+ profile.
