So the challenge is like this. There are currently over 30 million mobile apps and growing by the minute, and the average smartphone user has around 30 apps on their mobile device, that they may or may not be using. So if you’re getting into this market, to develop apps, your work is cut out for you.
This like any other endeavor, becoming successful comes to those that persevere. You can’t expect to hit a home run the first time up. It comes down to planning and not by chance, you’re at the mercy of the market.
When attempting to build a mobile app that goes viral, there’s no secret formula that can set you up for success. Although it’s a relatively new market segment, all of the traditional time honored business strategies and building blocks remain.
Creating Long-term Value
The foundation remains the same, as the construction, when it comes to successful mobile app development, is identifying what value it brings to the end user.
Never consider this to be a subtle process, as the key direction is targeting and tailoring your efforts so it caters to the right audience.
Downloading apps are too time intensive as some can take minutes, so mobile apps to be successful needs to provide an easy solution to a difficult problem, which the users are willing to download or even pay for.
The most successful of products are built on solving or easing a dilemma that the consumer or the developers themselves have experienced, and they’ve come up with a solution. They then scaled it up to flood the market.
Building apps also goes beyond solving a problem, as it’s whether the user would be willing to use your solution, or swap their existing solution for yours, because you’ve solved an intrinsic problem that no other app solution could solve until now.
Identify what the core value that your app provides, and then validate whether there’s a strong need for the user to use it on a consistent basis.
Design Fits Niche
For the app to be successful, it needs to be tailored for a specific audience. The design of the product, the usability, look, the feel of the app should comply with the particular customer base that it’s developed for.
There are two components when it comes to design, and they should blend into each other. The form and the functionality of the app, and the set of features which are built into it.
It becomes imperative to make it easy for the user to use, to go from one screen to another, or from one feature to another. The learning curve and navigation should be intuitive, which is known as user experience.
The graphic design of the user interface, needs to comply with what the demographics of the customers are, such as their age, gender, geographical location, all which influences its look.
Know that certain colors are scientifically proven to influence certain emotions in people, and the reason why you should be using specific colors for certain product designs and logos.
Once you have an idea of what your customer segment is, then create the design with a look and feel that releases the appropriate emotion you’re wanting your customer to experience.
Audience Reach
The marketing and distribution method can make or break the success of your mobile app. Getting your app out there and suggesting it to your customers to download and use, can be a challenging task you do.
There are potentially multiple avenues for marketing, and the best way to begin is by initially exploiting every channel that’s available in the early stages, this when it comes to promoting its feasibility.
By performing this market testing, is how you’ll learn to find out which online marketing channels will deliver the best results for you.
Begin by laying out your marketing strategy on a daily and then weekly basis, along with a precise execution plan across all of the various channels.
Study the metrics of your efforts across both free and paid channels over a period of several months, this so that at the end of the testing period, you’ll have precise insight into what works, which channels deliver the best conversions.
During this time, work on creating a compelling history, the story about your app, one which can convey a value proposition, this by using a concise explanation that the user can understand.
Your proposition can be as simple as, “Capture and then share to the world your most precious moments.” Keep it as simple and as straightforward as possible. Make sure that you connect emotionally with them.
Make Sure It’s Scalable
Scalability refers to being open ended and flexible, to be adaptive to your customers needs, inviting feedback to improve the product, this to revise the features while enhancing user experience.
The best way to approach this is by identifying a narrow niche segment to start with, this by beginning a “test” market with your immediate network of people who can be potential customers, as randomly selecting users doesn’t appear to work.
This could mean just reaching out to the customers who are within your current city, or using a directory app, as that’s how Uber began and expanded.
What doing so does is it helps you understand user behavior better, while identifying mistakes and correcting them with a smaller group. The quicker that you find out, the easier it gets to deliver the best solution.
The instance that you’re able to satisfy this smaller test segment of users, is all you need to begin scaling up your efforts, this to reach similar users, knowing that your particular model works, and is a fit for market absorption.