The popularity of mobile apps is indisputable. The number of downloadable apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store is only increasing. Everyone who has a smartphone has at least one app on it. But what does this mean for businesses?
Mobile apps have given companies a completely new way to connect with their customers, and they offer a lot of opportunities for small businesses to grow and expand. If you want to learn how to create an app and make money, you’ve come to the right place.
Benefits of creating a mobile app
Credit: Pexel (Pixabay)
If you’re not completely sure how a simple mobile app can be beneficial for your business, you’ll probably be surprised by all of the reasons why you need to create an app. Not only does it help you keep up with trends, but it also allows you to expand your market and increase revenue.
There are multiple ways mobile apps help you do this.
Reach customers from all over the world
Not that long ago, businesses could only cater to local buyers, especially if they were small and didn’t have a large marketing budget. However, thanks to the mobile app revolution, you can now offer your products and services to people from different cities, regions, and even countries.
While you will cater to local buyers at first, once you start growing, you can use geo-location technologies to expand your customer base easily. Furthermore, customers will have access to your store at their fingertips, no matter where they’re located.
Easy to create brand awareness
Branding is very important if you want to grow your business. When you think of some of the most successful companies, you can probably see their logo in your mind’s eye as well. Branding plays a significant role in staying at the top of your customer’s mind and increasing visibility.
When you have a mobile app, creating brand awareness becomes significantly easier. This is because when a customer installs your app on their phone, your company’s logo will be on full display whenever they look at their mobile screen.
You can create better customer experience
Unlike mobile websites that depend on organic traffic to be even remotely successful, mobile apps only require the user to download it. Once a customer finds your app and installs it consciously, it is easy to turn them into a loyal customer if they find your app useful and helpful.
Mobile apps can use optimized device features to create a more enjoyable experience for all users. Mobile payment technologies make transactions quicker and easier, while geo-location technologies can leverage more business opportunities by providing contextual and location-based advertising.
Collecting user data is easier
Nowadays, it’s common practice to always have your smartphone with you wherever you go, and businesses with mobile apps can use this to their advantage. Since mobile devices have an array of device-specific sensors built into them, it’s easy to collect accurate user data.
You will be able to find out a plethora of valuable user-specific data such as location, demographics, buying habits, and preferences. This allows you to create better targeted marketing strategies.
Advice for mobile app creation
William Iven (Pixabay )
Before you create an app marketing strategy and start attracting users, you need to make sure your app follows some basic principles. After all, you need to be careful about every aspect of your app if you want to prioritize business growth.
Don’t put too much information in your app
Keep in mind that when someone installs your app, they do it because they’re already familiar with your business and products. There’s no need to over-educate them and provide them with the information they already know.
Many business apps have long texts on their opening screens, which does nothing except annoy users. Replace these with tooltips that will tell your users more about the app and a tutorial that will explain how to use the app and what it’s meant for.
Remove all sources of friction
The smallest things can cause friction in your app, so you need to remove all potential risks.
- Make actions clear. Every screen on your app needs to have one clear action that makes it easy for users to move through the app without making any wrong choices.
- The CTAs need to be consistent. Every CTA you include needs to have the same superficial traits. This includes placement, color, wording, and font.
- Avoid cognitive load. Examine how much text you have on every screen and decide if all of it is necessary. If not, remove everything that doesn’t explain how to reach the next screen.
Include positive reinforcement
It’s important to encourage users to go through your app, and the best way to do so is by rewarding them for every action no matter how small it is. This can be done by including checkmarks when they fill out form fields and including transition animations that will thank users after performing an action such as completing a purchase.
Prioritize effective referral channels
A referral program needs to be an essential part of your app, as 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. In the early stages, offer multiple referral channels, but after some time, analyze their success rates to find the channels that yield the highest number of referrals. Once you do that, only keep those channels and focus on maximizing send volume from them.
Make referral programs appealing to both sides
Referral programs can be a powerful tool that influences your business’ growth, but only if it appeals to both the people who invite their contacts and the ones who are invited. The best way to make your referral programs appealing to both sides is to offer double-sided incentives.
For instance, you can offer a discount, a free sample, free shipping, or any incentive that would appeal to customers who love your brand. Just don’t forget that once new customers come to your app, you need to provide them with great user experience so they stay there long-term.
Final thoughts
The widespread use of mobile apps has made it easy for companies to utilize their power, attract more customers, and make their business grow. Now that you know all the benefits of mobile business apps and how to design a good one, there’s nothing stopping you from growing your business. All that’s left to do is create an app and start making money with it.
Featured Image: Mohamed Hassan (Pixabay)
EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.