Starting a mobile business may seem like a lottery to some entrepreneurs. The Competition is too large and the users are not always willing to pay for your product. I am suggesting 10 tips on how to turn your mobile app business into a money machine rather than a lottery.
Do your research! The internet has a wealth of free information about what’s popular right now. Make sure to check iTunes’ top 100 and “what’s hot” apps to see what apps people are currently buying. Remember to choose wisely – if there hundreds of very similar apps how will yours stand out? Find a niche or an upgoing trend.
Work smarter, not harder. You could run with an idea that will appeal to your customers but takes a huge amount of effort to complete, or you could put into the research to find an idea with an equally big market that’s much easier to execute. Why invest the time and effort into something as time consuming as a 3d racing game when you’re trespassing into the domain of big multinational developers?
It’s all too easy to dream up a pet project that seems perfect only to find out too late that it’s already been done – if you come up with something, google it! Five minutes spent searching on the internet could save you plenty of time and heartache later.
A bad or awkward name will deter potential customers. Before you settle on a name, why not ask friends and family what they think of it? They might be able to point out problems with it you haven’t spotted.
It’s paramount to give a good first impression to visitors to your iTunes page or website. If the first impression is anything short of perfect, especially with the name, icon or screenshots, it’s unlikely that you will make the sale. You need to win the trust of a potential customer to turn them into a customer.
No matter how great a programmer you are, there’s no need to exert yourself more than is necessary get the code right. More effort means more time which devalues your labour. If you use a framework, it will help you get a better app quicker. Efficiency is the name of the game, make sure you make things as easy as possible even if it feels like cheating.
Do your users want an app that offers every feature under the sun but is clunky and awkward or do they want an app that does what they want reliably with minimum fuss?
Be savvy and think ahead – make sure your expenditure on your project matches the profits you expect. Advertising is not a dead cert to recoup lost money as it has a good chance of turning away customers.
When apps are going out of fashion they often show a slight uptick in their sale performance. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is the beginning of a second boom!
Shout from the rooftops about your app! You may not have a marketing department on your side but tell everyone you know about the upcoming release of your product. It may just be the little sales boost that helps it become something big.
