Developing and marketing an app: golden rules

If you currently have an app idea or are already at the development stage, you are certainly dealing with a few questions: will the investment be worthwhile? Will the app turn out to be useful, and, above all, how do I market my app?

SECL would like to answer these and other questions that concern many customers.

I have an app idea, but where do I start?

Start by putting your idea into words as clearly as possible. Think of user stories and personas. This means: defining who the users of the app will be and imagining what they can do with the app.

For example, the app calculates how many liters of paint are needed to paint a certain area. Stephen (an imaginary person), who has no experience in painting and is also not particularly familiar with the operation of apps, downloaded the app. He wants to easily measure the wall’s area size with the mobile phone’s camera and see the results directly. He does not want to enter personal data or register for anything. Imagining such stories may seem weird, but it can help you understand your customers a lot.

After you have defined the idea, target group, and user stories, you should make yourself a sketch of what the app should look like. It is enough to outline your idea roughly on paper. However, you can also search for prototyping tools on the Internet and create a detailed mock-up or wireframe for your application. If you have already defined your requirements, look for a company that can design and develop the app for you. Alternatively, you can also use the mock-up or discuss everything with developers and create a wireframe together with an app development agency.

How do I know if the customer wants my app at all?

With a prototype, a so-called Minimum Viable Product (MVP), you can test the market quite quickly and on a low budget and find out if your idea is good. So don’t wait to complete a complete app with all functions. Let the application’s core functions be developed and tested with customers. This gives you important feedback from your customers and allows you to develop the app further, even more specifically.

Should I have my app developed in-house or externally?

If you want to launch your app’s first version, you should ensure that the costs remain low. Therefore, it is advisable to choose external developers (outsourcing, choosing a dedicated team). The big advantage of such development is that if you work with a specialized agency that takes over the development of your app, you benefit from the enormous reduction in costs and time. Your primary goal should be to make the app available to users as quickly as possible.

How do I submit my app to the app stores?

Apps can be submitted to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store via developer accounts. These accounts cost a certain annual fee. So it is also advisable to work with developers at this point. A professional app development agency usually includes uploading to the common app stores in its offers.

Should I offer my app for free?

Of course, this depends entirely on what you offer within your app. Should the app be available in a premium version? Is there perhaps special premium content that can be purchased via app-in purchase? Either way, you should pursue a clear monetization strategy right from the start.

My app is ready. Now what?

Similar to other products, apps do not sell themselves. You must approach the customer and make it easier for him to access the item. Optimizing the entry in the app stores can help to be detected faster, but it is not enough to make long-term profits with your app. To get more visibility, you need to market your app.

How do I market my app?

Here, the same rules apply as with other products. Make your app known on social networks, place online advertising and rely on third-party support. Reviews from bloggers and word of mouth are important! Also, pay attention to the reviews published by your app users and work to undo negative reviews!

How much does it cost to develop an app?

This is a question that we cannot answer in such a general way. The cost of creating an app varies greatly depending on the requirements that the app should meet. Many questions lead to an approach to the cost issue: Which operating systems should the app be intended for? Should it be a native or hybrid app? Is a web app planned, or should there be a website connected to the app? The more complex and powerful an app is, the higher the development costs.

One way to save costs here is the cross-platform development of a hybrid app with the Ionic framework. With just one development process for several operating systems at the same time, you save time and money!

If you have any further questions about app development and marketing, feel free to contact SECL: guys working there are experienced professionals in the field of development. By cooperation with them, you are guaranteed to get excellent results quickly. Good luck!