Whether it’s Facebook, Whatsapp, or Uber, we can’t imagine our lives without apps anymore. Some people would even say that apps are a must for businesses today. What makes this so popular, and how should you approach app marketing? Let’s find out!
An app is a software designed to work on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. They allow users to do many things, from shopping online to playing games while on the go.
“One of the biggest advantages of apps is that they help companies save money by using fewer resources than websites and other offline mediums.”
Data collected by app stores and statistics show that more and more people prefer using apps over traditional methods of getting information; in fact, 50% of Americans use their phones for research before making purchases, according to one study. But is it all smooth-sailing?
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As more and more daily tasks become mobile, app makers compete with each other for user attention and time. It’s quite hard to build a perfect app because so many people expect so much from them: we want apps that keep us up to date about the latest news, let us chat with friends and family, give us directions when we’re lost, track our fitness goals and help with shopping online. Providing such features requires a lot of time and money and lots of expertise that not every company has access to. That’s why some experts think that apps might be just a short-lived thing and will die out soon. But this doesn’t mean apps are bad for business!
App usage is still growing. App Annie’s revenue increased by about 70% in 2015 and surpassed $50 billion. The same report shows that there are more than 26 billion downloads every year. So, if you’re thinking of entering the mobile space or taking your existing business online, you should put some serious thought into building an app. Let’s look at how it works and what tools you need to create one yourself.
There are four main steps to creating an app: coming up with an idea, choosing a platform, making the prototype, and testing it. If you want to build an app on your own, it’s best not to start from scratch but to use free or paid tools that come with ready-made templates. Popular choices include the Phonegap building tool, Appcelerator, and Xamarin. However, there are alternatives to these which might be even better for your needs. For example, if you want to save some money, you could use Python instead of C# because the former is free while the latter requires purchasing a license, check RemoteDBA to know more
Interesting Facts about Apps
If you have an app idea but lack the expertise or time needed to create it yourself, you can always hire professional app makers. They will make everything from scratch and help grow your business by meeting set objectives. Prices vary depending on what your app does and how complex it is; we recommend starting with $25000 and going up from there.
The average price for a good design ranges from $5000-8000. Before starting to code the app, you need a special UX/UI designer who can foresee all potential problems and put everything for you. They will develop a detailed plan that will include the actual cost since this part of development is quite expensive, too, especially if you want your app to be original and creative
If you decide to make an app yourself, it pays off to get some help from assistants or co-workers. You can even hire virtual workers from India or Bangladesh – they are very cheap, have extensive experience in the software industry, and know-how to work remotely, which means it’s easy to coordinate with them. A good developer charged by the hour will cost you about $15-20, while a virtual assistant from Dhaka costs around $3 per hour.
Customers often prefer virtual workers who don’t have time to deal with various issues and processes involved in company administration. Using services like Upwork or Freelancer allows businesses to get rid of this trouble forever!
After getting a functional app, you might want to engage in some advertising since it’s unlikely that your target audience will find you on their own. This means that you’ll need to spend quite some money on ads of all kinds: social media campaigns, audio spots, TV commercials, print ads, etc. The average cost for 1 minute of national TV advertising in the United States is $12000
The easiest way to do that is by selling digital content and services either through the app itself or on a website that it will generate for you automatically. For example, some apps allow creating online stores and let you sell physical products and digital ones like ebooks and music. This way, both users and co-workers won’t have to leave the app they’re already using to buy something – they’ll only need one click! Interestingly enough, you can make money off your app, even if it’s free.
Apps may be just what your business needs to draw attention from potential customers worldwide. They allow you to improve user experience and provide users with added value that is more than enough to make them come back for more. Don’t forget that you can always outsource app-building tasks; there are plenty of people around who specialize in this field and will be glad to help you build your next business.
