If you’re planning on building a business on your own, the digital world is a great place to start. Developing your own app is one of the easiest ways to connect with a global audience, without having to spend a fortune on materials for production, or real estate.
According to research, the global market for mobile applications will be worth around $407.31 billion by 2026, representing an excellent opportunity for creative business leaders.
All you need to do is figure out how you’re going to attract your audience, monetize your idea, and develop a strategy for ongoing growth.
Here’s what you need to know about succeeding in the app market
Step 1: Do Your Market Research
Before you start building a new business, the most important thing you have to do is get to know your target audience. Who are you going to reach with your digital marketing?
For instance, are you building a financial app for business leaders who need to track their cash flow? Or are you designing a gaming app for young children or teenagers?
Once you’ve picked an intended audience, you’ll need to ensure there’s actually a market for what you want to sell.
Consider surveying some potential customers in your industry to see what kind of features they’d be looking for in a mobile application.
Examine your closest competition and ask yourself what you’ll need to do to make your product stand out from the crowd.
You can even improve your chances of developing the right opportunity by evaluating the trends currently happening in the digital world.
Google Trends, BuzzSumo, and even social media sites are great places to see what your audience is talking about.
Step 2: Determine How You’re Going to Build Your App
Just because you’re running your company on your own doesn’t mean you can’t reach out for help from time to time.
You might work with digital marketing professionals to help plan your first advertising campaign, or an accountant to manage cash flow, but you may still need to consider a developer for your app.
If you don’t have coding knowledge already, a developer will help you to design a product that works—and appeals to your target audience.
When choosing your development partner, think about what’s going to matter most to your customers.
Are you designing something specifically for the iOS app market, or do you need an app that can work across multiple operating systems? Are you going to need to build a lot of new features and functionality from scratch, or can you use existing code frameworks?
Working with an outsourced professional for development is often a good way to reduce the amount you spend on building your tech.
Step 3: Plan How to Monetise Your App
Now you have an idea of what your app is going to do, and how you’re going to develop it, it’s time to think about the money.
How are you going to make an income from this app? There are a lot of options to consider here, and the right choice will often depend on your audience.
For instance, if you want to make sure your customers get access to your app for free, you might use in-app advertising as a source of revenue.
Countless companies will happily pay for a chance to showcase their ad within a trending application.
Alternatively, you could consider giving your customers the basic features of your app for free with a freemium strategy. This involves allowing users to get a taste of the app experience without purchasing anything.
Once your customers fall in love with your app’s functionality, you can offer them a chance to upgrade to the full experience for a price.
Some companies even offer in-app purchases, but it’s important to ensure you’re staying ethical if you take this route. For instance, don’t make it easy for a customer to accidentally purchase something if you’re advertising to small children.
Step 4: Put Customer Experience First
Ultimately, if you want to earn an income from your audience, you need to turn your clients into valuable repeat customers and brand advocates.
The more your app users fall in love with your app, the more likely they are to recommend it to other people, pay for subscriptions, and spend more of their time checking out the ads you get paid for.
From day one, think about how you can make the user experience as great as possible. Are you ensuring your app is available on all the operating systems that make sense to your customer?
Have you followed basic design guidelines when it comes to things like simple navigation, fast loading screens, and streamlined performance?
One of the best ways to make sure you maintain your customers, and your brand’s professional image, is to ask for and listen to regular feedback from users. Pay attention to the comments your customers leave after using your app and address their concerns as often as you can.
Step 5: Know How to Market Your App
Finally, it’s crucial to make sure your customers can find your app if you want them to download and use it. With that in mind, look at how you can start generating as much attention as possible.
You can look at techniques like:
- Social media marketing: most app users spend plenty of time on social media, so this could be a great way for you to reach and connect with your audience.
- Influencer advertising: Getting influencers to video themselves using your app on YouTube or TikTok could be an excellent way to improve your credibility.
- Referral marketing: Ask customers to refer a friend to the app for a chance to win in-app awards and prizes.
Just like search engines, app stores have their own SEO algorithms to consider. Learning how to optimize your listing with the right keywords, category choices and other essential elements will help you to rise to the top of the trending list when you release your software on the Google or Apple store.
Building Your App Business
An app can be a wonderful business opportunity for today’s solopreneurs. With the right plan, you won’t need to spend a fortune on bringing your company to life. What’s more, as you may have noticed by looking at other successful apps around the world, the right software can earn you a lot of money. Is it time for you to start brainstorming some app ideas?
Join the soloist movement. Whether you are new to Flying Solo or looking to grow your business, our membership options will help you attract more leads, grow your network and sharpen your business skills. Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest news and advice straight to your inbox.
Now read this
—