Modern technologies have received a serious impetus for growth in recent years, especially in the IT-sphere. Among other things, mobile game and application development is very popular now. If you are eager to help startups or implement your own brand-new ideas, you need to start your own mobile app company. You neither require specialized education nor should know how to code; there’s always a possibility to hire competent specialists for all your tasks. Here are some guidelines to help you on this journey to success.
Step 1: Planning
Any business starts with a small idea, concept development, and market analysis. You should have a rough description of the product in front of you. The key point in this matter is the target audience and the demand for the app by potential consumers. It is what the search for investors who will finance your project is based on. If the idea is not new or appealing to buyers, you will not be able to engage either clients or sponsors in it. Research shows that consumers are interested in mobile games and social media now. Less popular (but still frequently downloaded) are news and entertainment apps.
At the same stage, you should estimate the upcoming costs and potential profits. Your plan should include staff costs, equipment purchases, licenses, taxes, product testing, promotion, etc. Of course, if you do most of the work yourself or with a couple of friends, your expenses will be significantly lower. Consider also how much you can charge your customers for a product download. To do it, you need to conduct research on the current market conditions.
Step 2: Platform Selection
In short, choose Android if you build a product for the mass of users; and iOS if you rely on more solvent customers. Of course, if you have the opportunity to create a cross-platform application, it will ensure better distribution. You can save twice or more on app development if you make it for only one platform, iOS or Android. The practice has shown that development for iOS is cheaper than for Android since there are lots of Android phone models and several current OS versions existing on the market. However, the final choice is, of course, yours.
Step 3: Finding Specialists
At the initial stage, a team of talented programmers is essential. Put all your efforts into finding the right coders. Heads of successful companies specializing in mobile app development do not recommend dealing with recruiting agencies for help in picking specialists in this area. Look for employees on thematic forums and other resources. Conduct interviews in-person to see if a particular person is right for your needs. Development is a team effort, and mutual understanding and immersion in the project are extremely important here.
Don’t forget to hire a talented web designer (-s) to help you create a user-friendly application. Agree with a law firm specializing in transaction support and paperwork in the IT field. It will help you with the registration of necessary documents, licenses, and copyrights. In the future, you will also need employees who will work with clients.
Step 4: Development and Testing
During the development phase, the team tries to bring all the ideas and plans to life. The result should be checked by a QA team (quality control department) or your project manager. The latter also distributes tasks among the developers, ensuring an even workload of the team throughout all stages. Employees should clearly understand the concept of the app and its distinctive features. At the same time, you need to get ready for the fact that some of the ideas cannot be implemented.
The app should be tested not by its developers but by other specialists. There are several types of testing, which are picked depending on the product characteristics. You need to check the design, functionality, performance, and also make sure there are no bugs in the code, and the app works perfectly on the chosen platform (-s). The last stage is testing by real users, which shows how ready the product is to appear on the market.
Step 5: Marketing and Monetization
A finished or upcoming app should be appropriately presented to your target audience. Advertising plays a key role in product distribution. It would help if you created social media pages that are popular with your potential users. Promote them, regularly add fresh content, and provide subscribers with lively, interesting communication.
Work on getting backlinks. The more quality sites and other platforms are involved in the app promotion, the higher your position in the ranking system is. Add screenshots when describing the product, create a high-quality selling text, make a video, and try to promote it as much as possible.
Along with all that, think of monetization. In-app purchases, subscription or premium purchases, ad placement, data sales, all of these methods can be used even if you do not distribute the app for free. To choose the best option, look at what your competitors use and decide when to start monetizing. Find a reasonable balance between the desire to make money and intrusiveness. If you distribute the app for free, try not to annoy your visitors with too many ads; otherwise, it will alienate them.
After Launching Your App
It might seem you can rest when the product is ready and launched, but no. The development of a mobile app does not end with its publication in the stores. All popular apps have a whole history of updates. Study customer reviews, check performance, monitor bugs, and offer new features. You need to constantly analyze your product to be ahead of the competition and remain in demand.
Mobile app development will not bring quick ROI and revenue. However, this direction does not require big startup capital either. If your product is in demand by users and developed with the highest quality, you will definitely achieve monetization. When you succeed in realizing one idea, the next one will appear soon. Use these tips and your own experience to promote your new product.
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