Building a successful mobile app is a tough task. Chances are low
for all mobile app developers to excel. New app developers who are jump
starting out in the game are afraid to take the risks, as most of the
new apps are left unnoticed in the market. If you see the app store, you
will find that more than 50% of the apps fail in the market. This is
the reason why beginners face a lot of challenges to become successful
app developers.
How entrepreneurs enter the app market
There
are many companies that encourage beginners to step up and try their
luck in mobile app development. There is a great difference between
being technically skilled and becoming successful. Not all skilled app
developers are successful in mobile app industry. The biggest task for
app developers is to develop a unique app and market it straight to
their customers. I would like to share the top 6 mistakes entrepreneurs
should avoid while developing and marketing the mobile app.
- Building an app for multiple platforms
This is one of the common mistakes app developers do. Entrepreneurs face
a very competitive space, as there are millions of apps on Google Play
and Apple Store. Instead of doubling the cost of developing app for
multiple platforms, one should focus on building for one platform first.
By launching a mobile app on two different platforms simultaneously,
you are adding more to the development time and cost.
Additionally,
if you make any changes to the design and/or functionality of the app
in one platform, you have to do it on both places. Hence, developers
should avoid this mistake of developing for multiple platforms at the
same time.
- Incorporating too many features
Most of the mobile apps fail in the market due to very less or too many
features. However, there are lots of apps that are plain and simple, and
yet have a great potential to sustain in the market. Users check new
apps for a short period of time. Providing too many features will drive
away users, as the features may make the app look complicated.
The
goal of entrepreneurs should be to keep the users glued to the app.
This is possible by incorporating essential features on primary screen
and rest of the features to secondary screens. This strategy not only
keeps the app simple, but attracts new users too. The app users will not
show much interest in overwhelming design and features, and discard the
app. Hence, it is important to develop apps with this in mind.
- Forgetting the 'WOW' factor
The number of mobile app users is expected to reach 80 million by the
year 2018. Seeing the increasing number of mobile app users, App Stores
of Android and Apple have set a bar with the design and user experience.
If you give your Smartphone to a child, he/she will know how to use it.
This means, the expectations of mobile users are entirely different
from that of web. The user will give up on your app, if it is very
difficult to use.
On the contrary, online users may not give up
so easily despite of poor user experience. App developers should
understand this difference and build extra-ordinary mobile apps with
stunning features and functionality. As soon as the user launches the
app, there should be a 'wow' factor to hook up the users.
- Inflexible marketing plan
App development and app marketing are two important phases of building a
successful app. However, entrepreneurs tend to show much interest in
development compared to app marketing. As the App Stores are crowded
with millions of apps, your app may not be discovered on app store even
on the day of launch if you fail to market it properly. Entrepreneurs
should think of a perfect marketing plan as the app is being developed.
Apps can be marketed in multiple ways by creating a clear strategy of
target audience and their preferences.
If we see social media,
we understand how drastically it has changed in the recent years.
Marketing goals are changing from time to time, as a result of which
what is working today may not work tomorrow. Entrepreneurs should create
a flexible marketing plan that accommodates current and future market
situations. By being flexible with own marketing strategies, app
entrepreneurs can stay ahead of others.
- Putting all the efforts in one basket
Technology and marketing are ever evolving, which means a single
strategy will not generate same results. If you see the development and
marketing plan of the top 10 best mobile apps, you will see how they
used technology to market their apps. The marketing channels they used
earlier were entirely different from that of the channels they are using
now. It means entrepreneurs should diversify their marketing efforts to
ensure that they are not putting all the efforts in one basket.
Focusing on one tactic for long period may diminish the returns.
My
advice is to consider marketing plans as investment strategies. If you
want a steady increase in popularity & profitability of the mobile
app, you need a healthy mix of marketing tactics. Trying new marketing
tactics and plucking the ones that are no longer effective will increase
the popularity of the app.
- Ignoring the audience and not releasing the updates
As an app entrepreneur, you should understand the fact that you are
developing mobile app for other people. We all know that people have
different need and preferences, and it is difficult to develop an app
for everyone. It is essential to define target audience before defining
the features of apps. Before developing an app check what actually users
want and what type of solution they prefer.
Even after
developing an app that has demand in the industry, there would be people
who are unsatisfied with the features or performance of the app. The
job of an app entrepreneur doesn't end with development and marketing.
The mobile app should be improved on a regular basis according to the
user's preferences. Once the bugs are fixed, an update must be released
so that audiences are aware of the fixes.
Developing a great
mobile app is not an easy task. There are lots of hurdles that come
across while developing and marketing the app. By avoiding the above
listed mistakes while developing and marketing the app you will increase
the chances of creating a successful app that is covered by press and
is well monetized.
Getting into the world of mobile app
development is tough at first. However, with lot of hard work,
dedication, commitment and skills one can expect the app to hit the
market with a 'BANG'. As a beginner, entrepreneurs should create
something new and unique to have a good start in mobile app development
industry. An established mobile app development company can further provide professional approach and advice to entrepreneurs and can make the whole process a lot easier for them.