Mobile apps for small businesses seem to be the newest marketing fad. Lately I’ve been getting a fair amount of calls from people about mobile apps for their business. I find that most of them don’t entirely know what this means, but just heard about it somewhere. Now I’m not all that keen on talking people out of business, but to be honest the majority of them don’t need a mobile app. There are a few questions to ask yourself beforehand.
Firstly, do you have a solid, modern and functional website? Are you happy with the traffic it is receiving? Do you have a mobile website? If you answered no to either of these, answer this question: Will your mobile app idea be able to stand alone on the app store platform? Unless your app is a standalone idea and not connected with any existing business, you need a website and a mobile website first. (Sidebar: You will need to build a web presence for your mobile app as well.)
Secondly, how will you market your mobile app? Downloading an app is more of a commitment than visiting a webpage. It’s a bit of a joke between mobile app developers about building great apps that are never downloaded. How will you get users to download your app? How will people find your app? You cannot rely on the app store for users to find you. The truth of developing apps is that the app store is flooded with great apps that failed due to poor marketing.
Thirdly, what is the goal of the app? Will you use it to connect with current or potential clients? How will you monetize it?
It’s important to have the answers to these questions nailed down before building a mobile app. Don’t get me wrong, a mobile app done right can launch a whole new realm for your business. It can connect with clients at a fully unique and new way. Next post, we will talk about exactly how a mobile app can help your small business.
