As more people tap into their phones for day-to-day computing needs, apps offer an attractive way to drive brand awareness, gather data and improve sales. A well-designed business app can draw in users and help guide them to the products or services that solve problems.
But building, marketing and maintaining an app can be an investment. So what should brands keep in mind before developing their own apps? Here is what members of the Forbes Agency Council have to say:
Images courtesy of FAC members.
1. Focus On User Experience
Make sure you do your research and work toward improving the user experience with the mobile app. Building a mobile app should be aimed primarily on making the user experience easier and faster. By helping the user save time or make a better business decision on the go, the app will become an asset to be downloaded, one with high engagement. - Raffi Keuhnelian, INexxus
2. Make Sure It's Visually Engaging
Make sure you've got a top-notch visual designer on your team. It's a sad reality that most users won't touch an app if it's not pretty. If you have a design that's visually engaging, a customer is much more likely to stay in the app. On the flip side, if it doesn't look unique or interesting, the user probably won't think your company is unique or interesting either. - Jeff Grover, BestCompany.com
3. Don't Try To Do Too Much
The No. 1 mistake we see customers make is they try to do too much. Our advice is to keep it simple. Scope creep is the enemy in mobile app development. Launch with a well-defined purpose and capture user feedback, and then use that data to feed your development roadmap. - Katina Kenyon, Applaudo Studios
4. Decide Whether Making One Makes Sense For Your Brand
People are spending more time in apps, but it's really only a select few apps that people frequent. Apps are expensive to make and add an additional layer of tracking, upkeep and marketing. Before you decide to build an app, think about the added value the app brings — if any — and make sure you have the resources to support it. Don't just sink money into something because you're following the crowd. - Kate Aurell, Hawke Media
5. Make Sure The App Has A Purpose
Consumers may be spending more time in apps. However, repeat app users are hard to come by. In order to have a successful app, you have to deliver value to the consumer or end user. What is the purpose of the app and why should users keep coming back? Data from Appboy states that only 24% of app users will return to an app the day after downloading. - Sean Allen, Twelve Three Media
6. Study Your Competition
This seems basic, but not paying attention to how companies compare to their competitors' apps is a mistake that I witness too frequently. Subtle differences and deficiencies can be exaggerated by consumers, and users' expectations are climbing on a daily basis. Download and study multiple apps, run some surveys and focus groups, and factor your findings in as you design your new app. - Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing
7. Fish Where The Fish Are
Explore building into existing popular applications prior to developing another new app. For inspiration, look to APAC and the types of brand experiences available within WeChat and Weibo. - Kieley Taylor, GroupM
8. Have A Good Plan In Place
It's easy to alienate your audience and customers with a poorly planned and executed mobile app. It's better to not have an app at all than to throw one together that doesn't work well or provides a poor user experience. Make sure you have a good plan in place for design, usability and execution, as well as support for your users. - Chris Dreyer, Rankings.io
9. Always Deep Link
Deep linking is an integral feature that allows web links to open an app to a specific page, rather than simply opening an app to its home screen. This improves engagement and increases conversion rates. By not providing seamless access to products within your app, consumers are forced out, which will make it harder and costly to bring them back. - Katie Jansen, AppLovin
10. Give People A Reason To Use The App
Just because people are spending more time in apps in general does not necessarily mean they’re going to spend more time in your app: You have to give them a reason to do so. Only create an app if it adds value, and make sure every function and piece of content in the app contributes to that value. - Sarah Mannone , Trekk
11. Define What Data Will This App Provide
What value will this first-party data be to you and to advertisers? This data stream could be a monetization source. So as you build your app, think about the questions you want to ask your users upon signing up, what the pages or content they visit tell you about their behavior, and whether customer purchase information can fuel your CRM strategy. - Jeff Tan, Dentsu Aegis Network
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