Mobilize Your Business with Mobile Apps! Pt.3
July 27, 2011 3 Comments
WorldLink’s VP of Mobile Technology, Mike Hall, spoke at a recent Verizon Mobility conference on the topic of Mobilizing Your Business with Mobile Apps. Over the last few weeks we’ve looked at some key points from that discussion including market statistics, native mobile apps versus mobile web sites, business cases, and small business trends.
In the final installment of Mobilize Your Business with Mobile Apps I thought I would keep it light and offer up some good old fashion advice.
Mobile Apps
In this exploding mobile market there is a slew of useful and certainly non-useful mobile apps available for download. When it comes to your brand it’s crucial to develop an app that is beneficial to your consumers. So many businesses get caught up in the idea of an app that they forget to actually pay attention to the needs of their customers while creating it. The app represents your company, make it count!
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when developing your mobile app:
- Don’t just summarize your web site
- Solve a problem, make something easier
- Reward for use!
- Use location-based discounts
- Always provide guidance to your store
- Payment screens catered to the device
- Include access to your Facebook and Twitter
- Tell your friends about your app!
Mobile Vendors
*Disclaimer: WorldLink Apps is a mobile app development company.
The app market is still considered a fairly new industry, and with that you have a lot of people trying to capitalize on the new, hot trend. One of the biggest mistakes we’ve heard from our customers is hiring the cheapest developer you can find. Do your research and make sure you are completely comfortable with the company’s capabilities before you sign that contract.
Here are some tips:
- Find a mobile vendor who has proven multi-platform experience
- Find a vendor who has their lead technical engineers here in the US
- For close communication
- For project risk reduction
- Don’t just focus on price
- Phase the quantity to keep costs down
- You can always find a cheaper bid
- BUT, you will get what you pay for!
- Think long-term mobile strategy partnership!
Conclusion
The numbers don’t lie your customer base is mobile, and if they’re not, they will be very soon. It’s not too late to determine your mobile strategy with a proven vendor. There are no signs of the industry slowing down anytime soon, so don’t think you’re too late. Plan your mobile strategy today!
Recap:
Mobilize Your Business with Mobile Apps! Pt.1 Mobile Your Business with Mobile Apps! Pt.2Visit WorldLink Apps
About WorldLink, Inc.
WorldLink Mobile Solutions 
Excellent article and information. Question: We are a real estate brokerage. Our franchisor brand has a branded app that is very dynamic and effective yet our agents and managers would like to consider a specific local app for the brokerage. Is that necessary? and if so, how can we do it on a very limited budget? Thanks! Sandy
Hi Sandy and thanks for the comment. The number one thing you have to ask yourself is are you providing something unique and different outside of your franchisor brand. For example, do you have a company intranet you’d like to access specifically, or do you have a unique feature that the franchisor brand doesn’t have. If the answer is no then I would not suggest developing your own app because you will only confuse the customer. To answer your budget question, native applications can be very expensive so I would definitely look in to optimizing your website for mobile use. That’s a great way to reach your mobile customer without breaking the bank! I hope this helps.
great information, thanks so much!