PublisherSol Minion Developmenthttps:https://assets.solminion.co/logo.svgPublished Mobile App software development

In my networking circles, many business owners tell me they want an app. When I ask what they want the app to do they are, more often than not, uncertain. Mobile apps are the hot new commodity, but are a considerable investment and just having one isn't enough. If you don't yet have a mobile Web site, developing an app is certainly getting ahead of yourself. Before jumping in with both feet, you can save a lot time (and money) by doing some up-front planning and strategy to deliver an experience your customers will love and use.

Not every business must have a mobile app. Sure, there are benefits for every business, but they aren't always enough to justify the expense. Take some time to work on your mobile marketing strategy and identify what you can offer your customer with a mobile app and the benefits it can bring to your business. Here are two things to consider:

1. YOU HAVE A MOBILE SITE...

And you want your company on the customer's home screen. This is the most common reason people commission an app, but recreating your company's Web site as an app is neither cost-effective nor a benefit to your customers. If you don't already have a responsive Web site, your first step in executing your mobile marketing strategy lies there. An app can drive traffic to your Web site, so it's important that when your customers land there they are able to quickly and easily navigate to the information they need.

2. YOU WANT MORE PERSONALIZED ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS.

This is the most significant benefit of a mobile app. From location-based marketing strategies to rewards programs and push notifications, a mobile app can help you be at the forefront of your customer's mind when they pick up their smart phone to look for your products (or at least for products similar to those you offer). Using an app, you can send exclusive discount pricing to your customers based on their proximity (or, at very least, their device's proximity) to your store's location, their birthday, or any number of conditions. Most modern point-of-sale systems can scan a QR or bar code directly from a smart phone screen, so your employees don't necessarily need to be aware every time a special sent to customer's mobile devices is updated.

Ultimately, a mobile app should provide some additional benefit to your product or service. Here's a a few examples of benefits you could offer your customers:

So, before shelling out the money required to do it right, take some extra time to decide what you want your app to do and to consider your goals. Apps that provide no benefit to the person who installed it are quickly removed or forgotten. Once that happens, winning them back is even more difficult than it was to get their attention in the first place.