Are you an entrepreneur with a great app idea but no coding skills? Have you recognized the fact that apps are becoming a great business opportunity but worry about whether you should go for it?
It is a challenge — but it’s nothing that cannot be taught!
Nowadays, you can learn how to turn your idea into reality without investing as much time and money as you might have expected.
Even if you are a budding entrepreneur with no tech background, you can still learn how to build your own app.
With these suggestions, you will be able to bring your exceptional idea to fruition, even when you think you lack the skills.
Do Your Research
Before designing your app, it is crucial that you do your homework and conduct proper research.
If you neglect the research phase, you risk failure, since getting to know your market is a crucial step in creating a successful business. Mobile is a big deal with over 50% of Internet traffic going mobile along with at least 50% of all searches.
You need to answer the following questions: what do your customers want? What do similar apps lack? What exactly will the app do?
Be diligent about comparing strategies, pricing — and teams.
Do not get discouraged by the fact that there are similar apps out there. Quite the opposite — use them to create a better business!
Think of ways to make a name for yourself by improving on what’s already out there.
One great way of understanding and identifying your target market is creating your ideal customer persona.
Build different profiles of your target audience. Determine their age, gender and professional, as well as personal interests. Who are they, and what do they want from your app?
Then, create a list of your competitors.
What are their advantages? What does their product lack? Which mobile platform do they use?
Learn to recognize their focus, main assets, and user base. Get to know the reputation they hold in the market.
You can also conduct surveys, create focus groups and market research data.
This is your first step towards gaining competitive advantage.
Develop a Plan
Now that you have done your research and defined your target audience, it is time to develop the features of your app.
Start with the choice of platform. Will you go for Android, Windows or iOS?
There is no overlap, so you will need to develop different apps for each of these platforms.
For example, it might be useful to know that Android is estimated to claim more than 71% market share in January 2021.
It is followed by iOS with about 27% and Windows with only 0.02%.
The next step is to define your app’s selling points and core message, as those will shape your marketing efforts.
After you set the release date and your launch strategy, you can also start with early access offers and marketing collateral.
Make sure you write an interesting App Store description. This is the first thing your potential users see.
You need to convince them that your app is exactly what they are searching for.
Include relevant keywords and make the description short, but sweet.
Also, pay attention to screenshots and relevant videos you include under the description.
These visual elements represent a preview of the in-app experience, so it is important that they show what your app can do.
Find Your Developers
When it comes to who will do the coding for your app, there are several options.
For instance, you can try out DIY app builders.
Nowadays, there are many app-building platforms that you can use to create your app in a short amount of time. If you want to create an app without coding, this is your solution!
App builders allow you to select a template and adjust it for your purposes. Some of the most popular DIY app builders are:
Try them out, and you may learn that creating your app is not as complicated as it seemed.
Alternatively, you can hire a professional.
Here, you can choose between hiring a full-time developer (either a freelancer or an in-house expert who will do the technical part of the work after you develop your idea), or paying an agency for custom app development.
These options are often more costly, especially if you hire an agency, but they might mean a guarantee that your app will be high-quality.
As one of the factors contributing to that choice, you will need to determine whether your app has any unique functionalities that require a professional approach and a specific skillset.
Time will be another factor, as hiring a professional may also take longer than other options.
However, for certain businesses, this option may also be the safest.
So, weigh your options and consider your needs when deciding whether hiring a developer or partnering with a development agency might be the right solution.
Choose a Monetization Model
Naturally, you need to establish how you’ll make profit from the app. Most apps use one of the four main monetization methods, as follows:
- Paid downloads: Charging a price upfront was a popular method when apps first started emerging, but this trend has changed significantly. Statista reports that in January 2021, 96.7% of Android apps were free of charge.
- Advertisements: You can allow the advertiser to display ads at certain points in the app. However, you will have to make sure the ads don’t disrupt the user experience too much.
- In-App Purchases: Your ability to use these will depend on the product you are selling. They work very well for games and dating apps, for example.
- The Freemium Model: In this model the features you offer in the paid and free version of your app will vary (e.g., the paid app will be ad-free or it will contain more advanced features than the free one).
The monetization model you choose will be determined by the type of business you are creating.
After you have identified your target audience and the main benefits of your app, you will be better equipped to decide on the best way of monetizing it.
Conclusion
Researching your target audience and setting up a plan will give you a clear idea of the kind of app you’re striving for.
This, in turn, will make it easier to choose whom to entrust the coding and development, as well as decide how to turn the app into a source of revenue.
Following these tips prepares you for creating an awesome app, reaching your target market, and helping your business grow.
Now, all you really need is a great idea — and you are ready to start!
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Jill Phillips is a freelance writer and content manager at Assignyourwriter.uk hailing from Buffalo. She is an aspiring entrepreneur and tech enthusiast who loves to share her insight on various topics. When she is not writing, Jill enjoys taking photos and hiking with her dog. Connect with Jill via Twitter @jillphlps
Also published on Medium.
