The digital marketing firm eMarketer projects that by the end of 2013, there will be 116 million smartphone users in the United States. Cisco adds to that number globally reporting that the number of mobile-connected devices globally will exceed the number of people on the planet. What????
Of course, that puts the app at a tremendous advantage considering all of the devices that apps currently populate and the limitless sea of screens they will inhabit in the future. Noah Elkin, an analyst with eMarketer says. “It’s getting to the point where apps are similar to search. If you don’t get any results for a brand, that brand doesn’t exist.” Consumers expect to see apps for their favorite brands; it's a convenience like expecting to purchase bread and milk in any store that sells food.
So if you are in business, you feel the pressure to create and promote your own app. The following guide shows several companies that created their own apps tailored to their own brand.
The Basics of Building Your App
Two kinds of apps exist. Native apps, installed directly on a device and available through online stores (iTunes, Google Play) are written for specific operating systems — Apple’s iOS, for example, or Google’s Android. The second kind, Mobile Web apps run slower because they run on a device’s Web browser, though they work on a variety of systems. Mobile Web apps are more difficult to locate because there is no app store for the mobile Web.
Small businesses can build both types of apps. They can, of course, hire a developer to custom-design one if they don't have the time and are willing to undergo the expense. If one is moderately tech savvy and has some spare time on their hands, he or she can use do-it-yourself tools to create their own native app. Tiggzi, a development platform made by Exadel, offers drag-and-drop tools for building apps. They also integrate services like Facebook and OpenTable. Tiggzi, a cloud-based subscription service, has a cost range from free for one app to $50 a month for 50.
Titanium from Appcelerator can help you create your own native app. Though it doesn't require deep programming experience from developers, you do need to know JavaScript, HTML or CSS. EachScape, with intuitive drag and drop interfaces allows users to create, manage and monetize high-end apps. Even if you are not a developer, EachScape stipulates that you can create "high quality, highly customized, gorgeous" apps delivered in native code. Both app platforms help the user add push notifications (alerts announcing sales) and the ability to connect to social media.
How Companies Use Apps They Created
Use your app as a marketing tool.
PrimeGenesis is an executive consulting firm in Stamford, Conn. The company hired an app developer in San Diego, Mobile Distortion, to create an iPad app in 2012 promoting users to buy the firm's book, The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan, written by company founders. The app which sells for $9.99 (a basic version is free) shows its measurable success by the number of clients it produces. According to George Bradt, managing director, “The app is there to drive people to the book, which markets our firm.” Clients interested in the book represent about $50,000 in potential revenue. If the company sells 10,000 books a year, converting five book purchasers into clients, the company can earn consulting fees of five times that amount.
Use your app to supply information.
Nashville realtor, Zeitlin & Company Realtors uses an app that displays updated Multiple Listing Service data for its agents, current clients and potential clients. The app uses a buyer's location, creating a map of homes for sale in the immediate vicinity. It gives extensive information about the house, lot size, price, school zoning, and infrastructure: restaurants, banks, etc. Not only can an interested buyer mark favorite houses and store them in the cloud for the agent to see, he or she can get any information on a house even if it is not on the market.
Madison, Wis, developer, Virtual Properties, specializing in the real estate industry, created this app which costs $25,000 annually for the initial development fee and information update expense. It is a popular app, having been downloaded more than 1,500 times since it was introduced a few months ago.
Use your app to deepen your brand loyalty.
Carpe Diem Private Preschool, in suburban Dalls, Tx. introduced an app (cost $5000) in August 2011 so that parents could observe their children via a classroom webcam. Web developer and one of the school's founders, Tim Murphree, developed the app and wrote the most recent version using PhoneGap, a free, open-source framework for creating apps.
Co-founder and wife of Tim, Ashley Murphree thought an app would strengthen the concept of Carpe Diem Private Preschool as an innovative preschool that embraces new technology. She said, “I think it sets us apart and has helped us gain new customers, because the app says we are making a commitment to always improving." Not only is this emphasizing the nature of the school, but it is highlighting the school's values and mission, reinforcing brand loyalty.
There are many reasons why small businesses would introduce an app. These are a few, but the innovative spirit behind the necessity of apps embraces their virtual market and live market potential.
Author: Carole Di Tosti.
http://technorati.com/
Of course, that puts the app at a tremendous advantage considering all of the devices that apps currently populate and the limitless sea of screens they will inhabit in the future. Noah Elkin, an analyst with eMarketer says. “It’s getting to the point where apps are similar to search. If you don’t get any results for a brand, that brand doesn’t exist.” Consumers expect to see apps for their favorite brands; it's a convenience like expecting to purchase bread and milk in any store that sells food.
So if you are in business, you feel the pressure to create and promote your own app. The following guide shows several companies that created their own apps tailored to their own brand.
The Basics of Building Your App
Two kinds of apps exist. Native apps, installed directly on a device and available through online stores (iTunes, Google Play) are written for specific operating systems — Apple’s iOS, for example, or Google’s Android. The second kind, Mobile Web apps run slower because they run on a device’s Web browser, though they work on a variety of systems. Mobile Web apps are more difficult to locate because there is no app store for the mobile Web.
Small businesses can build both types of apps. They can, of course, hire a developer to custom-design one if they don't have the time and are willing to undergo the expense. If one is moderately tech savvy and has some spare time on their hands, he or she can use do-it-yourself tools to create their own native app. Tiggzi, a development platform made by Exadel, offers drag-and-drop tools for building apps. They also integrate services like Facebook and OpenTable. Tiggzi, a cloud-based subscription service, has a cost range from free for one app to $50 a month for 50.
Titanium from Appcelerator can help you create your own native app. Though it doesn't require deep programming experience from developers, you do need to know JavaScript, HTML or CSS. EachScape, with intuitive drag and drop interfaces allows users to create, manage and monetize high-end apps. Even if you are not a developer, EachScape stipulates that you can create "high quality, highly customized, gorgeous" apps delivered in native code. Both app platforms help the user add push notifications (alerts announcing sales) and the ability to connect to social media.
How Companies Use Apps They Created
Use your app as a marketing tool.
PrimeGenesis is an executive consulting firm in Stamford, Conn. The company hired an app developer in San Diego, Mobile Distortion, to create an iPad app in 2012 promoting users to buy the firm's book, The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan, written by company founders. The app which sells for $9.99 (a basic version is free) shows its measurable success by the number of clients it produces. According to George Bradt, managing director, “The app is there to drive people to the book, which markets our firm.” Clients interested in the book represent about $50,000 in potential revenue. If the company sells 10,000 books a year, converting five book purchasers into clients, the company can earn consulting fees of five times that amount.
Use your app to supply information.
Nashville realtor, Zeitlin & Company Realtors uses an app that displays updated Multiple Listing Service data for its agents, current clients and potential clients. The app uses a buyer's location, creating a map of homes for sale in the immediate vicinity. It gives extensive information about the house, lot size, price, school zoning, and infrastructure: restaurants, banks, etc. Not only can an interested buyer mark favorite houses and store them in the cloud for the agent to see, he or she can get any information on a house even if it is not on the market.
Madison, Wis, developer, Virtual Properties, specializing in the real estate industry, created this app which costs $25,000 annually for the initial development fee and information update expense. It is a popular app, having been downloaded more than 1,500 times since it was introduced a few months ago.
Use your app to deepen your brand loyalty.
Carpe Diem Private Preschool, in suburban Dalls, Tx. introduced an app (cost $5000) in August 2011 so that parents could observe their children via a classroom webcam. Web developer and one of the school's founders, Tim Murphree, developed the app and wrote the most recent version using PhoneGap, a free, open-source framework for creating apps.
Co-founder and wife of Tim, Ashley Murphree thought an app would strengthen the concept of Carpe Diem Private Preschool as an innovative preschool that embraces new technology. She said, “I think it sets us apart and has helped us gain new customers, because the app says we are making a commitment to always improving." Not only is this emphasizing the nature of the school, but it is highlighting the school's values and mission, reinforcing brand loyalty.
There are many reasons why small businesses would introduce an app. These are a few, but the innovative spirit behind the necessity of apps embraces their virtual market and live market potential.
Author: Carole Di Tosti.
http://technorati.com/
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