When starting your own business you need to look at all aspects including mobile apps. Here are 7 tips to creating a hot small business app to help you get hits.
So, you want to create a small business app to help you increase your brand authority and even rake in a little extra cash.
Smart move — that is, it would be if you had any clue where you should start.
There are lots of different components that go into the app building process. The good news, however, is that it isn’t as complicated — or even as technical — as you might initially think.
Ready to learn the basics of creating winning apps for business?
Read on to learn how to make it happen. By the end of this post, we know you’ll be more than ready to start building.
#1. Know Who Your App Is For
When you’re creating mobile applications for businesses, your first step should be to determine who exactly your app is for.
Check out this incredibly helpful post on how to clearly define your market.
Remember that you can always expand that market later, but in the beginning, it pays to be as specific as possible.
Understand their pain points, how your app solves them, and especially how your app is different from those of your competitors. Focus on their age demographic, their locations, and, if it’s a business-to-business app, the market your client serves.
#2. Develop an Intuitive Interface
In order to build an effective small business app, you need to put ease of use first.
No one will find your app convenient and helpful if it comes with an excessive amount of buttons, features, pop-ups, in-app purchase options, or just complex directions.
After all, the goal of your app is to make your target market’s lives easier — not more complicated.
Focus on simple navigation, and a design that emphasizes the workflow of the app. Make buttons large enough to press, and text large enough to read. Ensure that error messages are easily understood.
It sounds simple, but it’s shocking just how many poorly-designed apps and user interfaces are out there.
#3. Pick the Right Tools
So, you’ve got an awesome idea for an app, and you know who your market is.
Now, you need to think about the more technical side of how to create an app.
Are you going to use a standard app building tool and handle things on your own?
Are you familiar enough with coding language to make that happen? Or, will you use a customized app building platform, or even outsource the developmental side of things to a professional?
It’s all about your budget, your timeframe, and your own set of technical skills.
#4. Create a Wireframe
When you build a house, the first step is usually to create a set of plans.
The process of creating business mobile apps works much in the same way. Only, instead of house plans, you use what’s called a wireframe.
Think of this as an outline or a booklet of what each of the internal pages and features of your app will look like. You should also include a bit of information on what each feature does, how it works, and where it will lead users to next.
This will help you to evaluate the flow of your app and serve as a basic guide once the technical building begins.
#5. Send Notifications the Right Way
It’s reasonable to assume that a small business app will send some kind of notifications to its users.
It will notify them when an order has been shipped, a delivery has been made, or even when someone asks a customer service representative for help.
There’s no shame in sending notifications. However, it’s important that you avoid sending too many. Overloading and bombarding app users with notifications is a great way to get them to hit the “uninstall” button.
Think about what notifications are truly necessary for your app, and focus on sending out only those.
#6. Run Lots of Tests
You’ll also need to run lots of tests on your business app to catch any glitches or bugs.
You should do this both before your app hits the store, and after it’s on the virtual shelves.
We suggest employing a mixture of both automated and human testing to get the best results.
Yes, you want to catch any sort of software bugs. However, you also want to get valuable feedback regarding the overall user interface and the app as a whole.
Remember that testing is where you can also explore the overall security of your app. Especially if you’re letting people make purchases through your app, this is key.
Expect to tweak your app several times before the big launch day.
#7. Spread the Word with App Reviews
The process of creating winning mobile business applications doesn’t end as soon as your app hits the store!
Now, it’s all about finding ways to make sure that everyone knows just how awesome your app truly is. One of the best ways to do just that? Ask customers to leave plenty of reviews for your app.
Not only will this incentivize more downloads in the future. It also helps you to know what you can improve upon.
Create an Epic Small Business App with These Tips
We know that there are tons of different things you need to think about when developing your dream small business app.
From knowing your user market to making sure that you’ve implemented the right testing strategies, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s also easy to become complacent, or accidentally overlook important steps.
That’s where we can help you.
Keep checking back with our blog to make sure you’re always in the loop about the latest app trends and development tools. We’ll even fill you in on the apps you can’t live without.
We can help you make your app better than you ever thought it could be!