If you have some experience with programming and coding, chances are you have the skills to develop an app. But going beyond the code into the real world where your time should be rewarded financially isn’t easy.
No matter how good you are at anything, without a sound marketing plan, you might not earn a penny from all the time you invest in your product.
It’s Not Just For You
It’s great to have personal projects. These are more commonly known as hobbies. They provide satisfaction and a sense of achievement. The difference between this and entrepreneurship is that entrepreneurs expect to be paid for their hard work.
You want others to use your app and pay you for that privilege? Then you need to create an app they WANT to use and that they gain something from their investment in it.
Research And Development
Once you’ve discovered who is going to use your product and why, you need to develop an app that solves their problem. Beyond that solution, the packaging or interface, design and look of the app needs to appeal specifically to that group of people too. They need to look at it and know it’s for them.
As you develop the app that works for your customers, you need to be ahead of the bugs they’re likely to come across with a tracker like Exceptionless. This will find the problems before your customers do. It gives you the chance to fix them before you start getting any bad reviews or demands for a refund.
Reaching Out
So how can you get your target customers to buy your product? If the app is part of a wider marketing strategy for another part of your business, you might want to give it away. You’re effectively using it as a promotional item or data gatherer. As a stand-alone venture, you need to find where your target customers are hanging out. Is there another app they tend to use a lot? What about a website or a forum? These are the places where you need to advertise.
If your budget doesn’t yet stretch to paid adverts, then you might need to rely on social media and your website. Post to your website regularly, utilizing the long tail keywords your customers are most likely to be using.
Next, offer advice for free across FaceBook groups, Reddit, Quora and other sites and forums. Your handle might be your product name, and you can usually include a link and brief description of your app in your profile. Once you’ve made a name for yourself here, you can start presenting your app as a potential solution for one or two of the problems you’ve been commenting on.
Share
Make sure there are plenty of ways for users to share their positive experiences using your app. Offer upgrades and add-ons in exchange for email addresses or retweets. Think of it as a ripple effect. You need to keep in touch to keep the ripples going. Are you ready to apply savvy marketing to your coding venture?