The mobile app sensation is sweeping the world, but I’ve noticed in conversations and in online forums that many small business owners just don’t understand how a mobile app can convince people to buy from their shop. They ask why they should spend the time and money Building mobile apps that is only going to reach out to the younger generation or how they can possibly design an app without any experience.
The world is filled with misconceptions, but these are by far the most damaging, because they cut into your potential business. If you don’t embrace the power of mobile apps then you might just find that your business no longer exists in a few years.
Let’s say you run a hair salon. It might be common to wonder how you can cut more people’s hair by Building mobile apps. You don’t have the training to create an app, and you sell a service, not a product that people can buy right through the app.
The problem with this thinking is that it’s shortsighted. In theory, you’re basically just saying that you don’t want to do the work or take the risk. Well, I’ve got news for you: It’s actually quite easy to build a mobile app, and just about everyone is getting involved with these little programs on their phones – not just your kids.
Let’s take a look at the biggest misconceptions about building mobile apps.
You Can’t Say Much About Your Business in a Small Little App
You’ll notice an interesting trend with most websites. The best ones are getting less cluttered and more simplified. People are overwhelmed by the absurd amount of information they have to juggle in their everyday lives. A cluttered website that looks like its from 1995 is no way to run a business, and you can expect people to assume that you don’t care about your image.
As website become simpler, mobile apps are already way ahead of the game. They give people a chance to view the bare essentials. If they want to call their doctor, the app has a quick call button on the home screen that pushes the call directly to the phone caller. This saves time and trims down on the silly sales copy most companies put on their sites.
Only Techies and Young People Building mobile apps
This is what companies used to say about Facebook as well, even though the 50 + age group dominates the Facebook demographic nowadays. You have to remember that although older people are usually slower to take up new things, they are still interested, and mobile apps have been around long enough to see that just about everyone is using them.
It’s also important to point out that Building mobile apps are easier for non-technical people to use because they are less cluttered than websites, and everyone is familiar with phone interfaces.
Finally, if you are worried about having problems building mobile apps, there’s no need to worry. Mobile app generators are quite mainstream, and you can even get started for free to see how it goes. For example, iBuildApp offers free templates based on certain industries, after which you can plug in your info and publish your mobile app within five or ten minutes.
You Must Provide Consistent Content when Building mobile apps
The beauty of mobile apps is that you can integrate your current content creation platforms to automatically update in your mobile app. If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, just include these modules in your mobile app and your customers always have this content in one place.
You can also quickly push media such as videos and photos when Building mobile apps and sync your Google Calendar if you run an app for your company employees or even for something like a sports team.
You Can’t Analyze the App and See How Well it Works
A huge problem with any type of marketing is that it’s tricky to figure out how effective it is. When you create a blog, are people really clicking through and purchasing your products after they read content? When you air a commercial on TV, are people picking up the phone and calling? There are some ways to tell, but Building mobile apps is quite flawless in this respect.
For example, iBuildApp includes a stats area to view how many people are downloading your app and how many people visit your mobile site. Then you can take a look at graphs to see how your app responds from month to month.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below and let us know if you think there are any other misconceptions about building mobile apps. Chime in if you are still not convinced about the ease and power of mobile apps.
