How-To Guides to mobilemarketing and mobile app

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If you're already using a mobile phone app (smartphone app) for your business, then you're likely
able to appreciate the power of mobile apps. Whether you're using an app to view YouTube
videos from your corporate channel or Twitter to communicate with potential customers, apps
have become more significant with businesses. Even custom apps for businesses, apps that are
built specifically for a business or enterprise, have found a definitive niche. However, going down
the path to creating an app for your business is fraught with peril. There are some basic steps you
can follow to help ensure your success with a customize mobile phone app.
The steps to Success are:
Begin with the end in mind
Understand how your app will be used
Clearly document your app before it's built
Document your distribution strategy
Research and research the developer
Test the application before and after distribution
Perform a post-mortem
I'm a seasoned professional in the Information Technology sector. I've spent years working with
the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and appreciate the nuances needed for successful
full-scale program/project implementation. Although I truly believe that many of the SDLC steps
should be followed for mobile app development, I also realize that many companies don't have the
bandwidth or the financial resources to fully implement an app for smartphones based upon the
SDLC. A new app developed under a detailed SDLC project framework can cost an enterprise
thousands of dollars and a significant investment of resource time. Since many of our small and
medium-sized businesses may want mobile apps but need to operate in a leaner fashion, the
steps outlined here can serve as a 'starter plan'.
When you begin with the end in mind, you can and should visualize the end result as completely
as possible. This means do your research and look at existing App Store and Android Marketplace
apps. (You may find an app that has already been created which matches your needs 85% or
more.) Make a list of the features the app must have and a list of the features the app should
have. If you're artistic, go ahead and sketch the app's look and feel so that you can convey to a
developer what is desired in the User Interface. This whole exercise should not take too long. You
will revisit this document again shortly.
Solicit the input of others and consider how your app will be used. Is it for customers to use
exclusively? Will it be a B2B tool? Will it be something prospects will use as an adjunct to your
business or perhaps a value-added feature or service? All these considerations are important.

2. When you have a clear picture, add this to your working document.
This document is vital to the successful construction and deployment of your app. You will find that
the more you 'put things down' the less you forget and the less you have miscommunication with
development resources. This document should include the results from the prior steps and from all
further steps. Be sure to document everything (even brainstorming notes - you will be surprised
how useful these can be).
Now that your app is beginning to take a real shape - at least on paper - you should consider how
it's going to be distributed. Let's say you've decided that existing customers will use the app and
possibly share it with others (your prospective customers). This may take a simple distribution
model: App Store for download and a share utility (like for Twitter or Email) within your app itself.
This gives you a method to have a download for your customers (they go to App Store) and a
method for them to share (using Twitter or Email). You may also have point-of-sale (POS) QR
scans or information (marketing collateral) for the downloadable apps to ensure that current and
new customers get the information for the downloadable app at the time of sale.
Once you've developed a clear app document, you're going to need a developer. If you already
have an in-house developer, then you're work is done - give them the document you have and
guide them through the project. If you're running a lean operation, then you'll need to find a
developer to do the work for you. With the search for a developer, you want to make sure they
provide for you a clear path to the end result (which you've documented), including the distribution.
There are plenty of development toolsets that allow you to 'do most' of the development work
yourself using App hybridization (also called 'mash up'). These work great for many apps. You'll
have to research the offerings thoroughly to be sure you find your best fit. Don't fall victim to the
"cheapest" on the development side if you find that the ongoing support or even the distribution
help is non-existent.
Once the development is completed (and during), you're going to be testing the app. Test the app
with the target audience in mind. Put yourself in their position and run the app through the
gauntlet. Distribute your app and run through the tests again.
Now that your app is 'on the market', assemble your team and figure out what went right and what
went wrong. Document what things you want in any update to the app (this seems to be an
ongoing process for many). Also, stick with your marketing plan for the app and be sure it's
promoted properly. An app that is unused turns into a hole into which you pour money and time.
If you follow these seven simple steps, you're more likely to generate a successful implementation
of mobile apps for small to medium-sized businesses. If you're looking for a far-reaching and
complex app, then you're likely to need more of a formalized SDLC model to achieve success.
Take the time to document and follow each step completely through to the project's completion.
You'll be amazed what a mobile app, properly built, can do for your firm.
David Pratt is a creative consultant with iDesign Mobile Apps, a smartphone application
development company located in Nevada and North Carolina. Smartphone users can take
advantage of technology by using smartphone apps which help them improve their lives. Mobile

3. apps and mobile web solutions can be discussed with the experts at
http://www.iDesignMobileApps.com.
Take advantage of an EzineArticles referral special and get a one-hour consultation on 'Deploying
social media and mobile technology' for your company. Contact iDesign for details.
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