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App Development Tips for Small Businesses

From communicating with their target audience to promoting and selling their products and services, companies are using mobile applications to improve their marketing and sales strategies while offering an enhanced customer experience. A well-designed mobile
app can give a small business an edge in competing against larger companies in its industry.

Building a successful mobile app comes with unique challenges, and the fast pace of technological advancements can quickly change customer expectations. However, making changes to your company’s
a mobile app without a plan or customer input can lead to headaches for developers and users alike.

Please feel free to leave questions in the comments section.

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Top tips for renovating your business’
mobile app:

Keep It Simple And Relevant
A mobile app is meant to make the user’s journey simpler and mobile-centric with much less friction. As you invest in mobile marketing and customer acquisition, users will download your app but will only use it if it is simple and relevant. Remember that the average smartphone user engages with no more than 30 apps per month!

Drive Customer Value
Evaluate your existing app to see where customers are getting the most value, then look to expand those capabilities and drive even
more value. Loyalty is hard to drive through just an app, but an app can build a valuable touchpoint that gives your customer something
that helps you stand out from the crowd. Stay customer-focused, and you’ll see success.

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Audit Your User Experience
If a business wants to improve mobile app adoption and performance, it should bring in a UX expert. Have them complete an audit of your app. This allows them to pinpoint areas for improvement. Examples include simplifying user flows, changing color schemes and adjusting font and button sizes. These all play a role in making your product more engaging and relevant to your customers.

Improve App Store Discovery Chances
To reach the highest number of people, improve the chances of discovery within the app store. Small businesses need to study who
the customers are and understand their needs. It’s beneficial to know the top language they use, the unique selling proposition and
demographic info. Choose the correct app name and a tagline that quickly and accurately describe who you are and what you do at a
first glance.

Develop A Future-Forward Mindset
Develop a future-forward mindset to improve mobile app adoption and performance. Use open standards like HTML to power individual
solutions, as they can be adapted more quickly to accommodate future needs. Using progressive Web apps that appear like native mobile apps also helps enable server-side rendering to ensure compatibility with future platforms.

Create A Branded User Interface
Customers may not like your app because it doesn’t match the experience they have with the rest of your brand. Use the same
language, tone, colors and logo as the rest of your brand. Keep it updated on the same schedule as the rest of your branding to show
customers you care about them there too.

Leverage Push Notifications
Consider whether you need a dedicated mobile app or simply a responsive Web application that adapts for mobile use. Often, the
biggest difference is that the dedicated apps can take advantage of features of the mobile operating system for better user experience.
Push notifications, in particular, are often very useful to improve the adoption rate and performance of mobile apps.
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Check Online Reviews From App Users
Balance your ideas for improved performance with direct feedback from end users. Specifically, I suggest regularly reading online reviews from app users. When an app’s feature fails to perform, users are usually quite vocal about the problem. This end-user feedback will help you prioritize features that matter to users.

Implement Efficient Messaging Tools
Make sure to implement efficient messaging tools: saved and automated replies, 24/7 communication, integrations with WhatsApp,
and more. In the current climate of COVID-19, every business should be utilizing frequent communication to keep users updated with any news or policies they need to know about. If needed, rely on software providers that can send updates to your users automatically.

Top comments (4)

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tarunnagar profile image
Tarun Nagar

This is a good blog with valuable insights for small businesses looking to develop or renovate their mobile apps. The tips on keeping the app simple, driving customer value, and auditing user experience are spot on. Additionally, improving app store discovery, maintaining brand consistency, and leveraging push notifications are crucial points.

However, the blog could benefit from mentioning the importance of security features, such as data encryption and secure user authentication, to protect user information. Another missing point is the need for regular updates to fix bugs and add new features, ensuring the app remains relevant and functional. Lastly, integrating analytics tools to track user behavior can help businesses make informed decisions for future updates. Overall, this blog is a great resource with a few more areas to consider for comprehensive mobile app development.

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martin_f0d117931937ca55f6 profile image
Martin

This blog gives insights to small businesses who have ventured into app development, which is quite priceless. The importance of getting user needs right before actually venturing into development makes a huge difference in developing the right product. Besides this, the low-code platforms tips can enable small resource teams to innovate very well. It's refreshing, too, to find emphasis on budget management as such constraints are the main cause of concern for smaller enterprises. By these practical approaches, small businesses shall confidently approach the landscape of application development.

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justin_63bbee8a3881564110 profile image
Justin

It's actually a very good and practical blog for small businesses wanting to enter the realm of app development, especially in terms of ideas for low-cost strategies or focus on user experience. The other piece of advice on testing and iterating before launch is also on point—cannot be written off by small businesses. On general terms, it's a great resource for those app creators looking to create an app that does the trick without breaking the bank.

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mike_jessy_96f4d2b151f9dc profile image
Mike Jessy

In this blog, small businesses entering the development world of apps will get actional and practical advice. The tips are clear, concise, and focused on maximizing minimal resources with effective solutions. A perfect guide for entrepreneurs to create impactful apps with no budget or team.