Defining your market and audience
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When creating a successful (and profitable) mobile app one should first determine who are the customers most likely to use the app. Are these professionals, kids, teenagers? Your customer segment determines many factors in the design, marketing and development process.
Marketing and distribution channels, monetization method and pricing points are all influenced heavily by the decision you make. Understanding your customers is crucial to selecting the best mobile platform to focus your development efforts. Business people in the US are most likely to use Blackberry devices, Business in Europe are more likely to use high-end Nokia devices. Teenagers in the US are more likely to use iPhone devices while teenagers in Europe are likely to use Nokia Smartphones and iPhones. -
Marketing and Distribution channels
Every mobile platform has its own app store, which is the obvious tool to distribute you app. The iPhone has its iTunes app store, Nokia has its own OVI store, Android has the Android Market, and so do Samsung, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.
However, these are dozens of other app stores and distribution channels, which you should consider. Some of them are very popular in specific countries, some of them are successful in a specific market segment – but none of them should be dismissed without careful evaluation.
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Generating revenue or creating a user base?
The bottom line is that apps need to serve a purpose. Whether the purpose if generating revenue or creating a large user base which will generate revenue in the future – setting your app’s purpose is a basic step in the process.
Generating money from your app requires careful consideration and planning. First one should decide whether the app would be distributed for free while revenues are generated from, for example, ads or will be sold for a price. Then selecting your price point or ad provider should be all considered given the purpose of your app.
