Having delt with the headaches of developing an iPhone app before, I figured I’d share some insights into the “need” for a company to have a dedicated phone application from a marketing perspective.
Things to consider:
- Where your audience lives: Are they on an iPhone, Android platform, Windows Mobile, Palm, or other device?
- What data will you collect via the app: Number of downloads, requests to the server for updates, IP addresses, or something else?
- Why an application: Could a mobile optimized website achieve the same result?
After answering these three questions, ask yourself one more:
Is this application about pushing data to customers, or is it about an engaging customer experience? People won’t interact with an application if it’s just a repackaged commercial. They need to get something out of it.
At the end of the day, the customer decides the success or failure of whatever your company offers. And as we’ve heard over-and-over again, in the customer’s mind, content is king.
