If you developed your app and you are trying to build a business around it, allow us to congratulate you. You came so far and you are eager to reach success, but there are many factors that can influence your trajectory. Well, you are young and you invest all your energy in your project. So, what can possibly go wrong? Everything! But leaving paranoia aside there are some real elements which executed in the wrong way can damage your creation. Let’s see how.
Oversaturated Mobile App Landscape
It seems like everybody creates a new app. And this is true. With those revolutionary tools we have today, most of them for free or for low costs it is no wonder that apps appear daily, designed for every reason you can imagine. And there are also studies to prove that. For example, Statista shows the huge number of apps available on the main stores. Don’t forget about the other ones uploaded on alternative markets. So, how do you plan to beat more than 5 million apps? Well, you don’t need to fight all of them, just the ones in your category but it is still a hard journey.
Crucial Development Mistakes
Believe it or not, some wrong steps can be made during the development process. We wrote before about the most common mistakes to avoid during mobile app development but we need to add some more. So, if you checked that article take another look to your app and make sure that you kept yourself away of the following pitfalls.
Big Memory Footprint
Following the new trends that raise everyday it is very hard to create a good balance between outstanding features that amaze your users and memory usage. In the same time you need to keep in mind that occupying the entire space on their smartphone will make customers to stay away of your work. For optimizing the performance of your app you have to check Google and Apple documentations.
Image Source: http://blog.echolocker.com/memory
Compatibility Issues
It is a real challenge to develop apps that fit for all types of devices but you must consider this condition when you design your app. To find out more about screen sizes and resolutions you need to study the official guidelines for Android and iOS apps. With an improper aspect of your app don’t be so sure that your startup will reach success any time soon. This takes us to the following point.
Lack Of Testing
If you want to understand how your creation will be received by your users, then you need to test it before the big launch. Every move you make need to receive the proper feedback before going forward with the rest of your strategy. We strongly recommend you to take advantage of the tools that can help you with the A/B testing for your app.
Image Source: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/increase-mobile-app-installs/
Poor UX
Many app owners think that if they removed all the bugs and errors from the app their job is done and the app will be loved by their users. Nothing more wrong. The code is just the base of your app. You need to think about the entire journey of your customers and to create an intuitive and simple design for providing an interesting experience for your users. This is the only approach that works.
Image Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/iphone-apps-design-mistakes-overblown-visuals/
Lacking Know How in App Marketing
Many apps created the illusion to be successful without any efforts from their creators but this is completely false. If you read our stories about famous mobile apps you will realize that smart strategies helped their owners to become real winners on the app market.
Setting Wrong KPIs
Tracking the right metrics for your app is the secret for the success of your business. User Lifetime Value (LTV), CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and Churn Rate are only a few of the key performance indicators that you need to keep your eyes on. If you have troubles comprehending the marketing terminology feel free to check our Marketing Glossary.
Image Source: https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/kpi-examples
User Acquisition Mistakes
With the plethora of methods for acquiring users it is almost impossible not to fail if you jump ahead without a proper plan for long term results. CPI, CPC, CPM, CPA, everything sounds very confusing. It is mandatory to understand your options and to decide the proper solution for
Image Source: https://ryangum.com/track-customer-acquisition-channels/
Ignoring Mobile Engagement
Your strategy doesn’t stop when you acquire new users. Those customers need to remain loyal to your app and to enjoy the entire process of using it. Not only that, they need to be convince that your app worth to be recommended to all of their friends. It appears to be a lot of work but creating a relationship with your customers will prevent the failure of your startup.
Image Source: http://whallalabs.com/user-acquisition-vs-user-retention-rethink-your-mobile-approach/
Poor Execution
As an entrepreneur you need to concentrate your resources in two directions, the money you invest in your app and the amount you gain afterwards.
Budgeting Mistakes
Not allocating enough money for your campaigns won’t bring you any good results. By the way, you still have a few hours to register your app for our special contest where you can win $1000 free ad credit. Hurry up! On the other hand throwing your budget on every technique that appears is not a better solution. You just have to invest the right amount on well-designed strategies.
Image Source: https://za.pinterest.com/pin/773915517187442447/
Improper Monetization
The other aspect of your plan is to convert your app into an income source. Selecting the right pricing model is one of the hardest tasks ever but every app owner gets in a stage where he needs to find the right method for monetizing his work. We have an article that can help you with this process but you know your app best and you need to take the smartest decision with your users in mind. Besides that, you should take a closer look to our 5 Effective Strategies To Monetize Your App.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We realize that you can feel a little discouraged by all the above but you need to be aware about the dangerous actions which can cause the failure of your business. There are plenty of solutions for improving your strategy and luckily, App Samurai was created for helping startups like yours. So, talk to us and we will figure out the best solution for you, according to your needs. We have a common purpose and that is the success of your app.