As with any marketing, strategy is key with mobile app building, yet it’s not uncommon for me to simply hear “we need to get an app, ‘cos that’s what our competitors have’. App development, arguably, takes more strategy and preparation than most other forms of marketing. It’s not a cheap process and it’s difficult to make radical changes if you find it doesn’t work, it’s also really important to make sure it is integrated into your overall marketing strategy.

So, I thought I’d put together some pointers for the key things to consider when it comes to a mobile strategy…

Defining goals

As with anything, the most important part of a mobile app strategy is knowing what goals you want to achieve from the offset. Should your app be another revenue stream, a guidance and advice portal or a viral game that will build brand awareness?

Identifying your audience

If your target audience isn’t actually active on mobile devices, then building an app could be a huge waste of money. Though it’s worth considering that an app may open up your business to an entirely new market!

Website analytics are a great place to start when it comes to working out how mobile-active your current audience is, platforms like Google Analytics will identify not only those using mobile browsers but also which operating system and device they use, which is really useful to know later down the line.

Current assets

Do you already have something that could be utilised? A mobile or responsive website for example? Perhaps you have a really strong social media following whose opinions you can garner on the prospect of an app, or who you can target for app downloads?

Defining ROI

This is important not only for justification, but also to win over the naysayers! Despite the huge amount of evidence to support the growth of smartphones and tablets, there’s always someone on the board who’ll be in the ‘no’ camp!

But also, if your app isn’t geared up to sell a product or is free, is can be difficult to justify such an outlay.

Marketing

How will you spread the word about the app? Unfortunately there are many great apps that have simply been lost due to their lack of marketing. Once the app is built that is only the very beginning, marketing it, spreading the word, getting users to download it, use it and review it are the next steps.

Integration

A great way of spreading the word is through social media integration, if you have a strong presence already this is an ideal opportunity to boost it. Facebook, Twittter, Pinterest or Instagram integration can take much of the marketing work out of spreading the work, letting the app grow more organically.