How To Make Money Making Mobile Apps
Ever since the emergence of smartphones, there has been an increase in potential for apps for smartphone users to have access to. And since mobile Operating System developers cannot think of every app that may prove to be useful, the playing field is open to independent app developers. The more useful the app, the more popular it gets and the more it’s downloaded. But before you get down to adding your name to the ever growing list of app developers, you should ask yourself this.
How will your app make money?
Before we answer that, you must know that whatever app you intend to develop, it will be based on two things; platform and category.
The Platform
Platform basically means what Operating System will be able to handle your app. It is widely reported that Apple’s iOS leads the way in terms of app revenues, but Android is fast closing the gap. Windows and Blackberry are also available options, and you shouldn’t limit yourself. Just know that an app is developed differently for each platform. Note that this doesn’t imply that there’s no revenue available on either of these platforms, it could all be going to apps that succeeded on other platforms first and then got transferred for other platforms.
The Category
Category will determine your end users and possibly, the app’s profitability. You could decide to develop a Kids, Education, Health, Entertainment, Enterprise, Productivity or Business app.
Now, having covered that, we can now look at some of the ways in which you can make money by making apps.
Target Global Markets And Do Your Research
If you want to make money, the app should not be targeted towards one country, especially ones with a small user-base. You will not make money by creating an app about the mountains of Scotland. Steer clear of making an app for a seasonal event as well at the start. To maximize your revenue, start small and use your first few apps as a hands-on education. Researching what is currently popular in the store by looking at the top charts is a great way to reduce risk, and make an app type that already has proven market demand.
Build “Free” And “Paid” Versions Of Your Apps
Have a paid version of your app with exclusive content that isn’t available in the free version. When you update your apps, update the paid version first. The goal is to use the free version to attract users and get them “in the door,” with the hope that if they like the app, they will upgrade to the paid version, either as a way of rewarding you for an app they like, or to gain access to the additional “premium” features in the paid version. The commonest approach is to build a free version with ads, and offer a paid version with all ads removed, but Android users have become accustomed to seeing ads and this may not be enough of an incentive on its own.
Provide Unique Content
One way to succeed in the market is to provide content that isn’t readily available elsewhere. This is especially true if you have knowledge or expertise in an area that others could benefit from. In this case the content that you create is the real product that the user is paying for through subscription or that they are viewing so that you get paid by showing advertising. The idea is that your app is just a vehicle for people to access your content.
Man on a street in very colourful dressing is excited by something on his mobile phone.
Cross-Promote Using Free Apps
Use free apps in popular categories that are more difficult to monetize (such as wallpaper) to promote other apps that are easier to monetize. This cross-promotion can take various forms.
The most obvious approach is to simply include a direct link to the other app’s market page. This is especially effective if the promotional app is related to the app you’re trying to promote — for example, if it contains wallpaper photos that relate to the same subject as the other app.
Another approach if you’re showing ads in the app is to use house ads. House ads are simply your own ads that you arrange to be shown in your app by the advertising network that’s handling your ads (such as AdMob).
A third way that cross promotion can occur is relatively automatic: when someone views the store page for one of your apps, and they are shown a list of your other apps — for example, the “More from developer” section in Google Play. This is especially likely if the user has already tried your app and liked it. This kind of cross promotion is a good way to help your apps be discovered when there are many competing apps in the same category. It serves as an automatic filter for anyone who happens to browse one of your apps.
Make Your App “Snackable”
Many apps end up being used during brief moments between activities, or while waiting for something to happen (such as waiting in line). Making your app snackable means making it enjoyable to use in those short 2-5 minute bursts of time. If your app contains content that can be consumed in bite sized chunks, it is much more likely to be used during moments that call for a quick distraction. Consider arranging your app so the user can easily pop into it for a moment if you think it is something the users would want to use that way.
Keep Your App Up To Date
It’s important to keep releasing updated versions of your app. At the very least, having a recent update to your app will help show that the app is current and that it is being actively supported. (The date of the most recent update is shown on each app’s Google Play store page.) Updates are also a good way to give your app a slight “bump” in the eyes of the user. A notification is shown whenever an update is available for an app that is installed on a user’s device, or if automatic updates are enabled, when an app has recently been auto-updated. This notification gives the user a gentle reminder that your app exists, and might prompt them to try out the new version and see what changed.
The Big Question: Should the app be free?
Pricing works differently for different app categories. Free is very popular in games and entertainment, especially on Android. Unless it’s an incredibly complex niche app, the safest option is to make two versions, paid and free. See which makes you the most money and work from there.
To start making money from a free app, try putting www.chartboost.com, www.playhaven.com and www.revmob.com ad networks into your app. Once you get up to speed, you can experiment with in-app purchases and other monetization options. If you want the most downloads, make your app free.
Source: www.andromo.com