Application Development And How It Helps Your Brand
In our technology obsessed age, almost all businesses understand the value of an online presence. It makes sense to tap into the internet’s global reach, with 1.2 billion personal computers in use around the world. This figure seems enormous, until it’s compared to that of mobile phones. At the beginning of 2011, there were 5.2 billion mobiles in use around the world. Many brands have already turned their attention to mobile development, and more will do so when they discover the huge reach of the mobile market.
It’s strange, given the marketing scope of mobile technology, that most businesses are yet to make use of it. Observers suggest that the diversity in mobile technology may be to blame, incorporating, as it does, apps, internet browsing and SMS. The ‘gold rush’ that surrounded the rise of iPhone apps saw an initial surge in application development, but this was at the exclusion of Android and BlackBerry users and there are still very few businesses that endeavour to bridge this divide.
Mobile technology still isn’t at a point at which one application will automatically work on all mobile handsets, but making it adapt to fit is an easy process. It’s really no harder to develop a cross-platform app than an exclusive iPhone service. Two types of adaptation can be used to achieve a cross-patform application. Most modern smart phones feature a driver, which is the most popular way of facilitating app use. This processes scripting languages and interprets them in the phone’s native language, meaning that a code only needs to be written once to be used by all varieties of handset. The second option sees this translating happen earlier in the app’s development – it is written in one language then translated into others, which are disseminated to their relevant platforms.
Having touched earlier on the wide variety of mobile software, such a heavy focus on application development may seem somewhat counter-intuitive. There’s certainly no suggestion that apps should come at the expense of other technology – things like optimising your website for mobile browsers should be a pre-requisite of online marketing these days. The reason that apps are the cornerstone of mobile development is that they provide the optimal user experience on a handset. An app is built solely for a phone and nothing else, so if it’s well made it stands to provide a far greater quality of service than a modified website.
The use of applications for businesses is twofold, and prospective developers must choose which suits their business. An application can serve as a profit-making good. Whether you charge for the initial app download, sell services or upgrades within the app, or charge for subscriptions to the app, it is a profit-making entity in itself. Alternatively, the brand can be given away for free and used as a promotional platform. A free app that’s engaging and brand-related with reach much further than a paid app because many more mobile users will be inclined to download it. The audience you reach this way is much larger. Free apps, made attractive and engaging, are brilliant assets when used like this.
Mobile development is well worth the effort for your brand, when you consider the scale of the market that it will allow you to reach. Engaging apps are fun to make and fun to use, making them an excellent investment of your marketing efforts.
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