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Some app stores have tightened the reins on guidelines for app reviews to stop exploitation and allow deserving apps a fair chance for discovery . But what’s good for the gander –the app company, is not necessarily good for the goose – the third-party app developer.
Reviews are a goldmine. NRA’s (National Restaurant Association) infograph showed decisions made by majority (57%) restaurant goers were based on online reviews. Positive reviews lead to monetization.
Research tends to either intimidate or bore most app developers. The very word brings to mind a stereotype image of a nerd wearing thick glasses. Sure it involves a lot of reading, but it also means maintaining a virtual PR with those who are ‘in on it,’ such as tech journalists.
Most app developers avoid it, leaving the responsibility to marketers or research departments. With so much going on everyday and every moment in the technology sector, it can be extremely difficult to cover all that is going on. And while that is managed at a broader level, details are often missed – details that can positively impact app ratings and downloads. Continue reading
Interesting times we live in, Conan O’Brien repeatedly remarks on his daily show. Anything is possible. While social networks are switching from desktops to mobiles, mobile services in turn are attempting to be more social. Google+ is up and running as an android application and is receiving rave reviews since. Not that it’s a new app. It was earlier launched as an iPhone app too. But feeling more at home with their own cellular device, they have gone a step further in their latest release android application released on Google Play. Continue reading
What make Android App Development tick are its fast publishing capability and the free UI. And what android app developers lose sight during this hotshot process is easy access for all, without dealing with issues with regard to reverse engineering and data transfer.
Like all good things, the open source platform has suffered criticism for it being over-friendly for the user and developer when it comes to android apps. As the volume of usage and demand grows, apps are becoming increasingly prone to security pitfalls and victim to cybercriminals.
Android Developers with a conscience understand the importance of quality. Any slip up result in losing the customers and the developer’s reputation through poor reviews. Even while the developer, such as the Android Application Sandbox, has observed the typical precautions Android application framework and other technologies, it is advisable to run a checklist on networking, when storing data, using internal files, cryptography and codes such as Native. Special pointers are:
1. It’s a good idea to test the app with all the OS versions available to ensure its compatibility, reduce APIs and where possible avoid storing data. In case where data is required, the decision should be based on which server or operation to perform the access.
2. One of the common errors by android developers also lies with reading, writing and sharing permissions through ContentProvider. It is advisable to restrict the number and kind of permissions to control the data.
3. Ensure a clean file sharing location. Despite strong support from celebrities and popularity, megaupload.com received the order to close by the government after they were found guilty of online piracy and infringing copyright laws. Turns out the website contained several android apps too: a red alert for App Developers to double check where they are allowing file sharing.
4. The Linux based security system, which acts as mediator between the hardware and software components, should be kept foremost while developing an app. Otherwise, the user will have just as quickly uninstalled the app before there is time to fix errors. Replace Linux DAC (Discretionary Access Control) with SE Linux Mandatory Access Control) MAC. This makes it more complicated for the user than the typical app, as there is less flexibility and access. Its ability to detect suspicious malware and virus infected apps makes for high security usage and has been tried and tested by the National Security Agency. The SE Android can be obtained through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Mobile apps represent a huge opportunity for advertisers and marketers. The fact of the matter is that what was cutting-edge in terms of marketing technology 10 years ago is nearly-useless today. Today, mobile applications offer an entirely new model of marketing and advertising. Mobile Applications represent bigger audiences, new markets, and the potential for truly viral impact.
The iPhone, along with various Google Android phones, represent millions upon millions of potential customers. While there have been nearly 10 million iPhones sole to this point, experts suggest that the number of smartphones is likely to double within just the next year. Truly, this is a wonderful time for advertisers to turn Mobile Apps into revenue streams for their companies.
Advertisers see major opportunities
There have been hundreds of millions of applications downloaded by iPhone users. Android Apps aren’t quite to that place yet, but most experts agree that within just a couple of years the Android app marketplace could rival that of apple. Android is capturing a larger market share than ever before, but what’s interesting about that is that the iPhone market is growing, as well. There’s an emerging smartphone market that advertisers see as a major opportunity.
Mobil media has grown dramatically over the past few years, and it’s likely to continue to do so marketers are recognizing that this is a huge opportunity. They see the mobile app marketplace as a way to reach customers, and to engage with them. They can do so in a way that’s innovative and scalable. And, by placing their marketing information at the customer’s fingertips, it goes with them wherever they go.
Why apps are better than mobile advertising
All of this just begs the question, then: why not use mobile advertising? The fact of the matter is that, by taking your advertising and integrating it into an application, you get a much higher degree of control. You specifically control the type of marketing that’s taking place, you determine how much interaction you’re having with users, and more.
With mobile web advertising, you’re really talking about static banner-style advertising. The mobile app platform provides a much greater degree of accessibility, customer engagement, and targeted marketing.
Generating revenue with mobile apps
The big question then becomes this: how do you actually monetize a mobile app? Simply offering an app to users doesn’t automatically increase business or income. You must be able to turn those app users into paying customers.
There are a number of ways to approach this to make sure that your company really gets something out of its apps. There are several sides to this issue, and several potential benefits. Some are exclusive of one another, however, so you need to determine from the get-go what you’re looking for.
You can monetize mobile apps through greater product visibility, a higher degree of brand awareness, and via delivering high-impact marketing messages. Simply by interacting with your brand via a mobile device, a user will generally become more brand aware.
Analytics are key
The bottom line is this: if you’re going to monetize mobile apps and use them to help your company, you need to be able to identify how the apps are being used. You need to identify the customers that are using your apps, at least demographically. Further, you need to know what the user is doing with that application, and how it’s being used. Finally, you need to figure out what devices the user is using, which will give you even further insight into your target market.
Analytic will give your App Developer information that she can then use to help improve the user experience and tweak the application in order to get better results. Understanding the user experience will, in the long run, greatly improve the performance of your application.
It’s time to act
Smartphone Apps are making major waves in marketing right now. It’s easy to be intimidated by the new platform. But, just as was the case a few years ago with social media or a decade ago with the web, you need to find ways to take advantage of the opportunities. By adding a greater degree of engagement, using reliable analytics, and using targeted marketing models, you can increase your business and truly monetize your mobile apps.