In today's crowded app landscape, differentiating your mobile application is key to success. While coding has become more accessible, the true challenge lies in effective marketing strategies. If you're reading this, you likely have an innovative idea for an app but might be unsure how to bring it to life. Whether it's a recruitment portal development or any other unique concept, you're already ahead of the game compared to those who dismiss app creation as a daunting endeavor.

If you're here, it's a fantastic sign that you have a visionary idea waiting to be transformed into a reality through iPhone mobile app development. Don't fret if you're unsure about the process; we're here to guide you every step of the way. Our team of experienced developers specializes in turning your innovative concepts into user-friendly, high-performance iOS applications that can make a significant impact in the digital realm. Let's collaborate and bring your app idea to life.

Once you have settled on an idea about what your app is going to be, decide what kind of app it will eventually transform into.

The company called Startup Grind says that less than 1% of mobile applications will succeed, and actually turn a profit. They base these findings on below 3 points:

  • Apps are everywhere: Hundreds, if not thousands of new applications go live (are released to the public) every single day. 

This fosters a cost-slashing, cut-throat market to design the best apps for the least price, which puts many small businesses out of the running immediately and makes it even harder for others to turn a small profit.

  • Most Apps are free: with the free-to-consume market dominating the app development industry, premium, freemium, and paid applications aren't selling as much as they used to.

The average user is starting to want lots more, for a lot less and this is pushing developers towards a cliff.

App developers are stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea when it comes to deciding between usability experience and putting bread on the table by way of monetized apps.

While constructing your application, bear in mind that there are three broad classes of reasons where apps can fail. These are:

  • Development Level Failures. 

These failures are caused by errors or mistakes in the actual source coding of the app, wherein hitherto unnoticed errors are now cropping up.

These include Overshooting Development Costs, Underestimating Timelines, Pivoting Process Failures#, Poor QA and QC, and Bad Layouts.

#A pivot is when a company realizes that they are now obsolete or redundant due to new information, changing markets, etc.

 The company then attempts to change its purpose of operation, and if this is not pulled off smoothly, the app may fall flat on its face. 

  • Execution Level Failures.

These nasty fails are caused by errors that occur while you are making your app go live, and these are honestly the most demoralizing.

Imagine putting three to six months of work just to find out that your app has an execution level error.

Imagine it like building a car for six months, and then finding out that it doesn't support the fuel type you planned to run it on.

Examples of execution level errors are Demand And Supply Gaps Closing, Fierce Competition, Poor/No Monetization Strategies, and Cash Flow Mismanagement.

There is no cause for despair here, though —execution level errors are rectifiable (if you know your stuff).

  1. Support Level Failures.

As the name suggests, these are issues that crop up in the weeks and months after an application has been taken live.

Support level failures include Bad or No Branding/ Marketing, Poor after-sales support, No proper initial audience, and no review optimization.

Now that we've told you everything not to do, here is our quick and handy guide to building your very own mobile application, and a few bonus tips to make a success out of it.

Steps To Building Your Own (Successful) Mobile App

1. Get Your Ideas And Goals Clear.

After you have thought about what you are going to provide, be it a service, product, or feature, it is time to turn that idea into a reality.

Ask yourself the following questions, and if you answer “no” to any of them, you'll know that time isn't right to move on to step two.

  • Does my app sell something needed by the public?
  • Does it have the potential to be monetized? 
  • Do I have a monetization strategy in place?
  • Do I have a backup use for the app if my original idea fails?
  • Do I have multiple sources of funding available should one stream of revenue dry up?

Once you have set these goals and successfully answered “yes” to all these questions, it is time to move on to step two.

2. Find An App Development Partner.

No, I don't mean someone to invest in your app, though that is not necessarily a bad idea. I mean finding someone to do the actual coding of your application — designing the actual app yourself.

Even if you are a coder, it will not be feasible to build an app all on your own — we're not saying it's impossible, we're saying it's impractical.

For example, a single skilled construction worker CAN build a house all by himself, no doubt. But he/she would still need a team for the most efficient work to be done.

This is exactly the case with app development as well. There are three main types of app development partners available for you to choose from. These are:

  • Freelancers. 

If you are on a budget, then these are definitely the way to go. Bear in mind, however, that freelancers are also the most unreliable and inconsistent people out there.

You will have to run after them, hound them, and cajole them to do the smallest things, but if you are on a tight leash with regard to finances, they are certainly easy on the wallet.

You can find freelancers on many sites like Etsy, Fiverr, and LinkedIn.

  • App Development Agencies.

These are huge professional agencies that have dedicated teams of professionals, often working round the clock to guarantee the quickest turnaround time for the development of any type of app — from e-commerce to social media.

These are way more expensive than hiring a team of freelancers, but this added expense comes with the added benefit of you not having to manage anything except the aesthetics and payments due on the application itself. 

  • In-House Development.

As I'm sure you can guess, this would be the most expensive option available when it comes to building your app, but it is also the most reliable.

People who live and breathe your app will come together to design it, and their loyalty is solely to you because you are their only current source of income. 

When hiring in-house developers you would have to spend on recruitment, benefits, (sometimes housing), gratuity, transport, and in some cases depending on the law, childcare, and meals.

When you have finalized the workforce that is actually going to build your app for you, it is time to jump into step 3: Funding.

3. Find Alternate Sources Of Funding.

First, I would advise you to invest as much capital as you can spare into your own venture. I'm talking maxed-out credit cards level investment because this would show potential investors that you believe in your idea, ergo, you are behind it 100%

Your first investors should be close-circle friends and family, who know you and believe in you. They will also be able to provide moral support should things start to go south.

4.  Start Your Marketing Campaign.

Yes, you heard correctly. Start your marketing and brand-building campaign before the app development team has even clapped eyes on your statement of purpose.

It is very important to create a buzz around your app so that when it does release to the open markets, it will be closely followed by the media and public alike. 

This “hype” as it were, does wonders to increase both the beta testing pool, as well as the actual number of active users that the app garners each month.

5. Build A Skeleton App, Then Release It.

This is colloquially known as an MVP: a minimum viable product or a minimum value product. An MVP app is essentially something that gets the job done- just about, with no frills.

You can release this under the tag of “beta testing”, and then loudly proclaim that your app has “beaten” deadlines, but within the fine print, we all know that it was the beta testing version that has beaten the deadline.

This is not a way to slack off on building your app; it is just a way to create more of a buzz around the unfinished product. People will think “Oh, this application is already exceeding expectations, and it isn't even released. It might be worth checking out when it drops to the public.”

And now that you are ready to build your own app, I wish you the very best of luck. Even if you try and your app doesn't take off, you haven't failed — you've beaten the 99% of people who don't even try.