When it comes to making money from iPhone or iPad apps, it all starts with a great app. No amount of clever marketing will help sell a ho-hum app.
The most important part of the development process is to have an original idea for an app that will help people in their everyday lives. Your inspiration is the core of your software. And, having a great idea behind your app will help it stand out.
Of course, coming up with a good iPhone app idea is easier said than done. Racking your brain until it hurts probably isn’t going to work. There are strategies you can use to come up with not just one idea, but lots of winning ideas.
Just as important as coming up with ideas of what your app could be is knowing how to edit those ideas down to one gem. Knowing what separates an idea that will be popular versus the rest is one of the first big decisions you’ll need to make when creating an app. You want to learn the strategies behind coming up with many great ideas, then pairing it down to the one best idea that you’ll be excited to work on and sell.
So what makes a great app? Is it the slick graphics, the list of features that go on and on? I say that the key to a bestselling app isn’t what you might think. It’s not the features you’ve put into it, even if those features took you days to program. No, the real measure of an outstanding app is the benefit it gives your user.
Your user will buy your iPhone app because it does something for them. In some way – big or small – your app helps make their life better. It’s that reason why people will want your app.
Ask yourself, what problem does my app solve? Making money is all about solving your customers’ problems, and the best developers know that they can only profit from an idea that truly helps make their customers’ lives easier (or a little more fun).
It’s not the flashy graphics or the clever features. If you really want your app to be irresistible, here’s what to do.
Choose the one top benefit that your app offers. Then, do everything you can to play up that feature. Design your app to really provide as much of that benefit as you can. In your app description, say it clearly.
The real key to selling more apps is not the marketing tactics you use. The big secret is to learn that you need to think like your customer. What do they want out of your iPhone app? What problems are they trying to solve?
Change your thinking from “how do I sell my iPhone app?” to “why would someone want to buy my iPhone app?” While it may sound simple, this change in the way you think about marketing your app can have a huge impact on the way you sell your iPhone apps.
You are putting yourself in the shoes of the customer. After all, they are in charge. Selling iPhone apps is a matter of understanding their needs and helping them solve a problem by using the app you made.
To sell iPhone apps to your customers more effectively, ask them what they want to see in your app while you are creating it. You can use surveys, send out an email, or ask your friends on Twitter or Facebook. Use this feedback to make the best app you can, which will make it much easier to sell your app and reap bigger profits down the road.
Now that you know that the best way to sell your iPhone app is to listen and respond to your customers’ needs, take action. Take a look at all the ways you are marketing your app – online and offline – and make sure they speak directly to your customer by putting their needs first. You will quickly see that selling more apps comes naturally when you learn to think like your customer.
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Newby to Apps ~ but would love to get up to speed as product creator for target market.
Thanks for your comment, Lana. If there’s anything we do to help, please let us know!
So what do I do here?
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