Should you invest in an app?

Creating a presence in the digital arena is an easy way to expand your business, reach new audiences and reinforce your brand within your industry.  But, before you go and spend money on an app you should ask yourself, “Does my business really need it?”

This week’s four-day BlackBerry outage certainly confirms our addiction to smartphones and the countless apps we have access to because of them.  Today’s businesses professionals can’t seem to function without a smartphone and their favorite apps.  Small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs certainly realize the business potential in going mobile and want a piece of the action.

“Apps should help you build revenue or they should build user engagement,” noted Adam McNamara, co-founder of Select Start Studios, a mobile design studio in Canada.  “If it’s not driving one of these two things then we recommend you don’t do it.”

For businesses that decide to jump in and go mobile make sure you team up with a developer who can measure the return-on-investment.   The good news is you don’t need to spend too much for a basic app.   An initial investment of a few thousand dollars may be all you need to get started.  However, some apps can exceed $100,000 depending on the scope of the project.  Bottom line: know what you want and be realistic about cost.

Once the app is built then the real work begins.  You will need to invest a lot of marketing dollars and time promoting your new mobile presence.

Let us know if you have launched an app and if it’s improved business.