Mobile Marketing For Dummies®

Chapter 9. Developing Mobile Applications and Content

In This Chapter

• Choosing an approach to application development

• Designing mobile apps with partners

• Distributing your mobile apps to end users

• Managing mobile content

What makes a smartphone a "must-have" device? Is it the sleek design, the bright, easy-to-read touch screen with millions of colors, or the fast wireless network that powers it?

Nope. It's the apps. Applications are essentially miniature versions of the software you use on your PC and they are a very popular way to enhance your mobile marketing strategy. Really good mobile Web sites also exist (see Chapter 8), but the apps are where smartphones really shine.

Apps may be cool, but building them doesn't mean your customers will automatically download them, use them, and buy things from your business. A lot of apps are out there, so you had better have a strategy for making your apps stand out among the crowd.

This chapter gives you the information you need to make good decisions about building mobile applications. We show you how to create a strategy for your apps and how to choose the right method for developing your apps. We also show you some best practices for mobile app design and where to go to get your apps listed in app stores, as well as other methods of app distribution.

Choosing a Mobile Application Strategy

You need to make a lot of decisions before you can even start building a mobile application because apps are so customizable. You can develop apps for specific ...