It is no secret that the mobile app industry is booming. Globally the app industry is set to make $25 Billion in 2013 representing a 63% increase from 2012. Those are some impressive numbers. Developing an app must be an automatic gold mine, right? Wrong. Just because more and more people are spending more and more on mobile applications doesn’t mean that any given developer is going to strike it rich. Not only is the app market becoming more competitive it is also increasingly crowded. Without a massive marketing budget and/or a lot of marketing know-how your app has a snowball’s chance in Saudi Arabia of making it big.
Developing an app can be an expensive and risky endeavor. Even if you are a one-man-show a developer can spend hundreds of hours working for free to turn out a great Android application and after all that effort is discouraging to see little to know financial return. The sad reality is that 34% of app developers make less than $15,000 per year and 65% make less than $35,000. Big companies with massive marketing budgets for PPC, SEO and traditional marketing are making the big bucks.
The real challenge is just getting customers to try your app in the first place. Any quality application will spread quickly once a few power-users have given it their stamp of approval. Among my group of friends I am known as the mobile expert, so people are always asking me what apps I recommend. Online people respect the opinions of their friends just as much. Especially with the recent integration of Google+ into app reviews on the Play Store the opinion of trusted sources is more vital than ever.
If you are an app developer hoping to make it big in a competitive app market keep in mind that making a great app is only half the battle. Marketing and maintaining your application are just as important. Educate yourself from some of the many great online sources that will teach you the basics of online marketing. Learn the fundamentals of social media, search engine and PPC marketing campaigns. Marketing expertise can beat out a big budget competitor any day of the week.
Any developer looking to reach Android users should consider the Android Headlines Application Review service. For a miniscule fee we can get your application in front of our users and help you develop a user base of hard-core Android fans that will sing the praises of your Android application to everyone within earshot. coding.