Development in Chicago is one of the emerging tech hubs in the USA. It has a growing talent pool in the IT space. Plus, the mobile app development in Chicago is rapidly evolving in domains of blockchain, VR, IoT, and machine learning – at the forefront of real technological revolution.
If you too are an aspiring appreneur planning to invest in app development, here is a 7-step guide to help you with the process.
Generate an app business idea – Development in Chicago
The secret of success for any business lies in a great idea followed by the right execution. The same goes for an app-based business. To outperform the competitors in the space with almost 1 million applications, you need an app with a unique selling proposition, strong user experience and a suitable monetization model.
For reference, here are some trending, yet competitive app ideas:
- Smart home automation apps
- Virtual reality games and education apps
- Blockchain exchanges, NFT marketplaces and crypto wallets
- Machine learning chatbots
- Mental health and fitness applications
- Productivity and task management apps
- Financial and fintech apps for home budget and debt management
- Business apps on SaaS models for employees
- Automotive solutions, car apps and on-demand repair booking apps
- Travel and tourism apps
- Cloud games
Research the market
After you have picked one particular niche, it’s time to decide a unique selling proposition. Check the existing applications in the niche and see how you could make yours better. One ideal way to analyze the gap is go to the app stores and check the review section. Look at the comments and see what most users are asking for. They might be asking for online payment options, search filters, chatbots, in-app messaging or document scanners. This should work as competitor analysis.
Create a business plan
After you have analyzed the gap and know what you want to develop, it’s time to plan the development process. go ahead and decide the cost you want to allocate to design, development, and marketing. Then write down the revenue strategy, features, language specifications and launch timelines.
Find an app developer
You need a technical team to turn your idea into a successful digital reality. At this step, we suggest you dig as deep as you can. Check B2B independent review platforms like Clutch. Filters developers based on their location, minimum project value, programming language expertise, frameworks and so on. A platform like Clutch would allow you to search for as a general as a mobile developer to as specific as a node.js developer for a communication app.
While making a hiring decision, we suggest you strike the right balance between quality of services, social proof, price and cost, development deadline, launching assistance, and scope of services.
One primary factor to consider while hiring Miami developers is their portfolio. When checking their portfolio, download the apps they have developed. Then, test them firsthand for sign up and sign in, crashes, navigation, performance, and UX.
Monitor the development timelines
Once you have hired a developer and your technical process has begun, it falls upon you to maintain the progress of the development process. Keep a check on deadlines. Take follow-ups for updates and fixes. Do appear for virtual meetings with your project manager whenever they are scheduled.
Test the app
You need to battle test the app for user experience, data security, and performance before your app is out with live users.
App developers in Chicago usually follow instrument testing and large-scale testing for functional performance. You can also choose to distribute the beta version of the app and seek feedback from real users. Ask them about the performance and navigation of the app and if they would trust the app for their data and digital payment details.
Market the app
There are multiple options to choose from when you want to market your new mobile app. here are top 5 ideas:
- Create a website. Start publishing search engine optimized content, and direct traffic to the store listing. This is also one great way to establish niche authority and grow your readership. An alternate to your own blog is a site like Medium where you can sign up for dedicated writing and publishing space and still make your voice heard in your niche industry.
- Make pages on social media like Facebook and Instagram. Post screenshots and user reviews. Grow a following and influence. In fact, you can hold webinars, distribute free trials in case of premium apps and hold live sessions. also, you can share infographics, whitepapers, and ebooks as lead magnets for your app – this works especially if your app is corporate users. You can also use Facebook and Instagram ads to boost the engagement on your handles – increase likes and shares in your local regions.
- Make a LinkedIn business profile and share the vision of the app. LinkedIn also has an article section where you can post informative write ups about the problems your app will solve.
- Communicate your app idea in communities like Quora and Reddit. For Quora, you can go organic and answers questions in your community. Or, you can even post sponsored content.
- Post videos on TikTok and YouTube and connect visually with your audience.
- While most of these are organic methods for promoting and marketing your app, you can go for paid search engine marketing as well. You can go for Google AdWords and rank your page on top for target keywords in your industry. While it is not common for mobile applications, it is still workable if you want to establish a narrative about your product, especially if you have plans to extend it in future.
Wrapping Up…
App development is though very lucrative, the overall process from discovery to launch is lengthy and requires immense mental concentration. But once your app is battle-tested and is live for use by real users, it is a source of regular revenues – whether through ads or premium subscriptions.
