It is always a good time to do the right thing. What is The Right Time to Start a Mobile App?
This quote is often repeated in various walks of life and society, including the ever-changing world of mobile apps. It is however a little inaccurate when it comes to this space.
In the world of technology, timing is everything. A great number of failed startups don’t actually fail because of a poor product or outreach strategy. They instead are either too early in the market to actually make an impact, or too late to distinguish themselves clearly.
Let’s take an example. Friendster made a lot of waves when it launched in 2002 as a social media platform. It was one of the first platforms online to ask users to share their personal details. Even though it was amongst the first companies to tap the $52.7B social media industry (by revenue), it failed.
Why?
2002 was not a time when people were comfortable sharing their personal info. Facebook came out two years later and adopted a staggered rollout strategy to become the biggest social media network in the world. Facebook got their timing right. Friendster, despite being early and innovative, failed.
This example highlights the value of getting the timing right. You need to do the same when starting a mobile app for your WordPress blog. Tools like AppMySite have already made it easy to use an app creator online to make an app. The following sections discuss some points that will help you identify the right time to launch your mobile app.
#1 – Build your audience
A small WordPress blog is generally a one-man show. It takes a lot of effort to build a base of genuine visitors. Bloggers have to learn a lot about online marketing to actually create a genuine stream of regular visitors.
This is why it is best for bloggers to focus on creating their own loyal base of readers and visitors. There are a lot of ways to do it. Starting an email list is one way to categorize the most avid and loyal visitors into one basket. There are various other ways to retain visitors over a long period of time and actually build a brand around the app.
Once you’ve a living and breathing community of readers, launch your own mobile app. This is because it is much easier to make loyal readers download an app compared to newbies who’ve only visited the app once
It is also worth pointing out that launching a new blog and app together can become too draining for a single individual. Think about it. It is a challenge to get sustainable traffic to a blog. Can you simultaneously manage mobile app marketing as well?
Build your audience and wait until it hits a critical mass. You can then create an app and expand your team.
#2 – Creating a demand
It is possible there is no market demand for your mobile app. There are many companies that launch an app or start a business without there actually being as established market demand.
Uber is a good example. No one was calling out for a cab-booking service before Uber came around. And yet, the quality of the product was good enough to create a demand.
It is thus not wise to dismiss an app idea based purely on a lack of demand. There is still a way to create demand by leveraging product quality.
How can you create a demand for a mobile app displaying your blog content?
The key here lies in offering something truly unique that others do not. Let’s say your blog talks about life insurance. If you plan on trotting out generic insurance content, you won’t really have a notable audience.
On the other hand, if you offer unique case studies discussing the more practical points of life insurance policies, you stand to gain more. This will even help you set up your brand value and create a real demand for your content.
#3 – Setting up the launch date
Fetch, an app marketing agency, did a complete study on the cost of mobile marketing after launch at different times of the year. The chart below shows its findings –
Marketing cost based on month of launch (Source: Fetch)
The rightward shift during February and December shows the cost of mobile app marketing when an app is launched in these months. A higher cost simply underlines the fact that marketers see more opportunity for growth during this period of the year.
A leftward shift shows less opportunities for growth. August thus is not a great time to launch an app.
Fetch further delved into the specific week and day when launching an app is more promising.
Marketing cost based on week of app launch (Source: Fetch)
Marketing cost based on day of app launch (Souce: Fetch)
This data should help you identify the exact date you should launch your app in. As mentioned before, it is better to wait for the perfect time than being first to a market.
What is The Right Time to Start a Mobile App?
#4 – Waiting for user retention benchmark
Someone who downloads a mobile app connected to your WordPress blog is naturally a loyal user. The best time to launch a mobile app is when you have a base of loyal users who will immediately download your new app. This will give it an immediate boost and grow app store visibility right after launch.
It is thus vital to have loyal users who will download your app. The challenge here is hitting a necessary mass of loyal users. This can be determined with the user retention.
Let’s say you get 30K visitors to your blog every month. If you manage 40% user retention (= 12,000 returning visitors), it is a good time to launch the app. This is because your returning visitors are most likely to download your new app.
Setup user retention mechanisms to grow returning visitors. Once you hit the necessary benchmark, launch your mobile app. Modern app making solutions like AppMySite enable users to build an app using a free online app maker without coding.
In conclusion | What is The Right Time to Start a Mobile App?
Launching an app is a great idea in a time when app usage is bursting at the seams. This piece provides a more nuanced take on when you should launch a mobile app for your WordPress blog.
See Also- Four-modern-day-ux-trends-you-should-implement-in-your-mobile-app-design
The points covered here are not the only factors you should consider.
Nevertheless, they will set you on the right path. Research more literature online before launching your app and learn about the various app launch strategies you can incorporate.
