How To Make Money With Mobile Apps

Making money by creating mobile apps is one of the ways an online entrepreneur can take his own share of the big money available in the technology industry. Mobile apps business is fast growing and if you join the train early you stand the chance of making a lot from it especially if you are creative enough to make something different.

What is a mobile App

An app or application is a software that help us to perform a specific task on the computer. Those that can be use on phone are termed mobile apps. As mobile phone has taken over PC, mobile apps development is growing faster than projected.
Mobile apps are classified according to the platform they are designed and built for e.g android, iphone, ipad e.t.c.

Types of Mobile Application

Mobile apps are divided into 3 major categories based on their architecture.

1. Native Apps

These are apps that are downloadable from online store and installed on phone. Users can use them without internet connection once they have been installed on the phone. Games apps like Thedarknight falls into this line. They are developed using specific programing language e.g Java for android

2. Web Apps

Can be accessed on mobile browsers through the internet.They are developed using web technologies like HTML, Javascript and JQuery. Facebook and Twitter belong to this group.

3. Hybrid Apps

Hybrid apps are combination of natve and web apps. In hybrid apps, interface is installed on the device but content can only be loaded from the web through internet connection.

Mobile apps can be further classified into

a. Social networking apps e.g Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln e.t.c

b. Utility apps e.g note pads, calculators e.t.c

c. Games apps e. g Sudoku, Thedarknight, TR Underworld e.t.c

d. Entertainment apps e.g Taiking Ted e.t.c

e. News apps e.g Znet e.t.c

f. Productivity apps e.g translators e.t.c

How to create your own app

Most of the people who creates app are professional software developers. However, if you cannot develop one you can partner with a developer.
Another means is to get a low cost apps developers.
You can also use quite number of platform that allow non-developers to create their own apps with ease. One of such program is Apple Developer Programs.
You can also buid your app through the service of www.applicationcraft.com or www.theappbuilder.com among others.

Apps that move in the market

Though, the rate at which apps sell depend on the needs of the end users and the utility of the app itself. Research shows that the following apps seem to move faster in the market

1. Chat apps

2.Bulk SMS

3. Antivirus

4.Blogs

The rate at which an app sells also depend on how competitive and demanding the market for such app is. I advice that you conduct market research to know which app is trending or which app the market need but which is not available before you develop your own app so that it won't be surplus to requirement.
The various way you can make money with mobile apps include 

1. If you are the main developer

2. If you are a third party software vendor

3. A co-founder

4. By licencing the app to a large organisation

4. Through charges for downloading

5. Through adverts on the app

How to market your app

To sell your app you have to take the marketing aspect seriously because their are millions of apps in the market waiting for buyers. True, you may have the best app out there but how will people know about it without marketing.

Market your app virally by:

1. Writing article on the app and put a link to your product then submit it to online articles directories

2. Posting links to your product on forum related to your product

3. Promote it offline through newspapers, magazines, TV and radio. You can target sport and entertainment newspapers and magazines because this is where your potential customers could be.

4. Use pay per click advertisement site to drive traffic to your sales page

5. Create awareness through social media like facebook, twitter and the likes

6. Do video marketing through Youtube e.t.c

Where to sell your mobile apps

 Amazon App Store

you can sign up to offer your apps to millions of customers on kindle fire HD, Kindle fire and on the amazon mobile client. The process involves:
a. Downloading of the Amazon Mobile App SDK
b. Create a developer account
c. Submit your mobile apps for review
d. And then sell your approved apps on amazon.com
Visit Amazon Kindle Fire Development Resources and download the Amazon Mobile App SDK to learn more.

Apple Itunes

Maximize your sales by making your app available to millions of customers by selling your app on itunes, the App store and the MAC app store.
Visit www.apple.com/itunes/sellcontent/ to learn more

Google play

Google play is definitely the most visited adroid apps store in the world. No better way to get your apps in front of millions of people with over a billion downloads a month together with opportunity to sell in over 130 countries. You also have flexible monetization options and distribution control.
Visit google.com/store or support.google.com/googleplay/adroid to learn more.
Other places you can sell your app are: buysellapp.com, apptrading.com, appsbidder.com, sellmyapplication.com among others.


Other interesting articles from the list

 17 mobile apps and their importance on your phone

 Why need a facebook fan page for your business