Money is always a top consideration for every human being, and especially for those struggling to get by in life. Thankfully, there are more than enough opportunities out there to make some extra cash flow into your pocket without having to resort to selling your body parts or existing capital to do so. All you need is a reliable source of income and a device (mobile phone, tablet, etc.) to take advantage of them.
Since the great recession of 2008, people have been looking for ways to earn quick money online, and businesses have been searching for ways to reach new markets and make more sales. One of the biggest opportunities came in the form of app development. The mobile phone industry grew by leaps and bounds during this time, and with it came the need for more apps to keep up with user demand. Development platforms like Google Play and the App Store were built with the express purpose of making it easy for anyone to build an app and get it out to as many people as possible, no matter their budget or technical know-how.
If you’re an entrepreneur or looking to take your first step into the world of app development, this article is for you. We’ll cover everything from the basics of what you need to know to jumpstart your career, to the important details surrounding security and privacy that you need to know as a consumer of digital products.
What Is An App?
Put simply, an app is a software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Apps can be used to make our daily lives easier by providing us with convenient access to the things we need or want, whether that’s social media or email or search or navigation or finance or shopping.
Since many of the apps out there were designed with online store functionality in mind, they can also be used to make money online. Here’s a quick summary of how to make money with an app.
How Do I Make Money With An App?
The amount of money you can earn from apps will depend on several factors, not least of which is how much effort you put in. The more you put in, the more you’ll earn. For example, one app that’s currently trending on social media is Scoop.it. This app was designed to help people find stories on social media platforms like Twitter. As with most apps, you’ll start by signing up for an account, followed by creating a publication.
What sets Scoop.it apart from other apps is that it pays its users based on the amount of content they create and distribute. For example, a Twitter user with no followers will likely make less than $1 per day, but a prominent Twitter user with millions of followers will likely make thousands of dollars per day based on their engagement with others on the platform.
Now, you may be wondering how you can build a successful Twitter publication when the platform itself pays its users based on their engagement rather than the amount of content they produce. The answer is that you can get more engaged with your followers on Twitter than the average user, which will therefore translate to more money for you.
Similarly, other platforms like LinkedIn and Slack offer similar incentives to users who contribute value to the network.
Is It Easy To Make Money With An App?
No, it’s not easy to make money with apps, nor is it an easy way to earn a full-time living. Like most legitimate ways of making money online, you’ll need to put in the legwork to ensure that you’re building a reliable income stream. One of the most important things to do is to build your audience. While it’s easy to come up with an idea and get your app published, the true test of its success is in the number of people who use it and love it.
If your app is getting minimal use or is not providing any value, it’s time for you to consider dropping it and moving on to something new. Launching an app is a lot of work, and while it may be easy to get started, creating a sustainable income stream is a whole other matter. Good luck out there.
The Rise Of The App Economy
The popularity of apps came as no surprise to anyone, given that people are always looking for ways to make money online these days. What did come as a surprise was just how much money people were making from apps. In 2019 alone, the mobile app economy was valued at around US$16.2 trillion, according to a new study by Global Market Insights.
Based on a survey of 13,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K., and Germany, the study found that mobile apps account for a significant portion of consumer spending, with around 10% of millennials’ personal spend moving into the app sphere.
In the U.S., that’s around $1.64 trillion a year, in the U.K., it’s around £400 billion a year, and in Germany, it’s €400 billion annually.
The trend is clear: people are spending more and more of their money on apps. This highlights the fact that while the great recession of 2008 had a significant impact, it didn’t have the same effect on all industries. Thanks to the app economy, the ability to make quick cash flow is now accessible to more people than ever before, meaning more opportunity for those looking for work in the field.
Where Do I Sign Up?
If you’d like to build an app that can make you some revenue, you’ll first need to decide which platform to develop for. More and more people are choosing to develop for the Apple iOS platform, which runs on the iPhone and other Apple devices. The Google Play Store and the App Store offer similar functionality, but Android is the most popular platform globally, so if you want to maximize your earnings, develop for iOS first.
If you do decide to develop for Android, however, you’ll need to decide which part of the platform to explore. There are various levels of complexity when it comes to Android app development, from the basics to the very advanced. If you’re looking for a more user-friendly experience, go with the basics, otherwise, explore the more advanced features if you’re looking to make the most out of your time.
What About The Title Of My App?
If you decide to go down the app development route, you’ll need to choose a name for your app. You’ll also need to register with Google Play and the App Store as a software developer in order to get the appropriate icons and splash screens for your app.
The good news is that you can get these items free of charge within the app’s development environment. To keep things simple, you may want to consider using an existing brand or making up a quick pun based on your name. For example, if your name is James and you decide to build a navigation app, you could call it Navigate-by-James.
Now that you have a name for your app, it’s time to take a look at how to build it. Let’s get started.
Get The Basics Down
When it comes to app development, the first thing you’ll need to do is get the basics down. These are the foundational details that will help you develop a solid app. For the purposes of this article, we’ll cover the basics of creating an Android app and submitting it to the Play Store. However, if you plan on earning money from this app, you’ll need to explore other platforms.
Create A Key Performance Indicator
Every app should have a KPI (key performance indicator). This is a metric that you can use to gauge the success of your app, and it serves as a guide for determining whether or not your app is performing as expected. The best apps will always have a KPI, and they’ll always be updated with the latest numbers to provide users with the most accurate picture of the app’s performance.
Set A Top-Notch User Experience
Another important factor in the success of an app is the user experience. If users have a good experience with your app, they’ll be more inclined to come back for more and tell others about their experience. Good UX is made up of many small details, but it all comes together to form an experience that is enjoyable for the user. One great way to ensure you have good UX is to test your app with real users as frequently as possible. Testing with real users is a crucial part of the development process, not just to ensure that the app is functioning as expected but also to diagnose any issues that may arise.