Michigan App Developers Combine Talents To Benefit Business Owners
Business Owners Urged to Invest in App Development to Increase Sales
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEST BLOOMFIELD, MICHIGAN – Longtime internet marketing expert and strategist, Cheryl Heppard of FrontStreetPR.com has teamed with app developer Mark Perkins of ThumbWizards.com to create Michigan App Developer, a company which works with business owners who want to develop customized apps to boost their marketing, sales and revenue.
“If you have a local business and are looking for a small business marketing strategy that works, then you need to invest in an app for business advertising. Business apps are fast becoming the new search engine for mobile and tablet searches and taking advantage of this technology is now very affordable,” said Heppard.
Mark Perkins initially contacted Cheryl Heppard for help in getting more visibility for his own collection of applications which are available in the iTunes store. He explains, “What sealed the deal for me, is that when I first met with her, Cheryl was in the process of having her own app being developed. And ironically, when it became apparent that the developer she had hired didn’t have the skills he reprenented himself to have, she hired me to redeisgn and launch her app. Joining forces from there just happened very organically.”
“Marketing is generally one of the most costly elements to any small business, yet it’s vital for growth and increasing revenues. Traditional offline marketing strategies can work extremely well, but as more and more people rely on their mobile phones for up to the moment information and become more accustomed to instant gratification when searching for information, having a company app is the ideal way to promote a business,” said Heppard.
Email marketing is estimated to have only a 4-10% open and read rate on average, so 96% of the time and cost of email marketing can be ineffective. However, mobile marketing has a 97% open and read rate and is more effective because of the accessibility of cell phones.
“One of the greatest advantages of mobile marketing is the ability to reach people instantly. With push notifications, you can send out a daily special and as the largest percentage of notifications are read within an hour of being sent. This means you can bring the clients through the door minutes after sending out your notification. All companies have important decisions to make today, as they should prepare for a high tech future with steady and consistent paces,” adds Mark Perkins.
“And once somebody downloads your app, it must provide value — otherwise, you can almost guarantee negative comments and feedback. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a dcveloper who has experience with not only app development, but also with online marketing, client care, and reputation management” emphasized Heppard.
There are a wide variety of possible features and pitfalls a business owner must keep in mind for app development:
1. Deals and Directions – location-based discount feature
2. Create Special Promotions – reward people who use your app
3. Does it Solve a Problem? – Whether it’s information driven, makes them laugh, helps with productivity, etc.
4. Mobile Payments- Let customers pay with their smart phones before your competitors do
5. Social Media Friendly Apps – real-time interaction with Facebook and Twitter
6. Make it “Share Worthy” – build in benefits and features that inspire sharing. People are inclined to share things that are useful. Apps should solve a problem clients have.
7. Focus on Audience Need – Does it provide coupons, specials, discounts, behind-the-scenes access, exclusive opportunities?
“Your app should also include unlimited notifications so that you can offer as many specials to as many local residents as you would like to without having to incur additional costs. The best apps for business should involve a single setup and development fee with a low maintenance and support monthly cost. Until recently small businesses may have found the price-tag of five to fifteen thousand dollars far beyond their reach for development costs, and fortunately, this is not longer necessary. For an initial investment of around $10,000 to $15,000 for development depending on how complext the app needs to be, and less than $1,000 a month service fee, you can have unlimited notifications,” adds Heppard.
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ABOUT CHERYL HEPPARD
Cheryl Heppard, a West Bloomfield resident and business owner is founder of several websites, including CherylHeppard.com, FrontStreetPR.com, CoachPressKits.com, TweetHollisticHealth.com, and HealthyHandout.com. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs and small to medium sized service based companies all over the world use proven internet marketing visibility and publicity strategies to attract more ideal clients and enjoy more income and freedom within their business.
Cheryl created The Get Seen Get Clients System™, a practical and step-by-step blueprint that allows entrepreneurs to use her strategic internet marketing techniques to consistently bring in new clients and customers.
ABOUT MARK PERKINS
Mark Perkins, a West Bloomfield resident and business owner, is the founder of ThumbWizards.com, an app development company featuring more than 20 apps for translation, entertainment, gaming, music, remotes, small businesses for iPad, iPhone and Android. Thumb Wizards wants to fuel consumers awareness and integration with only the best, and easiest to use Apps, providing both interesting, entertaining & informational awareness into the amazing capabilities of technologies available today. Thumb Wizards has dedicated many years of working with these devices, and is watching the world transform from a no-Pad to iPad experience. Along with the entertainment competencies of the business, Thumb Wizards has an optimistic insight into the future of mobility, with enhancing the delivery of effective technology solutions.
