Nearly every business should seriously consider having its own mobile application. We are in the middle of the mobile revolution. This is reminiscent of when websites first became popular. Companies with websites thrived while those that didn’t lost customers to the competition. Now, almost every business has a website. With smartphone sales growing exponentially year after year, now is the time to get your own mobile app and stay ahead of your competition.

If you are ready for a mobile app for your business you have three basic options.

1. Have a custom mobile app created for you.

2. Use a Mobile App Content Management Solution (“CMS”)

3. Create a mobile website

Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.

Having a custom mobile app created for you allows you to have a mobile app that meets your specific needs. The big drawbacks are the cost and inflexibility. Depending upon features a mobile app can run anywhere between $3,000 and $15,000 or more. The other drawback is that a once a mobile app is submitted to an app marketplace such as the App Store within iTunes, a new version has to be submitted every time information needs to be updated.

Using a Mobile App CMS is definitely the most cost effective and easy to use solution for businesses. Solutions like Mobtify http://www.mobtify.com allow any business to quickly build a custom mobile app at a very low cost. In addition, your app can be updated simply by logging onto a secure website and making the changes. No special computer skills are needed. This type of solution is fast becoming the preferred method for developing business mobile apps. It also has a number of features such as the ability to add audio and video, send out alerts to the apps users, and add geo-location to the content.

A mobile website is not the same as a mobile app. A mobile website is just like a normal website except it is formatted for the small screens on smart phones. A common mistake made with mobile websites is attempting to duplicate all the content on a business’s regular website. This generally leads to a very poor user experience. Mobile websites can also cost a great deal of money to develop. Some Mobile App CMS solutions offer mobile websites as part of the package. Look for this option as it will allow your business to reach customers with almost any of the major smartphone devices.

For most businesses the most effective way of getting ahead of the competition and retain customers is to have a Mobile App CMS. This is a cost effective yet powerful way to release a mobile app for your business. With your new mobile app your customer will have all of your important business information in the palm of their hand. You will be able to let them know of any specials or upcoming events for your business and strengthen your relationship with them. A Mobile App is a great way to build loyalty with your customer base.

Author Bio: Rene Lang is a mobile marketing consultant with years of experience in the mobile field. She is employed by Mobtify, (http://www.mobtify.com) an iPhone app builder.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: iphone, mobile, marketing, app builder