Stuck at home? Plan your new app launch

If you’re one of the millions of people following instructions to stay at home, now is a great time to sit down and plan your future app launch. If you’re working remotely without some of the usual distractions and time saps in the office, why not use this time to get stuck in to some of the jobs that often get pushed back to the bottom of the to do list?

Your app launch strategy is a great way to be productive and ensure your business is ready to leave the gates firing on all cylinders when things ramp back up again.

1. Do your research

Whether you have a firm idea in your head of your app and what you want its features to include, now is the ideal opportunity to get serious about your competitor research. Being confined to the house with no gym, cinema or dinner reservations should leave you with some extra time on your hands to go much deeper into competitor offering than you’ve previously been able to when life was full steam ahead.

One of our best pieces of advice is not to focus just on the apps from your competitors and industry leaders (though you need to do this too), broaden your investigations and look at popular apps in other industries. You may find that you get some creative inspiration for things that work well and features you can adapt that others in your industry have overlooked.

2. Consolidate your USPs

Armed with your research, you should not only have a very clear idea of what you want to incorporate into your app, but a good understanding of what’s already on offer and how it’s being positioned. Use this time to really hone in on your USPs. Look for points of difference; what can you offer or solve that existing apps don’t? Why should a user download your app not a rivals? Create a list of gaps you fill so you have a list of USPs to reference in your marketing when your new business app design launches later down the line.

3. Craft your App Store listing

With space is relatively limited on the App Store or Google Play when it comes to selling your app, the small amount of screen real estate you do have becomes more valuable. Many make the mistake of thinking because the volume of text is only small, the description can be dashed off in short order. Now you have some spare time on your hands, use this to really polish and perfect your listing. Try creating a few different versions so you can test what works best. This is a vital part of making your app a success and one well worth your time.

4. Prepare a brief

Preparing a brief for your app designer can take a few hours to get right – sometimes this is precious time you can’t spare while running your business under the usual circumstances. If you find that you do have time while working remotely, this is a key document to get prepped. It means that you’ll be ready to hit the ground running when life gets back to normal.