Apps are key

The stats on iPhone apps show that most apps are downloaded not onto a laptop and uploaded onto the iPhone, but directly onto the machine. Not only that, but stats from companies show that if there is an option of an app and a mobile web version the app is significantly more popular.

Why?

When you create an app, you are creating a program. When you build a mobile site, it has a URL that you need to navigate to. The app appears to the user as “native” to the platform (e.g. an iPhone) and the mobile site must be viewed in whatever browser is available and reaching this requires inserting a URL, or finding the bookmark.

Usability of Apps

In the eye of the app user, an app is significantly easier to use, even if it has the same functionality as the mobile website exactly. It’s not about quality or anything like that, but perception.

So, if you build for a mobile audience, you must build an app.

App Platforms

There are 3 major platforms to build for. iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.  The vast majority of apps that are “in the wild” are developed for the iPhone, and this is the primary platform that consumer based applications are developed for. It’s not the biggest user base, but it’s the most developed market.

Android will increase it’s share as more android devices come out, and Google will push this option. Blackberry is primarily a business based platform, and as such, there will be useful apps coming out, but so far, not many developers have grabbed hold of this market, and it’s likely to never be as large as the major 2.

See this BBC article for some more info: BBC article on Mobile Apps

We’re being asked about mobile apps more and more

This is an increasing marketplace and more companies are recognising that they need to build these apps. It will be as big as the internet in 10 years so why not start now?

Talk to us about developing mobile apps for your business or idea.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Social Media for the past few years. It’s a buzzword for sure, and along with things like “User Generated Content” (UGC) and blogs, wikis and everything else, has become a major component for many company’s marketing.

However, most people just simply don’t understand it. Why is it so important? Is it more important than Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

SEO

This is simply (although it is not simple) making a website/page better for search engines to index and therefore bump up the page in the search engines (almost always Google) for specific keywords. It’s been a good earner for some people (mostly Google actually) for years, but it’s always smacked of slightly underhand if you ask me.

In my opinion, it’s important to optimise a website for SEO, but if that’s the only strategy, then frankly, you’re deluded.

Social Media

Social Media is essentially about generating and being involved in conversations. Mostly this is online and out of your control, but it’s becoming clear that it is an achievable goal to try to generate positive conversations and also keep an ear to the ground regarding negativity.  Dealing with those situations is nowhere near as simple as SEO and anyone that says it is, is lying.

Social Networks are all the rage, with getting pages on Facebook and applications, as well as the now obligatory twitter profile, but the interesting thing that most people are interested in is numbers of people.

Social Media is not about numbers

It’s about conversations. If you are aiming to get 10,000 followers on Twitter and 25,000 fans on your facebook page, good luck to you, but you’re probably barking up the wrong tree.

Focussing your energies on generating conversations will have much more of an effect than just numbers ever could. Getting people talking is much harder than bumping up numbers.

Conclusion

SEO is about ranking on Google and that’s fine. But Social Media is about amount of conversations and managing those conversations. Very very different.