Category: Mobile Apps

4 Essentials Needed to Build You a Great Mobile App

Post author By Alena Annarelli
Post date October 20, 2017

Mobile App Development, Experienced Team. Flat 3d isometric. Vector illustrations. EPS10 and JPG are available

The appeal of having a mobile app for your business is obvious. Just ask any smartphone user what some of their favorite apps are and they will have a a few favorites on the top of their head. Now if you were to ask them their favorite mobile website, you’ll most likely hear crickets chirping. It’s no secret why having an app can help grow your business so we wanted to provide you with a list of essentials needed before an app can go into production for your business.

Here are 4 things you need before we can build your brand the next great app.

Apple Developer Account

One of the first things you’ll need to secure is a developer account from Apple. This account costs $99 USD per year and there is also an enterprise version which costs $299 USD annually. Users can post questions and share their thoughts with fellow developers and Apple engineers, submit bug reports and request enhancements, as well as receive personalized help by contacting Apple directly.
To set one up, and for more information, visit developer.apple.com.

UDIDs (iPhone only)

A Unique Device Identifier, or UDID, is a sequence of 40 numbers and letters specific to each device. To find out what your UDID is, visit whatsmyudid.com (using Safari on your iPhone) then follow the prompts.
Here’s an example of what a UDID looks like: 2b6f0cc904d137be2e1730235f5664094b831186

Images and artwork

To get started, we’ll need images and artwork specific to both iOS and Android devices, along with ones that can be used for both. For iOS, we’ll need one for the App Store listing along with one for an icon image (what appears on the user’s screen next to their other apps). For Android, we ask for a store listing image as well as a feature graphic. A header image is required for both iOS and Android. Sizes and examples can be viewed in the image below.

Feed and Stream Links

Your news and social media feeds are not only essential to keeping your audience engaged. They’re necessary for us to get started as well. This includes your RSS and/or XML feed(s). If you’re unsure how to provide us with these feeds, we are more than happy to help guide you through the process to get exactly what we are looking for.
OPTIONAL: Google Developer Account
Upon registration, there is a one-time fee of $25 USD. With this account, users can access development tools, manage their store presence, track app performance from their Android device, and receive help with publishing, security, and much more. Additional information can be found here.
Note: If you choose not to set up your own Google Developer Account we will build the app in our own account.
To sign up, visit Google Play then follow the prompts.
To learn more about how mobile apps can benefit your business, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com we love talking mobile!

Mobile Apps

3 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Have a Mobile App

Post author By Alena Annarelli
Post date October 12, 2017
No Comments on 3 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Have a Mobile App

A few years ago, building a mobile app was a challenge for most small businesses. The high costs involved and commitment of a mobile development team deterred many small businesses from creating an app for their brand. But with new technologies, and the massive popularity of mobile apps, creating an app is now easier and more convenient than ever before.
Small businesses should take advantage of this lucrative space. Here are some reasons why:

Apps help increase sales
Loyalty programs can be used to reward frequent shoppers, or help turn a seldom shopper into a frequent shopper. Doing this through an app eliminates the need to print out loyalty cards or worry about tracking transactions; everything is done conveniently through the user’s mobile device, saving your business time, effort, and money. Furthermore, if you know what products your customers enjoy, push notifications can help you increase revenue too. Sending them offers about products they’re interested in during off-peak hours will help your business add to its bottom line.
Apps can help improve customer experience
Through apps, you can offer consumers coupons and send announcements directly to their smartphone (or any other mobile device) which creates a more convenient way for them to browse, compare, and order your products/services. It can also provide post-sales support and information. Data that can be collected using apps provides insights into how customers interact with your brand. Small businesses can use this information to their advantage and personalize a great in-app experience tailored for each individual customer.
Apps can help maintain a competitive advantage
People prefer apps over mobile websites. In fact, 87% of all time spent on mobile devices is spent using apps. Even further, comScore reports that among the top 1,000 apps and mobile websites, apps have an audience that’s 2.5 times as big and growing twice as fast*. If you can effectively, and consistently, promote your business’s app and remain one of the 27 apps that smartphone owners use per month, it won’t be hard to maintain a competitive advantage within your industry.

To learn more about how mobile apps can help your small business grow, reach out to us at 248-353-9030 or marketing@jacapps.com.

*comScore 2015 U.S. Mobile App Report

B2B Apps Mobile Apps

How B2B Apps Can Help Your Business

Post author By Alena Annarelli
Post date October 6, 2017
No Comments on How B2B Apps Can Help Your Business

Portrait of young woman sitting at her desk with laptop and adhesive notes using mobile phone. Asian businesswoman working in modern office.

Email has long been the main communication tool for business owners who are constantly on the go. However, mobile apps are becoming powerful tools for accomplishing detailed tasks while out of the office. And increasingly, apps make sense for businesses that never sell directly to consumers, but instead are focused on other businesses.
Compared to B2C (business-to-consumer) apps, target audiences for B2B (business-to-business) apps are easier to identify. These apps are typically created to solve a specific problem such as providing potential customers, or sales reps, detailed product information. By doing this in a mobile app, not only can the business provide easily accessed product details, they can easily update those details without having to replace reams of printed product brochures.
And B2B mobile apps are always connected and ready for business. Sales reps never have outdated information, and never “run out” of materials. Since most professionals have their own smart device that they carry with them wherever they go, mobile apps are just the right tool to accommodate this work-style. Messages can be sent, notifications/alerts can be viewed, and most importantly, orders can be placed any time of the day from any location more easily than with a traditional PC or laptop.
Here’s a good example of how a B2B app can help, the owner of a construction company is knee-deep in mud when he realizes he forgot to order the bricks required for an upcoming project. Rather than trek back and forth through the mud to log into his computer to make the order, he can instead pull his smartphone out of his pocket and order the supplies right then and there using a mobile app. It’s a win-win situation for both businesses (the construction company and the brick supplier) and the customer gets what they want as well!
Click here to set up a conversation with us about your mobile B2B strategy! You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.

App Everywhere Mobile Apps

Users Now Spend More than 2 Hours per Day with Mobile Apps

Post author By Alena Annarelli
Post date September 28, 2017

Users are spending more time in apps than ever before. In fact, a recent report from App Annie shows that users in the US averaged more than two hours and 15 minutes per day using apps. This amounts to over one month out of the entire year. In 2015, this number was below two hours – further proving the dominance of mobile apps and their ability to keep users engaged.

If that doesn’t convince you of the sheer dominance apps have assumed, consider this. People use about 10 different apps every day, making them part of their daily habit – like brushing their teeth or eating dinner. This is because users rely on apps from many different categories, and with different tempos, from daily to weekly to even monthly. Some of the largest categories by average apps used are utilities and tools, productivity, social networking, and communication.

It’s easy to understand why those categories lead the way. People want to get their tasks done conveniently and efficiently, and they also want to stay connected with their family and friends. From paying bills and checking account balances while in line at the coffee shop to catching up with friends who live in another state, mobile apps allow them to do just that.
At jācapps, we understand that mobile users are, indeed, mobile. People use apps on the treadmill at the gym, in the car on their way to and from work, in the supermarket, and even in their homes with devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home. From tablets, wearables, smart TVs, connected cars, and smart homes, apps are literally everywhere we go – and there’s no signs of slowing down.
That’s the reason why we stand behind our App Everywhere® strategy. With so much time being spent with apps, connecting with your audience wherever they are is essential to maintaining and growing your brand. Focusing on the end user and putting them first will help your app become a part of their daily lifestyle. To capture mobile users where they spend most of their time, you should think about how your brand can go one step beyond the competition and improve the customer experience.
If you’d like our expert input on your mobile strategy, click here to contact us today. You can also call 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com to set up some time to talk.

Connected Car Mobile Apps

The Car Continues to Evolve… Thanks to Mobile

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date July 20, 2017

The car and mobile technology have both come a long way. Over the years, technology like the radio, cassette player, CD player, and Bluetooth have all made their way into the car. Some have stayed, and some have been phased out. Over the past three years, tech giants Apple and Google have made their way into the car as well. Because of this, consumers are changing how they access their favorite music, personal playlists, and go-to podcasts when on the road.
It’s no secret why Apple and Google are trying to make a name for themselves in the car. Whether it’s the newest iPhone or the latest Samsung Galaxy, people consume media on their terms through the device of their choice. Per Techsurvey13, 64% of people can connect their mobile phone in the vehicle they drive or ride in most often. Apple and Google have capitalized on this by allowing drivers to seamlessly connect their mobile phones in the place where they spend hundreds of hours annually – their car.

Who can connect their mobile device in the car?

About 1 out of every 5 respondents to Techsurvey13 like the idea of autonomous cars. Soon the driver will have no need to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. Instead, their hands will likely be holding some sort of mobile device and their eyes will be glued to that. This opens the door for your brand to establish its place within the mobile ecosystem. One of the best ways to get your brand into the connected car is to enable your mobile app. That way, you are where your audience is.
Apple and Google getting involved is one indicator that drivers are more loyal to their OS/mobile device than they are to a car brand or radio station. No matter what kind of music your station plays, it won’t be able to compete with listeners’ preferences, subscriptions, and personal playlists. With our App Everywhere® initiative, we can help keep your brand connected within the connected car.
Let’s talk mobile! Click here to set up a conversation. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.

Connected Car Mobile Apps

The Connected Car Ecosystem is Here to Stay

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date July 13, 2017

The number of connected cars on the road is growing quickly and they are changing how people use technology while they drive. For this reason, auto companies and tech companies are jockeying for position within the connected car environment. In fact, Alpine has introduced the first in-dash wireless CarPlay receiver you can install yourself. Today, new car buyers seem more concerned with how they’ll be able to access their personal playlists from the dash than they are with the horsepower under the hood.
Silicon Valley has realized that people are more loyal to the OS on their mobile device than they are a car brand or radio station. Because of this, it has set out to disrupt the automotive industry. And so far, it’s doing a pretty good job. Vehicle manufacturers are rolling out new models with support for Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto. This technology allows drivers to access certain apps, like maps, messaging, and media, directly from their smartphone. It also allows companies to collect behavioral data about their consumers.
Businesses can use this data to target drivers with location-based offers or alerts as they pass through specific geographical locations. This creates a more efficient and personalized targeted advertising system not only for the brand, but for the driver as well. Even further, offering drivers content which they can consume on demand is important. And what better way to do that than with a mobile app right on their dashboard screen?
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The car is one of the biggest challenges out there for everyone from media companies to restaurants to retailers. But, it’s also one of the biggest opportunities to expand your brand as well as your reach. One thing is for sure: the connected car ecosystem is here to stay. And it’s only going to become more advanced as innovative technologies continue to emerge.

Watch the video below to get a better understanding of how we can help your brand stay connected.

To find out how we can help grow your business using connected car technology, contact us today. You can also call 248-353-9030 or email us at sales@jacapps.com.

Mobile Apps Radio

6 Common Mistakes Radio Stations Make with Mobile Apps

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date July 6, 2017

The appeal of having a mobile app for your radio station is obvious. An app has the potential to increase the reach of your station and increase engagement with your listeners. It’s impossible to do everything right at first, but there are some common mistakes that you can avoid.

6 Common Mistakes Radio Stations Make with Mobile Apps

Not aligning it with your strategy
If your app isn’t aligned with your overall strategy (both programming and sales), you will almost certainly fail. What you’re doing on-air, on your website, and in your app, should all support your overall goal and strategy in the same way.
Too much stuff
Don’t overwhelm your audience with a too many features. This makes the user experience confusing, especially since they will only grasp about two or three features at a time. One of the things we recommend to clients with a lot of content is to put a few things on the app at a time. Then, in a few weeks, come back and add more. That way you have a refreshed reason to promote your app and a new reason for people to come back and check it out. People who started using one or two features as habit are now offered something new that hopefully they’ll make a habit as well.
Not promoting the app
Promote your mobile app. All the time. In lots of different ways. Through multiple channels. You should promote your app in a way that connects to users so that they’ll want to open it right at that moment for a specific reason.
Poor or confusing branding.
Make sure you get your branding right. Over the years, we’ve noticed that it’s very easy to let your app become generic or to update something on your website and forget to update it on the app. The goal is to keep your branding as synchronized as possible.
Poor usability
Test, test, test! Make sure your app’s functions are clear and easy to find because an app that’s tough to use almost always gets deleted. The items in your navigation should be in an order that makes sense to the user. Everything within your app should align with how you’re talking about it so that when people go to look for a certain item, they can easily find it.
Not having the right support
Making sure your app is supported is a must. Your app provider should be keeping it up-to-date with the latest OS versions and devices. As you track traffic patterns within your app, keep a close eye on what things are working and, more importantly, what things are not.

At jācapps, it’s all about the end user and that is why we work to understand your consumer. We specialize in helping radio stations find the mobile intersection of your brand and your consumer. Our apps are fully customizable and we always support what we sell.
Don’t make a mistake that you don’t have to. Click here to set up a conversation about your station’s mobile strategy. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or shoot us an email.

Mobile Apps Techsurvey

Techsurvey13: 9 Takeaways Regarding Mobile Technology

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 29, 2017

Every year, our sister company, Jacobs Media, fields their Techsurvey, the radio broadcasting industry’s largest online survey. Now, in its thirteenth year and with over 50,000 respondents, it allows them to identify key trends in the mobile, social, and connected car spaces. Techsurvey has been quoted throughout the media world by companies such as CNN, The New York Times, and eMarketer.
Techsurvey helps media companies better understand their audiences, and their brand, in a world where technology changes quickly. One of the insights this survey provides is the evolving role of mobile technology.

We’d like to share with you some of the key takeaways about how consumers use mobile technology:

87% of respondents own a smartphone. This number has increased by 25% since Techsurvey9.
97% of Millennials own a smartphone. Moreover, 92% of both GenX-ers and GenZ-ers own a smartphone.
41% said they are addicted to their mobile phone, with Millennials topping out at 63%.
27% of radio listeners said mobile apps were the main reason for listening to less radio. GenZ-ers topped the list at 57%.
Among cell phone, smartphone, or tablet owners, 44% wake up using their phone/tablet – a 4% increase since Techsurvey11.
26% of smartphone/tablet owners reported to have downloaded their home station’s mobile app. 23% are aware that their home station has a mobile app, but have not downloaded it.
Among smartphone/tablet owners who have downloaded their home station’s mobile app
- 57% use the app for streaming either frequently or occasionally.
- 45% rate the mobile app as being good and 29% rate the mobile app as being excellent.
64% of respondents connect their mobile phone/mp3 in the vehicle driven or ridden in most often.

The popularity and addictive quality of mobile devices is something every brand should tap into in their own unique way. You should be thinking about what unique content or service you can deliver to your listeners. Over the past decade, we have experienced first-hand the joy apps deliver to our clients. Having your brand appear on the screen of your audience’s most precious possession is a rush, and maybe the most important part of future-proofing your radio station.
Click here to reach out to us today to talk about your mobile strategy. You can also call us at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.

App Everywhere Mobile Apps

4 Essentials Needed to Build You a Great Mobile App

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 1, 2017

The appeal of having a mobile app for your business is obvious. Just ask any smartphone user what some of their favorite apps are and I’m sure the list will go on and on. Now ask them what their favorite mobile website is and you’ll probably hear crickets chirping. It’s no secret why having an app can help grow your business. But we thought you should know of some essentials needed before we can start.

Here are 4 things you need before we can build your brand the next great app.

Apple Developer Account

UDIDs (iPhone only)

Images and artwork

Feed and Stream Links

Your news and social media feeds are not only essential to keeping your audience engaged. They’re necessary for us to get started as well. This includes your RSS and/or XML feed(s). If you’re unsure how to provide us with these feeds, we are more than happy to help guide you through the process to get exactly what we are looking for.
OPTIONAL: Google Developer Account
Upon registration, there is a one-time fee of $25 USD. With this account, users can access development tools, manage their store presence, track app performance from their Android device, and receive help with publishing, security, and much more. Additional information can be found here.
Note: If you choose not to set up your own Google Developer Account we will build the app in our own account.
To sign up, visit Google Play then follow the prompts.
Click here to contact us today. You can also call 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com to set up some time to talk.

App Everywhere Mobile Apps

Users Now Spend More than 2 Hours per Day with Apps

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date May 11, 2017