You and your team have big ambitions for your brand. You know it has a TON more potential and you know other people out there are getting done what you know is possible for you to do, too. Now you’re ready to do something about it.

You’ve probably heard some variation of the stories of:

So, what do these brands above have in common?

They all took the leap to invest in creating their own native mobile apps on iOS and Android (and obviously, the web too).

At this moment, you might be saying to yourself a few things, “Hold up. I thought native mobile apps weren’t necessary anymore and people were abandoning their mobile apps. Isn’t the mobile web enough?” *or, “Is it really necessary to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in custom app development to see these kinds of results? Isn’t there another way to get this done? Mobile web, perhaps?” *

We get it. You may want to be told that the cheaper, but slower, clunkier, and less effective mobile web option is enough to see the kind of results real people just like you are achieving today.

The truth is that not only have native mobile apps not gone away, they’ve become even more important for brands to have in order to differentiate themselves, build relationships with their people, and grow their businesses faster.

The mobile web just doesn’t cut it, especially if you are offering online courses or a membership site, both rapidly growing categories of new digital products or services revenue savvy businesses are seizing upon today.

As trust and confidence in big social networks shrinks, people are looking to move into smaller, more focused communities, which you’re working to build. But there’s a catch—they want the same mobile experience they get from those big networks.

That's why the time is right to get started with your own custom app.

When you choose to build a custom mobile app, you are creating a world for your brand that’s all your own. Your people. Your content and online courses. Your culture. Your rules. All instantly available on every platform and easy to discover in any app store.

What will this investment translate into for your growth, your customers, your relationships, and ultimately, your success?

Here are 3 concrete reasons to invest in custom app development:

Mobile notifications mean your people build a habit around your brand. People pick up their phones hundreds of times a day. In fact, the mobile habit is so strong, there’s now a feature that reports on your screen time. That’s the sign of a powerful platform, and it’s one ripe for you to take advantage of.

With your own custom mobile app, it’s not just the app that instantly deepens your relationship with your people and their relationship with your brand. Mobile notifications are the secret connector for your folks to create new positive habits around your apps.

An app brings everything you are doing together into one place. Messaging, community chat, public feeds, gated content, online course material, notifications, payment processing, all of it—your content is centralized instead of scattered across three different social apps, a payment app, a course platform, and anything else you’re using.

In an age of distraction, not having to send someone to something else to engage or post—where they can get pulled away by distraction—is a big win.

You can charge a premium with a seamless mobile experience. By creating a way for your people to interact with your brand—while they’re waiting in line, any time they have a quick minute–you are building value in their eyes.

They know that custom app development can be hard (and expensive), so if you have one, what you’re doing must be successful. And when someone thinks that what you’re offering is successful, they’re willing to pay a premium for it.

You might ask, “But can’t I just do this with a mobile-friendly site?” Unfortunately, no. Even the best mobile web or “responsive” websites are slow, clunky, and awkward compared to their native mobile counterparts. And as people spend their time on familiar, habit-native mobile apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, these set the standards for your brand online. You need mobile apps that perform like the biggest players, and when you invest in them, you can charge more for the results.

With a custom mobile app for your brand, you can get people’s attention, keep it with a deep, delightful experience, and charge a premium for access, either for membership subscriptions and/or for online courses.

So just exactly how do you go about getting a custom app?

Unless you’re a coding wizard, you’ll need someone to create this mobile app for your brand. No matter what type of content and connections you create, you’ll be looking for the same list of traits in custom app development services.

First, you’ll look for a good portfolio of brands like yours. Different app developers specialize in different types of apps. They have workflows that support different designs and functions. If they have brands like yours, they’ll have insights into the way content like yours moves in the mobile digital space—insights into the best gestures, organization design, and visual layouts.

You’re looking for someone who understands your business and business model—what you charge for and why on your app. This way your app can be built with your audience in mind.

Second, you’re looking for functional, yet still compelling visual design. Even more than with websites, the user experience in an app is critical. More than just looking good (that’s got to be a given), your custom mobile app needs to be functional, intuitive to use, and fast.

When firms talk about beautiful design, it’s got to include all of these elements, not just the obvious one.

Third, you want someone you can work with over the long term. Custom app development is a marriage, not just a fling. Mobile apps must be created, tested, iterated, and then updated constantly. Even if your app is “done” and out in the world, it’s never really done. You’ll be working with your custom app builder for a long time. Choose a builder you work well with.

✋ Raise your hand if you’ve really thought about how the mobile apps you use the most actually work.

We thought so.

Often with the mobile apps we use everyday, they are so intuitive, we barely think about them. That’s the sign of a good app (and good apps get used a lot).

But in practice, creating a mobile app that’s so intuitive that you can’t remember how it actually works requires paying attention to a zillion little things that matter. These features will make your custom app stand out with an experience that inspires your people to make your app a habit:

How do you make your own custom app?

First, brace yourself. A truly custom app is actually very difficult to make. When folks who have not developed an app or design a product before dive into creating a custom app, they usually find that it's tough.

Here are a few of the challenges to building COMPLETETLY custom apps from scratch:

These 4 painful realities of custom app development have been the downfall of many non-technical entrepreneurs and creators who know they need a custom app, invested money in building a custom app, and yet never actually got a custom app.

But there is a better way...

The good news is that while there are remain thousands of custom development agencies ready to build you a custom app, there’s also a new approach.

You can launch your own custom app with software platforms like Mighty Pro. You still get the branding, user experience, rich social and community features, plus your own Apple App Store and Google Play store listings.

If you were planning on building a custom app with online community features, online course features, events, livestreaming, native video storage, member profiles, payments, integrations like SSO and CRM syncing, then look at Mighty Pro.

This new category of fully branded apps allows you to get all of the benefits of building a customer app from screatch with far fewert pitfalls

With fully branded apps, you pick the features you want, then focus on the things you’re best at: Putting out great content that attracts people to your brand, bringing the right people together, and building a healthy, profitable brand instantly available across every platform.

Owning the environment, putting everything in one place, and having a mobile presence is crucial to your success. With your own mobile app, you’ll see your brand take off. It’s time to build a brand that rises above the rest—starting in the palm of their hands.

Schedule a call with us and we’ll show you what you can do!