Getting ready to develop my mobile application and launch your project and think you need a marketing agency to do the job? Think twice before you burn through thousands of dollars Understand the pros/cons first and know your options. Especially if you are on a budget, this article is just for you!
For a list of other important questions to ask before starting a web or mobile application project see this article.
Why use a marketing agency to develop my mobile application?
Agencies are great at branding, strategy and creating consistent graphics amongst many other things but behind the scenes, there is a lot of red-tape, and most concerning, a deep web of subcontractors to develop my mobile application. This means that your project gets a lot of attention upfront (especially during the proposal phase) and then it gets handed off to the subcontractor with the lowest bid. So in other words, you are dealing with an intermediary.
Have you ever played telephone? The message gets distorted the further you are away from the source. Do you want your precious project and your carefully detailed requirements to be lost in translation between you, your account executive, the agencies traffic manager, the sub-contractor executive, and the developer 5 levels down the chain in another country to ? I don’t think so.
Sure, the added benefit of having some bright and creative minds contributing ideas to your project might be valuable, but then, you don’t need an agency, you need a software consultant.
Finally, all that bureaucracy and mid-management positions end up costing you many times more than just going straight to the source.
The alternative to develop my mobile application
If you want to go the source (and you know you do) then go straight to a talented software studio that has the experience and the team depth to handle your project but will do so with a highly trained team of developers and UI/UX experts.
In addition to this, a software studio will have already seen dozens of projects like yours and will be able to advise you on what works for your own project. This will including pre/post-launch strategies and in many cases implement demand generation and marketing automation flows for a much lower rate than a creative agency.
Sure, a software studio may use some sub-contractors, but they typically do for the items with a lower risk or things easier to manage with an external team such as copywriting, translation and minor graphic design. So you get the best of both worlds: A core team of superior developers and a well-managed army of professionals working on your behalf.
It has to look perfect!
Your startup’s MVP or your project needs to look perfect. This needs a perfect blend of UI/UX and color selection. So why not let each expert do their own parts?
All you need is a comprehensive brand book created for you and then let the software experts execute under these guidelines. Furthermore, some software agencies have done this so many times that they can refer you to a branding team that will understand your goals and fit your budget.
Conclusion
Don’t let a fancy office and a group of thorned-jeans marketing guys convince you into spending an arm and a leg on things you don’t really need to get your project completed. Instead, rely on an experienced software studio to drive the project and use your resource wisely.
