Develop Your Own Commercial App

By Marsha Collier from Social Media Commerce For Dummies

Many businesses use apps, along with social media, for promotions or as ways to funnel business to their websites. If you think an app is something only the big guys have, you’ll be surprised at the reasonable the price for developing one.

Finding an experienced freelancer to develop an app isn’t too difficult these days. Several popular sites serve as directories for self-employed tech types. A search for app developer on Elance netted almost 1,500 app pros. A visit to oDesk came up with 2,950 app contractors from all parts of the world.

You may wonder how an app can fit into your business profile. Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing.

The publisher of the For Dummies series found a creative way to give people a taste of a new book, eBay For Dummies, in an iOS device app available in the iTunes store. The figure shows the opening layout. Each tile links to a summary of a section from the book, to entice people to discover more — and buy the book.

A publisher developed an eBay For Dummies book app.

Rosen Law Firm produced the app shown to calculate child support for the state in which they practice, North Carolina. The app is available for Android and iPhone, free of charge, and available for immediate download by visiting app stores.

This app allows people to calculate how much child support they have to pay.

You might check out several other business apps on your phone in order to get inspiration:

GroundLink: A handy app from a car service that works in every major city. If you need a car, you can use this app to book your ride to or from the airport.
Uber: For a car-on-demand when you travel, you can open Uber (when in a supported city) and you can get a car easier than a taxi.
Dominos Pizza: Want pizza in a hurry? Log in to the app, order your pizza, and even watch as it’s being made.