How to Build an App on a Budget
Set clear objectives
What are the core features of your app? Which are extra and can wait to be updated until after the launch? Certain features, like live streaming, are more expensive and complex to implement. While you may have a lot of elaborate ideas on how to flush out your app’s features, start with the basics.
Consider how you build your team
While it might be appealing for financial reasons to hire a team of new and lesser-experienced developers, you may end up paying for it in lower productivity and success. An inexperienced team may need more management and guidance, and therefore more time and effort from higher-ups. You can consider hiring a team that already has a hierarchy and structure in place, or outsourcing your team entirely. If you decide to hire people yourself, you may consider employees who have skills in multiple fields and could potentially perform more than one role in development.
Decide how to pay your employees
When it comes to paying your development team, you have two basic options: pay an hourly rate or a flat fee. While a flat fee may be more appealing for budgeting reasons, development often doesn’t go as planned. Unexpected roadblocks are common, especially for first time development, so keep in mind that a flat fee may not leave much wiggle room for setbacks. A fixed rate makes sure you stick to your budget, but quality may suffer.
Marketing
There’s a misconception that successful marketing has to be done by a PR firm. Marketing can be done yourself and should start long before the launch day. Building buzz around a product takes time, so as soon as you have info to share, begin promoting your app. After or just before launch is a good time to reach out to bloggers in the app and tech fields who may want to cover your app. As bloggers are often receiving pitches, be as genuine as possible in your pitch. Make sure your app has a presence on all major social media outlets, which you can run yourself as the developer or founder, until you’re ready to hire a social media marketer.
While building an app is a huge undertaking, we know it’s possible to make it happen on a limited budget.