If the Marketplace Is Constantly Changing, Why are You Standing Still?

I read an article recently which included a new way of looking at the term “app.” The new definition could prove very valuable for the changing world of print and media related services. If your company is going to survive and prosper in this new world, then you may need to transform it into an app. Why? Apps are constantly being used and used again, and sometimes again and again, revised, changed, updated, rated, praised and condemned.

Look to your own shop as an app. What is new, old, needs to be discarded, needs to be removed, or needs to be added? What are your users (customers for those not familiar with the digital term “user”) saying about your app?

I have created and developed a number of apps, mostly for use in the sailing industry. When I introduced my first app, that app at the time captured a major part of the target market, but it got better.

When I started to receive reviews and ratings, I realized that as good as my app was, it was now becoming better and better based on the comments and reviews from the users. Actions and data entry that I felt were just great turned out—in some cases—to be not so great. Some actions needed a bit of polishing, and others shined on their own. Overall, about 30 percent of my original app changed, based on comments/reviews, and once I incorporated the changes, my sales increased by 40 percent.

If you think of your firm as an app, then you must be in a constant stage of beta testing—not only testing but improving and interacting with your user base. Do you have a user group? Think social networking is the user group? Wrong. And, yes, I have a better idea on how you can develop and install a customized user group of your very own (Psst! Call me, and we can talk).