Mobile apps have never been so popular. We use apps to access a wide range of digital content to research, to catch-up on the news, for entertainment and even to shop. In fact, the latest ComScore stats put mobile app usage at over 50% of total time spent using media. It’s no surprise then that creative agencies are required to make content-based mobile apps a part of any integrated marketing communications plan.
With the rise in demand for mobile apps, agencies need to stay on the front-line of innovation to land mobile hungry clients. However, either due to a lack of resources or internal skills, many agencies find themselves relying on external technical partners to get the “mobile” job done.
Luckily, the mobile app development landscape has changed drastically over the past couple years, making it easier than ever to keep mobile in-house. How? Thanks to “drag and drop”, do-it-yourself digital publishing platforms that allow you to package content into a professional apps without the need of writing a single line of code. But what are the benefits?
Meet client needs, every time.
With a digital publishing platform agencies can expand their service portfolio and produce made-to-measure apps for every budget, for any marketing objective. Digital publishing platforms help agencies create apps for just about any type of content, like:
- Newspapers & magazines
- Periodicals & journals
- Product catalogs & technical manuals
- Multimedia brochures
- Internal communications
- Annual reports & corporate presentations
- Events & festivals
- Integrated communication projects
- And any other type of content that could only exists on paper
With the flexibility to create an app for any clients, agencies can add content-based apps to any social, email, web or e-commerce project, translating into more work and more clients over time.
Develop at a fraction of the cost
Time and talent cost money. Hiring skilled mobile developers that are capable of programming cross-platform apps can be expensive for a small or medium sized agency. By relying on a no-coding required digital publishing platform, you can dramatically cut down your production costs while still developing at the quality you would expect from a custom project.
Plus, once you have the internal capability to build content-based apps, you can scale production to develop more apps in less time, giving you more time to concentrate on other aspects of your business.
Total control
The best part of using a DIY digital publishing platform is that you have control over pricing. When you can do it all yourself you have total control over quoting work and pricing jobs. But that’s not all.
Take branding for instance. When you’re working with a client you want them to trust in your expertise, not outsource it. By bringing production in-house with an easy to use tool, you keep the focus (and the limelight!) on your agency.
Now what about creative control? When you own your own app building software, you can huddle your creative and account teams together in-front of a single screen to decide what the app should look like and what it should do. No need to share resources or timelines with external partners. It’s your team running the show.
Walk the walk, talk the talk
Want to set up subscription services for your app? What about implementing a coupon program? The beauty of having your own mobile app builder is that all these features are ready for you to use – even before your client asks you for them! This gives you the opportunity to pitch added-value services without worrying too much about the technical specifics.
Here at Paperlit, we continually release new features and functionality to produce state-of-the-art apps your clients will love. If you’re not sure how to implement a custom feature that’s no problem. Our agency partners get dedicated support to help them through any hurdle, from custom APIs to app store submissions.
Plus, with a solution like Paperlit, you can manage your clients’ mobile acquisition & engagement campaigns to guarantee their success. Whether you use our own native service, or connect compatible third party app marketing and monetization platforms, adding additional expertise also adds value!
Start quicker, sell more!
Finally, self-publishing platforms are generally easy to use, meaning you can start publishing apps on day one. While many traditional digital publishing platforms require advanced training, there are alternatives, like Paperlit, that are built to be as user-friendly and intuitive as sending an email. In fact, thanks to compatibility with leading industry-standard formats (PDF, .folio, Hpub), if you’re using Adobe InDesign, you can create engaging content-based apps with Paperlit pretty much immediately!
Is your agency evaluating a digital publishing platform? With Paperlit, agencies can create newsstand-like apps for virtually any type of content, for any company, in any language – the ideal solution for anyone who is looking to publish high-quality content-based mobile apps without the high costs, resources and time required of custom development. Find out more!
