7 Questions Marketers Should Ask Themselves Before Creating Mobile Apps

Hmm. What sounds good for dinner? Roast chicken? Apparently Lady GaGa would agree. But for many, what's more important than aligning their appetites with the quirky singer's supper choices is that all important wine pairing. Thousands of recommendations for what to sip come courtesy of the "Nat Decants" mobile application from Natalie MacLean, a sommelier and author of "Red, White and Drunk All Over."

As a direct marketer, MacLean says, she needs to ensure that her audience follows her between book launches. So the Ottawa, Ont.-based writer runs a Web site, speaks, sends out a newsletter and more. But she knows that those in liquor stores, grocery stores and restaurants are making choices on the spot and that's exactly where her advice needs to be—on their mobile phones. So she created a free app, which she's found ways to monetize.

Here, MacLean joins Christopher Carfi, co-founder of the San Francisco-based software provider Cerado, which created MacLean's app, and Justin Gray, CEO and chief brand officer of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based automated marketing software provider MaaS Impact, in providing tips on how direct marketers can make the most of their mobile apps.

The trio recommends that the following happen before marketers launch an app:

1. Ask a few internal questions. Carfi says before designing a mobile application, marketers should decide if they're providing: information to the customer; an extension of their service to the consumer via the app; or a way to connect back to the organization. (MacLean says her app does all three.)

2. Give mobile users a reason to continually open the app by providing timely, relevant information. So, what's the wine to pair with the roast chicken? MacLean recommends a California Chardonnay. But which California Chardonnay? She says perusing her reviews aids in that decision in a variety of ways.

First, on her free app, she provides free reviews and pairings. But for the most current reviews (from the past year, meaning the reviewed wines are probably the most widely available ones in stores), she charges $2 a month. Then she sandwiches that with other free services, like the "my cellar" option that allows oenophiles to catalog their purchases so they can read her reviews, then see if they own the cited varietals. (MacLean points out that she also monetizes the app by hosting third-party advertisements and providing navigation to her site, which has third-party ads and links to buy her book.)