What’s Stopping You From Being an App Maker Without Coding Experience?
by Michelle Lawrence | Last Updated: Sep 29, 2020
When’s the last time you tried something new? For me, it was this year when I tried making pasta for the first time (because what else are you supposed to do in 2020?). Maybe you’ve never considered making homemade pasta before this year or maybe you’ve never thought of building an app from scratch...until now. Creating an app without coding is a real thing thanks to no code and low code platforms. So what’s stopping you from being an app maker without coding experience?
Is It Budget?
Listen, I get it. MarTech software is usually expensive. And more than likely this year, the budget laid out in your marketing strategy probably got cut. Which means you have to be choosy with the things you want to achieve. I’m here to tell you that building an app without code is not going to break the bank.
That doesn’t mean I’m telling you to choose a free app builder. Free app building software comes with its own set of quirks. A free app maker for students might be okay if you’re trying to build an app for a school project because you’re not presenting the app to customers. You probably don’t need a ton of bells and whistles to get a passing grade. In the real world, investing in mobile is crucial. You do not want users to get frustrated by the lack of functionality your mobile experience provides.
Is It Time?
A strange phenomenon I’ve discovered this year is that while I’m working from home and not attending any social gatherings, I find I have less time than I normally would. Maybe you are experiencing the same sentiment of feeling like you struggle to get everything on your to-do list checked off, like me. So I get it, creating a mobile app from scratch might not be at the top of your priority list this year if you’ve already got a lot on your plate.
In the past, building an app from scratch was no small task. You would typically have to get IT involved (our favorite group) and wait for months for the app development process to conclude. Now you can actually build an app from scratch with low code app development software. You may think this next story is fiction, but I promise it’s true; one of our very own employees built an app in just a few hours in the back seat of a car. With drag-and-drop components, it’s easy to add pages and features to your mobile app. Building an app without code might be easier than surviving this year.
Because you’re the one building the app on the no-code or low code software, you decide the timeline. You no longer have to wait for IT to (hopefully) respond to your help tickets. And if you build a Progressive Web App (PWA) using low-code tools, you don’t have to wait for the app store’s long approval process. It’s your app, after all. You should have control over when (and how) it gets published.
Is It Use-case?
If you’re just getting started on your mobile marketing strategy (it’s okay, we all have to start somewhere), you might not know what the best use case is for a mobile app. Lucky for you, we’ve written about five industries that can benefit from using a no-code web app builder before. But here’s the gist: consumers want to engage with your brand on mobile. You’ve just got to create an engaging experience for users to keep them coming back.
Let’s take the entertainment industry as an example. Guests probably don’t want to save a native mobile app on their phones for a single event (which is why you should build a PWA instead...it takes up a fraction of the space). Your mobile app needs to be a place where they see real value in saving it to their home screens. You could provide an experience for fans watching the game at home, where they can have access to exclusive content, interactive games, and event highlights. And before they even arrive at the event, your mobile experience can help guests get around easily with wayfinding around your stadium. This is just one example of a use case, but you can borrow these ideas and fit them into your own organization.
You see, there really isn’t a valid excuse for not choosing to invest in app builder software anymore. Who knows, you might even blossom into being the best app builder out there! Check out our Mobile Design Swipe File to help ensure you score this coveted position of being the best app builder 2020.