The Ingredients For The Ultimate App-Making Dream Team
The post was originally published on The Next Web 
For people looking at the mobile industry from the outside, it might seem like creating an app only requires coding skills. However, those who live and breathe mobile on a daily basis, know that it takes SO much more than that. Mobile is a thriving and competitive industry that, in order for an app to “get its head above water” and compete with the big players, absolutely takes a village. After years of experience in the mobile marketing arena, I have noticed that while many companies out there understand the importance of a strong mobile team, very few are able to see the big picture and fully get what mobile success is made of. Areas such as product marketing and creative are often neglected, which is extremely unfortunate. To help you determine who and what needs to be part of your mobile dream team, I’ve assembled the following list:
The Creative Studio
A creative team should include a graphic designer and a copywriter at the very least. These individuals should have a deep understanding of not only the product and values it represents, but also what resonates with consumers. Since creative materials are used for lots of A/B testing and test campaigns, the creative team must be able to provide materials quickly for both the ASO (app-store optimization) and media teams (more about that later) and keep up with their demands. It’s important to take into consideration that it takes time to build a team that works quickly enough and understands the demands different company departments. 
The Media Team
An excellent media team should include a social advertiser, a media buyer, and a media relations manager. It is important that not one person fulfils these three roles, but rather three different individuals do so, in order for them to master the wide range of knowledge required to succeed in each position. The social advertiser must know the ins and outs of each platform and be up-to-date on all updates in their policies, the media buyer has to know about each network and the benefits it can grant to his or her clients, and the media relations manager should constantly work on establishing new relationships and preserving existing ones.
The Product Manager
If you want to achieve mobile success, you must have a product manager on board. The product manager should be fully aware of the company’s strategy and business goals, and make appropriate changes in the product that help attain these objectives. Additionally, the manager should have a deep understanding of users and tailor the product in order to offer them a positive, optimized experience. It’s always best to have the copywriter and product manager in the same vicinity so they can bounce ideas off of one another, in order for in-app text to generate the desired result.
The ASO Specialist
App Store Optimization (ASO) stands for the optimization of all elements in the app’s app store page, including the title, description, screenshots, reviews, logo and more. This is done in order to increase the app’s exposure and discoverability within the app store, which results in a boost in organic downloads (which is also where most high quality users come from). Having one ASO professional on your mobile dream team is enough. 
It’s best to have the ASO in the same space as the creative team, since the visuals showcased on the app’s page must be optimized to generate the highest amount of downloads. Therefore, A/B testing has to take place, examining the performance of various creative materials. There is a big issue with ASO, however, and it’s that professionals who do not have enough experience dabbling with the different ASO tools available out there, find it difficult to achieve effective results. In order to get accurate results, one must learn how to alternate between different tools and not rely on a single one (read more here).
The Developer
Having a coder’s expert perspective on all things mobile can leverage your team’s efficiency and excellence. The professional will be able to oversee all development stages of your mobile product, ensure the code of the app is in its most effective form, embed the use of the right tools and services for ASO, and create all necessary landing pages. The developer should also be familiar with the world of mobile marketing and know what each part of the dream team is responsible for.
The Strategist
The final link to your mobile dream team has to be the visionary – the strategist. A mobile consultant has a deep understanding and knowledge of the mobile industry, can oversee the whole process, and pin it in the right direction. The strategist should provide input about vision, business opportunities, partnerships with other companies and approaching investors. 
For some companies, each section of the above list means a separate department working in-house. Gaming companies, for example, have their very own creative studio and large media team. In most cases however, keeping up with the industry’s increasing demands is challenging and the budgets required in order to form such a team are more limited. The more this industry evolves and expands, the more unique roles you will be required to fill. But the good news is you don’t have to do it all on your own. When your HR plans a budget do not allow for such a broad team of experts, reach out to professionals and outsource the areas you struggle with. It’s worth it, because hiring the right people, or reaching out to the right experts, will give you something extra: the synergy between these professionals will turn your mobile marketing strategy into a well-oiled machine, bringing in clients, revenue, and success. Good luck!
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