Interestingly, I overhead a couple of folks debating this at a local Starbucks as I was awaiting my amazing Toffee Nut Latte … yum. Our local Starbucks is a treasure trove of marketing conversations … it is amazing what I learn while awaiting my drink. But, I digress. Back to the question at hand.

This is definitely a question that needs asking – no matter how unpopular or unhip the question is perceived to be. (Trust me – when you are in a roomful of people excited about creating an ipad app and you ask that question – there will be eye-rolling).

 A particularly useful or worthwhile iPad app will require a reasonable amount of time and resources AND a significant amount of planning. The last thing you want to do is meander down this path simply based on the coolness factor. You will end up with an app that may look cool and function really well but have no real use. That may be fine for the early-in-the-year meeting to present cool new digital projects but not so much in the year-end meeting when you are presenting ROI.
 
Here are a few more considerations when discussing iPad apps in general:
 
1. Target Audience
If you are designing a killer app for a niche group, you want to be sure the adoption rate of the device is proven to be high within that group. Although the number of iPad owners is growing significantly, it is still a small fraction of the population. There just may not be enough of them within your target group to justify an app for a targeted group unless you have intelligence on usage.
 
2. Internal Sales Force
Don’t overlook your internal sales or service team. Arming them with an iPad with the necessary tools and custom application may be the better route. It is a lot friendlier to walk through a presentation with your customer on your iPad than setting up a laptop. My husband and I have recently been meeting with roofers and getting quotes on a new roof for the house. Let me tell you that it was impossible to say yes to $15K (big roof  + older house) when the sales guy was writing the numbers on a laminated form with a yellow highlighter taking me through the insulation process. I kept thinking that this would be a perfect use for an iPad app for a sales force. He could have shown me a video of the insulation or maybe the actual installation, allowed me to browse through photos of my damaged roof, shown pictures of possible shingles and he could have taken me (the homeowner) through a calculator showing savings and efficiency and ROI.
 
3. Objective  & ROI
It is pretty crucial to set expectation in the early stages. This is when you want to identify the role of the app and set a realistic objective for it. Given the current adoption rate and number of owners, your objective may very well be Brand Awareness and that is not a bad thing. Everyone wants to tie in with an increase in sales but unless you are a major retail/consumer brand, this may not be the best strategy for your first iPad app. Releasing value add content through an app is a viable option (obviously the content has to be good and truly valuable and interesting). You have to think of it as an opportunity to engage the consumer instead of see it as an outlet to push product information.
 
4. Make it interactive
If it is not interactive, then you might as well keep the information on your website. Users should be able to enter info and get results or browse and explore for interesting and interactive content. If it is consumer engagement, it should entertain, inform and engage.
 
This just skims a few basic considerations when thinking about an iPad app. There is much to consider but hopefully this gives you a starting point. At least, this is where I start. And remember, after the discovery phase, you may very well come to the conclusion that an iPad app is unnecessary and that is perfectly fine. The important thing is to consider it as part of your overall digital strategy and not just as a stand-alone tactic.

Well, it appears to be time for my afternoon Starbucks run and maybe a cup of the Cinnamon Dolce Latte. I am certain I will be back with more blog post ideas.