How to Scale a Mobile App?

What are the resources I will need to manage the scale up operations for an app?

• I have been asked to head operations for an mobile App and related website. It includes scaling up existing user base and marketing activity. It is going to be self funded by owner of App. What technical and HR resources should I add over the period of time? App is very much domain specific and likely to have very large user base if succeeds.

• Answer:

  You are looking at the following areas here, from what I understand: 1. Ensuring that the existing user base becomes more profitable. Here you have to start looking at the in-app monetisation mechanisms. Study your competitors or the masters of monetisation such as Clash of Clans. Ask yourself questions: how is the virtual currency is introduced, how are users requested to pay up, how can you monetise the users, which will never pay for the app? 2. Money is the key resource you need when it comes to your marketing activity to pay for the mobile app install ads. A traditional process is to place ads in various networks and check for their effectiveness (Cost per install), collecting stats, creating ad banners, choosing suppliers. My advice here would be to go for the mobile app marketing platform that does most of those things automatically. Let the platform - such as http://AppInTop.comelect the most effective ad networks (based on the lowest CPI and maximum users generated), auto-generated banners, free analytics. Here you save on marketing budget and a few pair of hands that would need to do the work manually. 3. PR agency or a freelancer. If your app is niche, you can get ahead by promoting it to your target audience using PR campaigns, social media etc. Bear in mind that considering the sheer number of mobile apps PR of an individual app is very hard. PocketGamer is overwhelmed (as per my personal conversation with the chief editor). But let's face it, it will not beat advertisement to scale (and from your question I understand that your app probably has a universal appeal, in which case - advertisement is the way to go). 4. Technical infrastructure, to make sure it scales with the increasing number of users. Aside from answering questions here on Quora, at we also producehttps://itunes.apple.com/en/podcast/appintop-mobile-app-marketing/id884500433?mt=2 (our transcripts are published onhttp://www.pocketgamer.biz/company/12269/appintop/and http://www.mobyaffiliates.com/author/natasha-jaeger/). Another source of regular educational materials is our newsletter, and our upcoming book. https://appintop.com/subscribe to get weekly updates on the topic of mobile app marketing.