“Most app development companies require a pre-development research or ‘discovery’ stage with their clients to clarify project objectives and Discovery Stage Costdetails and gauge client expectations,” according to new survey data from Clutch.

The leading B2B ratings and reviews firm found that nearly 70% of 102 app development companies surveyed say they mandate this discovery phase, which also helps formulate a realistic cost estimate for an app development project.

App development costs vary and are based on features, timelines, the type of firm employed, and other factors. Businesses can research app development prices online, but experts agree that identifying an accurate estimate is unlikely without completing the discovery stage in collaboration with an app development company.

“It makes sense to only give an exact [price] estimate after the team clearly understands what should be done,” said Dmitry Dobritskiy, CEO and Co-Founder of MindStudios (link is external), a mobile app development company. Clutch’s survey of 102 app development companies helps businesses better understand the app development process and its potential costs.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more insightful or important report this week. Be sure to check it out here.

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With consumer confidence still soaring early in this new year, it comes as no surprise that freshly published survey data from Clutch, a well known B2B ratings and reviews firm, shows that 59 percent of small business owners expect their revenue to grow in 2017.

According to a report summary from our friends at VRJournal, those rosy expectations for future revenue are leading 49 percent of small business owners to anticipate spending more on marketing and advertising.

The Clutch “2017 Small Business Digital Marketing Survey” queried 350 small business owners and managers.

“Plans to invest more in digital marketing came after reports of modest investment in 2016 More than half of respondents (68 percent) reported spending less than $100,000 on marketing in 2016, with 41 percent spending less than $10,000.”

And where will those small business owners spend their advertising dollars?

Of course, they’re looking at digital marketing options. The survey suggests they are “most eager to increase investment in paid social media (58 percent), a website (56 percent), email marketing (39 percent), and SEO (35 percent) in 2017.”

Experts interviewed pointed to SEO strategies that prioritize local searches as a key trend to watch.

To learn more, check out the full report and survey data here.

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We’re told that the deal will add powerful new mobile marketing capabilities to the Clutch platform.

“Marketers have been pressed into using sales platforms that were never the right tool for the job, and because of that, they’ve had to bolt on additional solutions to solve new needs as they arise,” said Clutch CEO Ned Moore. “With this acquisition, the Clutch platform is the first to support the marketer with a comprehensive view of customers across all buying and marketing channels. The addition of Persio’s intelligent mobile platform will allow us to deliver these experiences instantly and with greater context.”

The transaction puts Clutch in a position to capture a bigger share of the $32 billion marketing technology industry, just as brands are increasingly looking to automate mobile solutions to deliver shipping notices, rewards, coupons, brand messages, and more.

“Clutch built its business on unifying data to give marketers an actionable, complete view of their customers, and blending our capabilities with theirs is just natural,” said Persio co-founder Nick Doulas. “Together we can integrate customer data into virtually every marketing activity, from loyalty and gift to direct mail or e-commerce, and of course, mobile.”

The post Clutch Purchases Persio to Extend Mobile Marketing Capabilities appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

According to the data presented, over 25 percent of small businesses do not have a website and 10 percent claim that they are unlikely to have a website in the future.

Of the small businesses that have a website, only 56 percent have a responsive design website that is mobile friendly. However, the survey also showed signs of improvement, as 23 percent plan to increase website spending in 2015.

Researchers at Clutch also discovered that many small businesses are not utilizing existing digital marketing strategies.

Only 53 percent of small businesses reported that they actively work on social media, 45 percent on search engine optimization (SEO), and 25 percent on online advertising.

“Having a strong online presence is kind of as important as having a professional looking business card,” explains Andrew Ruditser, co-founder of web design firm MAXBURST, remarking on the survey results. “In my opinion, you cannot effectively compete or market yourself without a website; you must have one.”

Want to know more? Check out the complete survey results here.

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