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Content is king: long live content!

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There are all sorts of Apps out there in the stores, but what part does "content" play? What’s the public appetite for Apps with a lot of content?

One could be quick to pin down App users as hurried consumers who don’t stay for too long in one (virtual) place. But, a recent study issued by the Yahoo Developer Network seems to hint at the contrary.

How much time do American consumers spend on mobile?

"In just 6 short months, the average time American consumers spend on their phones each day increased by 43 minutes".

It seems mobile isn’t content with being the top media channel, before the desktop web and television, it plans on continuing to grow. According to the same data, "only 10% of the time spent on mobile is spent in the browser, down from 14% a year ago. The rest of the time, 90%, is spent in apps".

A great news for GoodBarbers and App creators all over, but what is it that App users are looking for?

What are they consuming?

Social, messaging and entertainment Apps (including YouTube) still account for 51% of time spent on mobile. The big piece of news from the report is that "the majority of time spent inside messaging and social apps is actually spent consuming media". Platforms such as Facebook or Tumblr have become gateways where App users dwell to consume content, be it articles or videos that they stumble upon in their social feed.

Of course this is a trend that media corporations will want to look into. With the rise of Apps, they can’t solely rely on search engines and SEO efforts like they would with the desktop web. The issue isn’t whether content is of interest — it is — but whether media corporations, the digital press and content creators in general (bloggers for example) will be able to create the right channel to attract users who have taken the habit to consume content through social platforms. 

What does it mean?

Consequently, this advocates for what we like to remind you of, tirelessly: the importance of an up to date Design and a friendly User Experience. If content is your expertise in the first place, don't doubt yourself too much. Sure you should adapt what you produce to mobile, but, to compete against the major social platforms out there, what it takes is more than just great content, it's how you make it available.
With that in mind, here’s a collection of articles which should help you create a Beautiful App for your content:
 
- Content : the power of story
Discover the magic of storytelling and how it can work wonders both for your company and the content you produce.
 
- Content creation : our tutorial
Make use of our Infographic to guide you through the creative process of writing relevant content.
 
- How to create a good App for a news website
Look at the behavior of your users and learn to identify your value proposition.
 
- The Do’s and Don’ts when turning your Wordpress site into a native mobile app
How can you achieve deeper integration of your content? 
 
- Create a mobile App for ANY website
Check out this tutorial and understand how the GoodBarber magic operates!