Unless your business is centered around an app, you might think twice about creating one. “We’re not a huge corporation,” might be your line of thinking. “We don’t need to spend the money on something like that.” But come on now, it is 2013. Even small business that are not tech-centric should think about creating an app if you want to stay current, expand your brand, and engage your customers.

You don’t need to be Yelp or Angry Birds. Don’t feel intimidated if you are a newbie and just got your first iPad or iPhone. Growing a business means staying up on changing trends, emerging technologies, and the culture at large. Even editorial driven companies like Vogue, GQ, and Hello Giggles have created apps that make sense for their brand and their business. You can get creative, do some research, and figure out what works for you. It does not have to be a game or some esoteric matrix only tech geeks will understand. It can be as simple or complex as it needs to be.

So with all of this in mind, here are a few reasons your business – large or small – can benefit from creating an app.

1. Extra Revenue

Many apps are offered for free, and customers pay a small fee for things like upgrades or special features. You get paid per click often, and if you do offer these upgrades you get paid each time someone purchases your app. You might have to share your earnings with the provider, but still. It’s extra cash. You can charge as little as $.99 and still see results. The lower the price is, the more likely people will be to download your app without a second though, especially if it’s something useful.

2. Long-Term Gains, Little Pains

While it may seem like a complex, gargantuan task to create an app for your business, it is pretty much smooth sailing once it is in action and out in the world. Unless you are an app genius, you will probably be hiring a company or individuals to help you create your app, which of course costs some money. The things is, once your amazing app if out there, you don’t have to do a lot of maintenance and you can let it do its thing, while dealing with occasional upgrades and changes to stay current.

3. Outreach

This is a major reason to create an app. They provide the perfect mix of marketing, PR, name recognition, access, and visibility. An app can give you worldwide reach, and bring in more customers. You can also have push notifications so people stay aware of what is going on with the company which is crucial- you don’t want them to forget you. Brand awareness is a major factor in creating and growing a business today, and having an app is the perfect way to do that.

So give it some thought and keep an open mind. Staying current and embracing new technologies will no doubt benefit you – who doesn’t want that?