Or, Four Questions to Ask and Answer Before Get You Started

For most marketers, planning a mobile program is a relatively new exercise. Even for marketers with years of experience with mobile (a very small subset), questions will arise as to which channels, tactics and vendors are most appropriate to incorporate. Marketers can build a mobile plan by answering four questions that lead to a much broader number of decisions involved in figuring out how to make the most out of mobile. We explored these as part of a broader look at mobile planning in 360i’s Mobile Marketing Playbook, published this week (handy QR code for mobile reading included).

1) What are your goals for mobile marketing?
Are your goals centered more around branding or direct response marketing? What does the end result look like if the mobile program is successful? What kind of commitment will you make up front in terms of the staffing and budget allocated? Do you have the time to fully optimize the program? Are you seeking massive scale for impressions, clicks, engagement or app downloads within a brief campaign flight? Answering these questions at the onset will help ensure mobile fulfills its potential as part of your marketing plan.

2) How is your audience using mobile?
It’s critical to understand your audience and how they are using mobile when creating your plan. Beyond talking, what are consumers doing with their mobile devices? Which handsets and operating systems are they most likely to use? Are they likely to text, search, take pictures, play games, use social media, read news, look for local businesses, surf the web, download apps, scan barcodes, use location-based services, or participate in other activities? To what extent does mobile usage by time of day and the day of the week? What are your consumers’ favorite mobile sites and applications? How does your audience incorporate mobile into their shopping process? With what other media, including traditional media, does your target audience engage? Mobile integrates well with various forms of traditional media, so those insights should be applied to any mobile program.

3) How can you use your arsenal in mobile?
What assets do you have that might make sense to incorporate? Do you have stores or other channel partners? Do you have apps or a mobile-friendly website? What other digital branded experiences do you have, such as across social networks? Mobile bridges digital and physical worlds, so consider tangible, real-world assets: products, out-of-home or print ads, retail stores and live events.

4) Does your plan follow mobile marketing best practices?
Does the program adhere to how consumers are using mobile media? Does it use the functionality of mobile devices? Does the experience translate well both to the smaller screen size and then the broader real-world landscape where consumers use their mobile devices? What kind of value does it provide to the consumer — information on a new product or service, entertainment, or a discount on merchandise, among many other options?

OK, so that’s really two dozen questions, and you’ll have dozens more for an extensive program. Answering these honestly will increase the odds of success for any mobile effort.

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