Mobile Resources & Research

How to make the right mobile decision for your brand [ link ]
by Roy Chomko, November 30, 2010

Mobile technology presents exciting new opportunities for businesses. But to connect with mobile consumers, marketers need to familiarize themselves with the possibilities and limitations of the industry's most common mobile development solutions.

The marketplace was forever changed when cell phones went from being simple voice delivery devices to fully-featured, mobile computing platforms. Today's consumers crave mobile functionality like never before, spurred on by technologies that empower consumers with anywhere, anytime wireless solutions.

Like it or not, we live in an information on-demand world. Companies who thrive in this new age recognize the ramifications of the mobile marketplace and make an intentional effort to meet the development demands of their customer base. For most companies, that means launching initiatives to make their website and other online connection vehicles more accessible to mobile consumers.

But here's the catch: The mobile marketplace is a highly fractured environment with dozens of entrenched device manufacturers and operating systems. Although iPhones and Blackberries are recognizable mobile platforms, they aren't the only platforms represented in the marketplace. And with more devices and platforms being offered everyday (e.g., Windows Phone 7), staying on top of mobile access requirements can be a struggle.

As you can see, according to comScore, these are the top smartphone platforms in the U.S. If you develop apps for Apple and Google, you are only reaching 27 percent of the marketplace. Add in RIM (Blackberry) and you are reaching 80 percent. But, development on RIM is notoriously more difficult than Apple or Google, further adding to development costs.

Despite the challenges, a mobile internet strategy has important benefits for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The portability of mobile technology creates opportunities for constant access to brands and product lines. On-the-spot price comparisons, product reviews, and other useful information can be immediately downloaded from nearly any physical location.

More and more businesses are also leveraging the benefit of mobile technology's interactive nature. Mobile users consistently demonstrate a predisposition to use mobile devices as their primary tool for interacting with brands and with other consumers. From online booking to brand-focused social networking activities, mobile devices are taking center stage as the solution consumers rely on for wireless interactivity.

The most successful mobile marketers make it easy for consumers to connect using their current mobile device. The hard truth of the mobile marketplace is that customer loyalty is largely driven by convenience. Mobile consumers are fiercely loyal to sites that facilitate mobile access, but quickly abandon those that aren't conducive to mobile viewing and user interaction.

As a result, forward-thinking marketers are in a frantic race to generate mobile development tools that attract and retain mobile consumers. Although there is significant hype around the development of platform specific solutions (or "apps"), an app may not be the right answer for every mobile marketing strategy.

A more sane approach involves the application of sound marketing principles along a spectrum of mobile development solutions. Organizations that are just now dipping their toes in the waters of mobile marketing are typically unprepared to commission the development of platform specific apps. Instead, these companies may be better served by investing their energy and resources in improvements to their existing website.

Intelligent mobile marketing requires marketers to convince business owners to take the next logical step in mobile development. Along the way, owners and marketers are forced to make decisions about the mobile concepts that are most beneficial to the company right now. Those concepts fall into three broad categories, each with its own advantages and drawbacks: mobile-friendly sites, mobile browser specific sites, and platform-specific applications.

Mobile-friendly sites
Pros: Wide audience; inexpensive; cross-browser compatibility
Cons: Limited features; little or no user interaction

Without a doubt, the first step in mobile marketing development is the creation of a mobile-friendly website. Mobile-friendly sites present users with the same view and features they receive when they access the site through a desktop or laptop computing platform.

Most business websites are not inherently mobile friendly. Poor formatting, inadequate code, and a lack of cross-browser testing often combine to produce an awkward experience for mobile users.

Mobile-friendly sites, on the other hand, have been intentionally designed to accommodate both desktop and mobile access. In addition to solving formatting concerns, mobile-friendly sites are designed to be cross-browser compatible. They are easily viewed on all of the most popular mobile browser platforms including iPhone, Blackberry, Android-based devices, and now Windows Phone 7.

The advantage of a mobile friendly website is that it provides a cost-effective way to reach the broadest possible audience. Cross-browser compatibility ensures access for a wide range of mobile users without requiring the business to invest in the development of a mobile-specific marketing channel.

On the downside, mobile-friendly sites offer limited features compared to browser-specific sites and apps. Users who are accustomed to a tailored mobile experience may be frustrated by the need to scroll or zoom in and out to navigate the site effectively.

Still, for most small- and medium-sized businesses a mobile-friendly site represents a big improvement over their current mobile marketing efforts. More importantly, it is the foundational step in a larger mobile marketing strategy because it guarantees access for a broad customer base. Although users may need to pan and zoom for content, they have portable access to brand and product information and most importantly how to contact the organization.

Browser-specific sites
Pros: Improved user experience; increased interactivity
Cons: Cost; limited graphics; potential redundancies

The transition from a mobile-friendly site to a mobile browser-specific site may require the development of a completely new version of the website. Browser-specific sites parallel the company's existing site, but have been customized to meet the screen requirements of mobile devices. When a mobile user accesses the website, the server identifies the device and displays a version of the site that has been modified specifically for mobile access.

Like mobile-friendly sites, browser-specific sites can be created for cross-browser compatibility. Rather than creating multiple browser-specific versions of the site, developers create a single site that can be properly viewed by the majority of mobile device platforms.

Browser-specific sites offer many of the functions that are lacking in a mobile-friendly website. The site is much easier to navigate since users are no longer required to pan or zoom to locate information. A browser-specific site also enables interactivity through user logins and other features that enhance the customer's mobile experience with the brand.

There is a development expense associated with a mobile browser-specific website, but it is much less than the investment that is required to produce platform-specific apps. Given the fact that browser specific sites rely heavily on HTML, some users may also be disappointed by the lack of graphics, visual appeal, or phone features like geo-location.

Even so, browser specific sites address a critical need for firms who are committed to improving their customers' mobile experience. For companies that have already made the decision to quickly move toward the development of platform-specific apps, browser-specific sites may be an unnecessary intermediate step. But for everyone else, browser-specific sites have the potential to deliver the greatest return on their development dollars.

Platform-specific applications (apps)
Pros: High impact user experience; full interactivity, "wow" factor
Cons: Cost of development; limited market share; fluid development environment

Apps stand at the apex of the mobile development spectrum. A well-designed app gives mobile users access to a feature-rich brand experience that combines advanced mobile capabilities with sophisticated brand interaction strategies. If company leadership is fixated on the idea of giving its customers a one-of-a-kind mobile experience, an app is definitely the right tool for the job.

The best apps give customers streamlined access to an exceptionally wide range of functions. Relying on features like geo-location, accelerometers, and cameras, developers can create apps to help customers locate products, make purchases, and perform a range of other activities that were previously unavailable to mobile device users.

The improved use features of platform specific apps ultimately translate into increased customer loyalty -- but only when the app platform coincides with the user's preferred mobile delivery platform.

In fact, the diversity of platforms in the mobile marketplace is a significant concern for businesses that are committed to platform specific applications. The development of a single app can require a significant investment of time and resources. Since unique apps need to be developed for every device platform represented in the business's customer base, the upfront investment is often cost-prohibitive for smaller companies.

The rapid pace of mobile platform development complicates the issue even further. Even though iPhone, Blackberry, and Android dominate the marketplace (approximately 80 percent total), new platforms like Windows Phone 7 require new versions of the app. Improvement and updates to existing platforms may also necessitate updates to the company's existing apps.

The alternative to developing apps for every device in the marketplace is segmentation (i.e., developing an app for one or two targeted mobile platforms). This may be an effective strategy for some marketing scenarios, but to guarantee universal mobile access, it should always be accompanied by a browser-specific version of the company's website.

Mobile development tips for businesses

Marketers play a critical role in helping small business owners navigate the evolution of their companies' mobile development strategy. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you guide owners and executives through the development thought process.

• Think development. It's a mistake to view mobile devices primarily as phones. Although that may have been true during the early days of mobile technology, today's most popular devices are true mobile computing platforms that need to be addressed with solid software and web development strategies.
• Integrate and diversify. Mobile apps and optimized websites are not standalone marketing solutions. Marketers achieve the best results when they integrate mobile development into a multichannel marketing strategy that gives due consideration to the organization's online and offline marketing campaigns.
• Evaluate ROI. There is a lot of hype surrounding the development of mobile apps in the current marketplace. Resist the hype and evaluate the ROI of each development approach. For many small and medium sized businesses, mobile-friendly and browser specific sites deliver a much higher ROI than mobile apps.
• Encourage progress. The best thing marketers can do for their clients is to help them conduct an honest assessment of their current mobile marketing initiatives and suggest opportunities to take the next step along the mobile development spectrum.