You Need a Mobile Strategy

The awe-inspiring growth and widespread use of mobile technology throughout the world continues to transform the way we communicate. Whether through a mobile app, a mobile website or a text message the mobile epoch is omnipresent. The proliferation of wireless networks, broadband penetration and the rapidly increasing number of smartphones, has truly created the mobile society.

This world can be daunting for businesses that are already facing demands to integrate mobile technology to enhance service delivery and performance. To support your business goals and practices your organization needs a mobile strategy that:

• Provides an understanding and direction toward the use of mobile technologies

• Identifies opportunities to:

• improve service to stakeholders

• reduce costs

• increase employee productivity

• Pinpoints opportunities to reach and engage audiences with more efficiency

• Expounds on its ability to make informed decisions about the efficient use of mobile technology

• Be fluid in its mobile approach as it deals with an evolving online medium

• Recognizes that the use of mobile technology can only be effective through concerted efforts, co-operation, oversight and governance

• Describe roles and responsibilities for the use of mobile

• Increases internal cohesion, knowledge sharing and best practice retention

• Articulates planning, implementation, and management issues

• Addresses technical requirements, security concerns and fulfills communication responsibilities and program needs.

Your mobile strategy must put in perspective how people use their mobile devices (e.g. iPhones, Blackberry’s, tablets and iPads) and how they expect and want information. Your strategy should start by indicating the worldwide impact on the use of mobile technology and then by narrowing it down to examine the national, regional, local and competitor impacts. Research will help you understand who is using mobile technology, how and when they are they using it, and why.

Regardless of the technology, when developing mobile initiatives your approach must be user centric. Online content has to be created so that it is useful and meets the preferences and demands of your audiences. Ultimately mobile users should be able to get the content they want, in the format they want, through the device they are using. A well thought out strategy will help you get there.

Next article: Online research – a valuable resource for your mobile strategy.