5 things to keep in mind when developing a Mobile Channel Strategy:
1. MOBILE GOAL: Your over-arching mobile goal for your users should be to deliver: "Urgent information at your fingertips wherever you may
be"
2: MOBILE TARGET AUDIENCES: What audiences are you developing mobile platforms for:
- Determine your mobile priority audiences by identifying users with the most urgent needs. For example, within an organization, a priority audience would be salespeople who are meeting with potential clients at the client location. Determine your most important internal and external mobile priority audiences.
- After determining mobile audiences next determine the most urgent content that should be simply and elegantly served up to them and enabled through mobile devices. For the example above, the sales person onsite trying to make a sales to a potential client would need a sales presentation customized to the potential client is a given sector, contract and licensing information, access to client databases, access to sales forms, electronic signature functionality.
a) Complexity of implementation: Determine the ease of acquiring or developing the mobile app based on an assessment of Simple, Medium, Difficult implementation.
- For example, a simple implementation would be to purchase and/or customize by rebranding a downloadable native applications from iTunes that can be focused on immediate sales productivity gains.
- An example of mobile strategy implementation with medium complexity would be enabling something like Citrix Receiver to your web and mobile channels in order to access existing enterprise databases and CRM tools. Native connectivity applications like a Citrix Receiver can be purchased and enabled on iPads and smart phones, for users to securely access enterprise databases "on the go"
- An example of a more difficult implementation is the need to create a custom developed application for each device: iPad, Smart phone versions, iPhone.
b) Urgency of need. For each of the target audiences and content needs you've identified in Points 2 and 3 above, then you need to assess "Urgency in relation to priority". Are the content needs by priority audiences: High need,
Medium need, Low need.
c) Timeframe for development: Then establish short, medium or long term requirements for each of the needs, as some may be high needs but long term given the complexity of development.
d) Budget for mobile strategy and application: All of the above will have to be assessed and re-assessed based on budget availability. There are lots of mobile productivity apps that can be downloaded for a minimal expenses or customized by the developer for minimal investment.
Examples of complexity, need, timeframe and budget:
c) Timeframe for development: Then establish short, medium or long term requirements for each of the needs, as some may be high needs but long term given the complexity of development.
d) Budget for mobile strategy and application: All of the above will have to be assessed and re-assessed based on budget availability. There are lots of mobile productivity apps that can be downloaded for a minimal expenses or customized by the developer for minimal investment.
Examples of complexity, need, timeframe and budget:
- Simple implementation, Urgent need requirement, Short term solution: Segment of employees provided with a mobile pilot and small budget ($50.00) to purchase and download native applications focused on immediate productivity needs.
- Medium complexity, Medium need requirement, Medium term solution: 1) Design a mobile website; 2) Develop using responsive web design and templates for display on ALL mobile sites and devices
- Medium complexity, Medium need requirement, Long term solution: Review urgent content needs and develop a custom app designed for each mobile device
