I have been thinking about this topic for sometime with mobility & mobile devices becoming common place with ever increasing numbers of US subscribers upgrading to smartphones that have much more capabilities than other phones.
So how does a brand leverage this media to reach customers. According to author Chuck Martin there are a couple of tips or things to consider -
a. Determine what phones your customer bases uses
b. Find out how they use their phones
c. Capture their current phone numbers at POS while they are willing to volunteer (this information)
d. Ask for permission to "send" them short messages (SMS) with offers, analyze results often to check who is opting in/out of your database!
e. Think about providing call to actions with your promotional messages
f. Analyze the success in terms of customer retention than customer acquistion
I kind of agree with most of them and was wondering based on the collection of phone numbers and collection of phones number at the POS say at a restaurant, hotel chain or a retailer, how offers can be developed to keep the customer engaged.
Offers could be in terms of delivering an SMS message calling to connect to your mobile website and download a short video or flash based message clip with call to action at the end of it. For hotel chains it could be clips of their different rooms or suites and any deals they may provide at any given time.
This could be an opportunity for agencies and ad publishers as well to develop rich media content (for the bigger brands) by using tools from companies like Celtra Mobile for their customers.
All in all it is expected that the mobile ad market will grow at 57% compounded annual growth to $2.03 B by 2015. Even the telcos plan on getting on the bandwagon and grab a market slice of the market share.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Mobility in the Auto Sector?
Is the auto industry preparing to introduce a new product+service category for the future of mobility? Could software and sensing systems transform the current form factor into a commercially viable mobility-as-service solution in the years ahead?
With the recent announcements of various partnerships between auto makers like Toyota, GM, Microsoft and others seem to emerge with some compelling business models for the automakers.
First, we must recognize the lack of good options for global auto industry makers. The industry’s new vehicle and finance revenue-based business models are challenged on almost all fronts. Few doubt worldwide growth prospects as we look forward, but competition is very intense and it has become difficult to find a manufacturing-based competitive advantage (remember, ‘most cars are made by the same robot‘). Industry insiders recognize the structural challenges to managing costs and capacity utilization around combustion engine vehicles. (We still do not understand the implications of China or India unleashing their full capacity as it comes online!). The other challenge is that growth is shifting from traditional western suburban to more urban Asian markets. Let’s also not forget about servicing markets changed by aging populations!
So automakers realize that business as usual models may not keep their profits going and there is a need for more radical shifts in their cost structures and business models.
Amidst such a business climate, what if automakers explore the paradigm of creating a new rung on the mobility value chain that will likely be a combination of product plus service.What this would mean is developing new 'telematics' software and ‘drive by wire‘ control systems that assist drivers and turn vehicles into sensing devices.
The current Age of Telematics include hardware, software and services that transform the driving experience. This is the world of GM’s OnStar, Ford’s Sync and Kia’s uVo and thousands of yet to be named applications that will alter how we move within the world across vehicles that we own and access. Telematic applications for ‘connected cars’ would include: crash warning system, collision avoidance, point to point navigation, hands-free communication, adaptive cruise control, and automatic driving assistance systems (e.g. lane change assistance, braking assistance, et al). Maybe the concept of vehicle that is so connected and situationally aware that it can operate autonomously without human drivers on public roads is probably bit of a stretch of ones imagination (at the moment)!.
As entrepreneurs search for new ways to enter the market and platforms that help shift revenues from per new car sales to aftermarket upgrades and per mile software-service mobility experiences. These entrepreneurs will see opportunities around new designs based on sleek EN-V technologies. And these innovators may see software as the most effective safety strategy. They will build communication networks so that ‘connected cars’ do not crash. The way forward is not hiding increasingly distracted drivers behind bigger cars, it is transforming our assumptions about safety by increasing the human’s situational awareness and holding them accountable to their safety performance.
Some bloggers see this with some element of skepticism. What do you guys think?
With the recent announcements of various partnerships between auto makers like Toyota, GM, Microsoft and others seem to emerge with some compelling business models for the automakers.
First, we must recognize the lack of good options for global auto industry makers. The industry’s new vehicle and finance revenue-based business models are challenged on almost all fronts. Few doubt worldwide growth prospects as we look forward, but competition is very intense and it has become difficult to find a manufacturing-based competitive advantage (remember, ‘most cars are made by the same robot‘). Industry insiders recognize the structural challenges to managing costs and capacity utilization around combustion engine vehicles. (We still do not understand the implications of China or India unleashing their full capacity as it comes online!). The other challenge is that growth is shifting from traditional western suburban to more urban Asian markets. Let’s also not forget about servicing markets changed by aging populations!
So automakers realize that business as usual models may not keep their profits going and there is a need for more radical shifts in their cost structures and business models.
Amidst such a business climate, what if automakers explore the paradigm of creating a new rung on the mobility value chain that will likely be a combination of product plus service.What this would mean is developing new 'telematics' software and ‘drive by wire‘ control systems that assist drivers and turn vehicles into sensing devices.
The current Age of Telematics include hardware, software and services that transform the driving experience. This is the world of GM’s OnStar, Ford’s Sync and Kia’s uVo and thousands of yet to be named applications that will alter how we move within the world across vehicles that we own and access. Telematic applications for ‘connected cars’ would include: crash warning system, collision avoidance, point to point navigation, hands-free communication, adaptive cruise control, and automatic driving assistance systems (e.g. lane change assistance, braking assistance, et al). Maybe the concept of vehicle that is so connected and situationally aware that it can operate autonomously without human drivers on public roads is probably bit of a stretch of ones imagination (at the moment)!.
As entrepreneurs search for new ways to enter the market and platforms that help shift revenues from per new car sales to aftermarket upgrades and per mile software-service mobility experiences. These entrepreneurs will see opportunities around new designs based on sleek EN-V technologies. And these innovators may see software as the most effective safety strategy. They will build communication networks so that ‘connected cars’ do not crash. The way forward is not hiding increasingly distracted drivers behind bigger cars, it is transforming our assumptions about safety by increasing the human’s situational awareness and holding them accountable to their safety performance.
Some bloggers see this with some element of skepticism. What do you guys think?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Mobile Applications Ecosystem
With the mobile ecosystem crowded with the "me too" app developers, consultants, companies, who would be the winners and how they would need to find their "niche". Couple of my thoughts! -
a. Leverage your online presence be it website, social media, Google advertisements or SEO/PPC optimizations:
i. Work on some of the well known techniques to make the website more user friendly and active
ii. Put up some testimonials from existing customers (those who are willing to offer)
Could be some "text" or in some cases companies tend put videos!
iii. Put in some case studies on current work in terms of content (of the project) and "any"
painpoints that may have been addressed for the customer.
OR
if you have a product, technology, frameworks, highlight their "usecases" and painpoints that they may address for the customer
iv. Put up a blog site and be active on that & also if time permits be active on the Social Media
- Twitter, LinkedIn etc.
v. Develop a "microsite" and landing page with a focused marketing message for tracking
that can be also used with other marketing like email blasts etc.
vi. List all current customers as per industry segments like -
Telecom - mobile VAS
Enterprise mobility
Mobile Marketing & Advertising
m-commerce/m-banking
m-healthcare
so that the domain expertise is clear and indicative of capabilities.
b. Implement a robust lead generation program -
i. The company could leaverage web "search", social media and email in very effective ways.
ii. Setup a Google "Adwords" based campaign with tracking to conversion rates @ very optimal cost per conversion rates.
iii. Use social media such as LinkedIn for an ad campaign and certain push/pull techniques to build a customer prospect list that can be nurtured.
iv. Use a contact list from Jigsaw, Netprospex & others to build a prospect list
Statistically, one needs about 600 unqualified contacts to arrive at -
238 semi qualified leads -> 119 qualified targets -> (70 to 80) good prospects - (30 to 40)
face-to-face meetings.
This could potentially result in about 10 closures at your average revenue per opportunity.
v. Use of an appointment setting program (sales) may be really beneficial if you don't have a external sales force or can't afford it in the early stages of your enterprise. These guys present themselves as a "captive" inside sales organization and can get pretty good traction if you do a good job defining the target marketplace for them.
c. Develop some whitepaper type of documents to provide as give aways for prospects who would leave their contact information (on the website).
Couple of ideas for whitepaper -
i. Develop one that lists best practices in mobile app. development
ii. Develop another that lists some typical painpoints the industry is seeing and how they can be solved through your company's processes, products or software architecture/frameworks developed (if any).
Hope some of these suggestions will help budding entrepreneurs & early stage companies that are struggling to distinguish themselves and finding their base.
a. Leverage your online presence be it website, social media, Google advertisements or SEO/PPC optimizations:
i. Work on some of the well known techniques to make the website more user friendly and active
ii. Put up some testimonials from existing customers (those who are willing to offer)
Could be some "text" or in some cases companies tend put videos!
iii. Put in some case studies on current work in terms of content (of the project) and "any"
painpoints that may have been addressed for the customer.
OR
if you have a product, technology, frameworks, highlight their "usecases" and painpoints that they may address for the customer
iv. Put up a blog site and be active on that & also if time permits be active on the Social Media
- Twitter, LinkedIn etc.
v. Develop a "microsite" and landing page with a focused marketing message for tracking
that can be also used with other marketing like email blasts etc.
vi. List all current customers as per industry segments like -
Telecom - mobile VAS
Enterprise mobility
Mobile Marketing & Advertising
m-commerce/m-banking
m-healthcare
so that the domain expertise is clear and indicative of capabilities.
b. Implement a robust lead generation program -
i. The company could leaverage web "search", social media and email in very effective ways.
ii. Setup a Google "Adwords" based campaign with tracking to conversion rates @ very optimal cost per conversion rates.
iii. Use social media such as LinkedIn for an ad campaign and certain push/pull techniques to build a customer prospect list that can be nurtured.
iv. Use a contact list from Jigsaw, Netprospex & others to build a prospect list
Statistically, one needs about 600 unqualified contacts to arrive at -
238 semi qualified leads -> 119 qualified targets -> (70 to 80) good prospects - (30 to 40)
face-to-face meetings.
This could potentially result in about 10 closures at your average revenue per opportunity.
v. Use of an appointment setting program (sales) may be really beneficial if you don't have a external sales force or can't afford it in the early stages of your enterprise. These guys present themselves as a "captive" inside sales organization and can get pretty good traction if you do a good job defining the target marketplace for them.
c. Develop some whitepaper type of documents to provide as give aways for prospects who would leave their contact information (on the website).
Couple of ideas for whitepaper -
i. Develop one that lists best practices in mobile app. development
ii. Develop another that lists some typical painpoints the industry is seeing and how they can be solved through your company's processes, products or software architecture/frameworks developed (if any).
Hope some of these suggestions will help budding entrepreneurs & early stage companies that are struggling to distinguish themselves and finding their base.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Mobile applications for Healthcare
I recently attended an event here in the Boston area where they were talking about ways healthcare has been thinking about the use of mobile apps. to further delivery of patient care here in New England. The panel had two eminent panelists from here in New England, one from MGH who is running the Virtual practice project and the other who runs the patient monitoring systems at Philips Healthcare.
Key takeaways -
a. Long-term patient care can be improved by delivering "alerts" of various kinds like reminders of medications, doctor visits, medication refills and if not anything just cheerup and constant encouragement messages!
Can be delivered using simple SMS or also more fancy & engaging messages using MMS technology
b. Integrating mobility into health care organizations with clinically rich solutions that adapt to hospitals IT and mobility strategies
c. Delivering relevant and actionable information available in the right format at the point of need regardless of location
d. Developing cross platform intuitive solutions that enable bi-directional flow of information to aid clinical decision support.
More later on key takeaways in other sectors............
Key takeaways -
a. Long-term patient care can be improved by delivering "alerts" of various kinds like reminders of medications, doctor visits, medication refills and if not anything just cheerup and constant encouragement messages!
Can be delivered using simple SMS or also more fancy & engaging messages using MMS technology
b. Integrating mobility into health care organizations with clinically rich solutions that adapt to hospitals IT and mobility strategies
c. Delivering relevant and actionable information available in the right format at the point of need regardless of location
d. Developing cross platform intuitive solutions that enable bi-directional flow of information to aid clinical decision support.
More later on key takeaways in other sectors............
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