The Importance of a Mobile Strategy for Agencies

Here at 3Seventy, we live and breathe CRM mobile engagement. It’s what we do – it’s all we do. Whether you are a mom and pop shop, a monster brand, a global agency or a boutique, it makes sense to consult with a mobile leader and expert when considering the mobile space. After all, it’s still relatively new and moving quickly. There are plenty of “experts” out there, but how many are experts with longevity under their belt too? This is all assuming of course, that you want to dive into mobile for your brand or for your client.  But how could you not?

Based on this infographic, it is clear the world is going mobile and loving every second of it.  Yet, we still have major brands sticking their customers with poor mobile web experiences.  We still have business to consumer companies that haven’t thought about reaching their customers through the medium they clearly prefer—their phones.  And we still have marketing, PR and advertising agencies without a plan, without a strategy for mobile engagement solutions and their client’s needs, so establishing a mobile strategy for agencies is a necessity that needs to be accounted for.

So let’s talk about the agency and mobile in particular.  I think it is academic to say that all agencies need to have a basic mobile strategy an absolute minimum.   Of course, all strategy depends on client base, client demand and a host of other details, but the least the agency can do is have a strategy in place and/or partner relationship in place and be ready.  I would recommend most, if not all agencies find a mobile partner that is right for them philosophically and right for their particular base of clients.  I would also recommend the agency avoid the many “fly by night” mobile strategists out there, and look for a partner that from a strategy and technology standpoint, can handle every aspect of the mobile ecosystem.   Agencies need a mobile partner that will be an expert extension of their team; a partner that will strategize based on a history of past successes, and have the ability to draw from an arsenal of possible technology solutions.  In short, agencies need mobile partners who try to fit the client goals to the technology, not the technology to the client goals.

Obviously, the addition of mobile CRM to the suite of solutions an agency must (or should) offer is just another strain on bandwidth and resources. How many agencies were worrying about social media marketing and social media reputation management 4 years ago?  How many were concerned about SEO/SEM a little beyond that?  Having an effective mobile marketing strategy is one more thing to be concerned with, but that is of course putting it pretty mildly.  This time around that new thing, mobile is a “biggie,” a game changer.  Are you ready?