Push your agency to your level
You pay a lot of money to your agency, and often have to take their word as gospel, especially for so called "emerging media." Mobile has long emerged, so press your agency partner to give you real examples of what they have done, new concepts appropriate for you, and estimates of what the campaign can yield. They don't want to lose even a fraction of your media spend in this economy, so you may be surprised what they will share.
Most importantly, ask questions. If your agency team can only answer one question deep and then follows with a, "We'll get back to you on that," then be concerned that they are not the right match for your mobile campaign. That is the first tip-off that the agency is beyond its own understanding of mobile and really is only repackaging another company's offerings.
If you find this issue, or just want greater control and transparency, hire a mobile marketing agency yourself that reports back to you. In this relationship, as well, you can add pressure to gain a better understanding of the overall medium, the agency's background and how its proposed campaigns will truly impact your business. However, in this approach, you will have to manage two agencies to play nice together to meet your collective goals. Then again, it is your money, and you are ultimately accountable for it.
Get good advice
You know your business, but your expertise on mobile ends with two New York Times articles and your kids' involvement with "American Idol." You are not alone. To combat this, buy the capabilities you are missing. By adding reliable counsel on mobile strategy, planning and implementation to your team, you have a component to keep your interests first and leverage your overall ad spending. It is not surprising that this advice may not come from a contracted vendor, as their primary goal is to make a sale or grow the relationship. Hiring your own expert, either internally or on contract, can give years of real experience and a strong asset to effectively navigate and negotiate in the current market. The small investment will keep your agencies "honest" and give you a foundation for the inevitable growth in this medium.
Try a text messaging campaign
Start with the basics of mobile before you get fancy. Any mobile campaign should be an extension of your overall brand and business goals, and not a stand-alone entity. So weave mobile calls-to-action into your website and traditional media.
For example, let a consumer send directions to your restaurant from your website to their phone, along with some clever advertising. Enable a consumer to enter your sweepstakes off of the $50,000 out-of-home billboard you just bought, and then respond back to them with your branding message. Develop an opportunity that lets a consumer join your membership club with the touch of a few buttons after hearing your radio commercial. Text messaging is not boring if it is used creatively. It can be a highly impactful avenue to communicate with the consumer.
Marketers should not feel alone or ashamed that they have not tried mobile yet. The vendors continue to make this a hard market to understand, and they expect the buyers to close the gap. In reality, though, the brands hold the power and can force the market to come to them.
There is no need to sit through 32-slide presentations on how Google Android will someday soon revolutionize your company's daily operations. Understand how mobile can enhance your marketing with today's vast consumer usage. Control the conversations, and get what you need from mobile now.
<< Previous page
Jordan Greene is a mobile media consultant.
