During the recent MobileCon show this month in San Diego, the Mobile Marketing Association and mobile services provider Syniverse hosted a dinner for industry leaders to discuss a relevant topic: how brands can build and execute a comprehensive mobile strategy.

In this Q&A, Michael Becker, MMA managing director for North America, and Todd Boerner, senior vice president of messaging at Syniverse, recap important insights and observations from the dinner. Please read on.

Michael Becker: It seems clear that any marketer, retailer, or ? for that matter ? any enterprise will see the benefit of a comprehensive mobile strategy.

What may not be quite as apparent is the execution of that strategy ? how to best engage customers in real time with pertinent and actionable information that will enhance satisfaction and drive profitability.
Discuss how that theme presented itself during the evening?s dialogue among attendees.

Todd Boerner: Certainly. The key point we discussed was that successful mobile strategies depend on the capability to manage critical data in real time to deliver contextually relevant experiences to consumers.

Many brands, retailers and enterprises realize the benefits of a mobile strategy, but some lack the depth of experience with mobile to successfully enact it. 

There are various solutions available from different types of mobile players that focus on building a mobile strategy for one or more mobile channels such as SMS, MMS, email, mobile Web, interactive voice response (IVR), proximity channels ? for example, Bluetooth ? or apps. However, choosing the right options can be a daunting task.

Off-the-rack mobile marketing solutions may address any one of these mobile channels sufficiently, but few can address all simultaneously. And if even one area goes without attention, it could sabotage the entire campaign. 

In fact, fragmented solutions can potentially be worse than no solution at all.

At the dinner, we discussed in detail the critical need to find a technology or enablement partner experienced in all facets of mobile rather than simply a marketing provider with a mobile offering.

The most successful strategies combine the assets of many mobile entities through a single connection to gain the reach, reliability and security that a brand or enterprise needs to achieve its business and mobile marketing objectives.

This experienced mobile partner will incorporate the collection and analysis of relevant data and the capability to act on that information in real time to provide enhanced, customized engagement with end-users.

Mr. Becker: Real-time marketing seemed to be a hot button for attendees, who discussed shifting consumer expectations for mobile services and customized, or personalized, communications from brands based on the user?s location.

Mr. Boerner: Location is a game-changer for mobile and really for marketing, in general.

Today?s consumers expect immediate responses wherever they are and thrive on instant gratification, which is exactly what location-based services can offer.

A new study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that about 74 percent of smartphone users use location-based services to find out information about what?s around them.

In addition, nearly one in five ? 18 percent ? checks in to local businesses, from restaurants to movie theaters, with geo-social services.

Stats from September of this year show that Yelp Mobile generated 3 million unique visitors for the month and more than 1 million people created point-to-point directions to a local business.

These stats and many more like them all indicate that mobile has become engrained in our day-to-day lives, particularly when used for obtaining and sharing information related to where the user is physically located.

Further, marketers are seeing a growing preference among consumers for non-voice communications, and brands and enterprises are now offering messaging as a primary means of sharing timely, pertinent information based on location.

Mr. Becker: The ?Smart Dinner? attendees suggested that real-time measurement is the only way to effectively demonstrate ROI for mobile campaigns. Please comment on the need for real-time metrics.

Mr. Boerner: We discussed real-time metrics as being absolutely essential to delivering a personalized mobile experience for consumers.

However, the conversation extended beyond metrics into the area of providing true intelligence about consumers who are interested in a brand?s services.

Real-time intelligence enables brands and enterprises to instantaneously identify consumer-experience data and activity, and then act on the knowledge of that activity in unique, relevant ways across all departments within their organizations.

The use of real-time intelligence for marketing can include timely, relevant offers based on recent activity or location for consumers who have opted in. 

Beyond marketing, other functions such as customer service, finance or technical support can use this type of data to expeditiously resolve issues related to customer experience. 

With these capabilities, real-time intelligence helps drive brand loyalty by creating more meaningful customer engagement.

Mr. Becker: The Smart Dinner was successful in creating an exchange among industry leaders about building effective mobile strategies. Any parting words on the topic?

Mr. Boerner: Key industry players are seeing significant increases in mobile marketing program effectiveness when real-time data is employed to deliver custom or personalized messages to consumers.

This effectiveness is measured in brands and enterprises obtaining a higher value for their impressions. Brands and enterprises are willing to pay a premium for this type of measureable, repeatable program ROI.

Aside from the obvious benefits of a mobile strategy are the not-so-obvious complexities and risks to overcome.

While ad-hoc marketing solutions may seem like a quick means to an end, the importance of finding a technology partner that is experienced in all facets of mobile cannot be underestimated to ensure  reliability, security, seamless connectivity  and, ultimately, business results when engaging stakeholders via mobile.