The Common Short Code Administration website lists a number of “application providers” which offer software/technology services geared around text messaging. None of course is as impressive, proven or visionary as Interactive Mediums, but like any company, rising above the noise in the marketplace can be challenging. This noise is amplified by established companies in other marketing technology and services segments entering the fray and trying to skim revenue from firms focused on helping businesses leverage the mobile channel.
I have made past references to some of these firms but thought taking it a step further and outlining how we see options in the marketplace might help buyers make a decision more easily and quickly.
We view mobile as an interaction channel inclusive of technologies which help marketers implement strategies around the mobile customer experience. For many businesses, be they in the retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG) or broadcast communications segments, mobile is as much about engaging customers while “on the go” to achieve some business objective (sales, loyalty, brand affinity, etc.) as it is a “feature” to be sourced from a current marketing service or system. For this reason, “Active Customer Engagement” is as appropriate a label as any to describe the capabilities a firm like Interactive Mediums brings to its customers. It is also in the crosshairs of companies in the email marketing, marketing services, CRM platform, and creative services segments.
The accompanying diagram illustrates the general approach each of these segments takes to mobile within their respective portfolios.
Email Services Providers: Mobile as text messaging complement to email delivery/additional channel for communications.
Marketing Services Cos: Mobile as text messaging/additional channel of communication as part of diversified marketing services utility.
CRM Platforms: For B2B, mobile means field sales enablement, for B2C it means text messaging complement to email.
Agencies/Creative Services: Basis around which advertising, branding and marketing campaigns are built.
Each of these touch on an attribute of Active Customer Engagement, but none fully meets the requirements of catering to the mobile customer experience. We realize marketers with pre-existing relationships with firms in these segments owe it to themselves to evaluate them as options when approaching the mobile channel – and in some cases may elect to utilize them. For this reason, Interactive Mediums takes an open approach which allows us to fully deliver the benefits of the mobile customer experience to clients yet integrate as necessary with others in the ecosystem to ensure clients achieve their objectives.
