By Jeff Hasen
Chief Marketing Officer
Hipcricket

Mobile marketing has proven to be one of the best ways to not only reach customers and prospects, but to also engage them, thereby increasing sales and customer loyalty. However, many brands don't know where to begin. The first step is selecting the best agency partner for you, and, afterwards, getting the most out of the relationship.

When selecting a firm, some areas of probing are obvious and involve traditional agency-client queries such as chemistry and bandwidth. But given mobile's relative nascency, others are more subtle yet just as important. Here are some questions to get started:

Question: Is the vendor a member of the Mobile Marketing Association or does it at least abide by MMA guidelines?

Why it matters: Beyond the important area of best practices, a mobile marketing agency should keep you out of trouble, steering you clear of blunders like buying and marketing to a list, and creating content that might mistakenly be viewed by children. The MMA guidelines, created in part by member companies, are written to help brands avoid such transgressions.

Question: Does the provider have extensive carrier connections and relationships?

Why it matters: Connectivity to all the mobile operators gives you the assurance that all your customers and prospects can take part in your program. Solid relationships between your vendor and the carriers often move proposed campaigns along faster.

Question: Will the vendor be strategic and creative or purely on the execution side?

Why it matters: You have business goals, and your mobile dollars need to help you achieve them. It's important to align your brand with thinkers and innovators rather than pure workhorses.

Question: Will this partner help me build or expand my customer marketing database?

Why it matters: Beyond just a marketing tactic, mobile is a tool to help you create, manage, and monetize permission-based, opt-in databases. According to a Hipcricket survey, 37 percent of mobile subscribers are interested in joining a mobile loyalty club. Further, 83 percent of consumers surveyed have yet to be marketed to by a brand.

Question: Is the vendor a mobile expert or new to the party?

Why it matters: If the agency was an SEO expert last Thursday and now hangs a mobile sign on its door, how much help can you count on?

Question: Does the provider have solid references and ongoing relationships (as opposed to a history of one-off promotions)?

Why it matters: Given its permission-based nature, mobile marketing lends itself to sustained programs. Ask for references from clients on annual contracts that are leveraging dollars spent for ongoing engagement and success.

Question: If you want to use text as a component of your program, will they provide a dedicated shortcode and its inherent advantages?

Why it matters: If you are a pizza company doing mobile on a shared shortcode, the keyword pizza is likely taken. Plus, having a dedicated shortcode is an imperative aspect of building your unique database, which can be a vital part of your customer relationship management program.

Question: Will your business goals be met if you choose a vendor purely on price?

Why it matters: While mobile might be new to you, it's like everything else -- you get what you pay for.

Question: Are there tools you can access, allowing you to view your campaign in real-time and make adjustments along the way?

Why it matters: Optimization often makes or breaks mobile campaigns -- insist on the ability to look at how your program is performing in real time so you can make changes if necessary. For example, we've seen clients extend street team activities and also re-cut broadcast spots in order to deliver the results they were expecting.

Question: Does the vendor have the capabilities you need to deliver your unique brand experience?

Why it matters: The first rule in branding is consistency across touchpoints. Mobile has a unique set of challenges, including the need to produce marketing materials to be viewed on hundreds of handsets with varying levels of sophistication. The agencies that can produce consistent brand experiences across devices are the keepers.

Question: Can the provider handle peaks in message volume, perhaps around a live event?

Why it matters: It's all about the user experience. For example, if your intent is to offer a free burger to concert goers as they leave an arena, it's critical to reach the consumer in a timely way.

Question: Is there a record of return on investment, especially in your category?

Why it matters: Some industries -- automotive and quick-service restaurants, for example -- produce better results on mobile than other categories. Just as in traditional marketing, there are nuances that can make or break campaigns. Agencies with repositories of case studies can show you what works and what doesn't.

In conclusion, mobile isn't especially complicated, but tapping into the correct agency's expertise will move you faster from strategy to development to results.