Archive for May, 2009

iMedjet First-Aid Guide for iPhone & iTouch

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

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Whether exploring deep in the wilderness, or traveling abroad, having comprehensive first aid information at your fingertips is always a good thing. It’s especially good when all of the content is stored on the phone and you aren’t dependent on a data connection!

First-Aid for Travelers

First-aid techniques covered in this application come complete with cross-reference hyperlinks between categories, situational descriptions and various technique illustrations. The techniques range from what to do in the event of an airway obstruction to treatment of stings and bites from various marine-life to burns. Plus much more…

Mobile Medical Information Storage

This portion of the application is useful not only to the user but can also provide vital information to doctors and emergency professionals in a crisis. Based the online medical information storage benefit of the MedjetAssist Plus membership, the mobile medical information storage component of this application allows you to upload and organize medical contact information directly from your iPhone’s contacts, detail any pre-existing conditions, record allergies and list any medications that you might be taking.

Mobile Medjet

If you are a Medjet member, the application allows you to record you membership information and provides one-touch access to Medjet emergency phone numbers. Members also have one-touch access to the Medjet.com website via their iPhone’s Internet browser.
For non-members the application offers a portal to Medjet’s membership information via your iPhone’s Internet browser as well as one-touch access to the Medjet Membership Services department. Giving you mobile access to information on Medjet and its many membership options as well as the ability to enroll with the Medjet Membership Program.

Download iMedjet (iTunes link) for free via the App Store.

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The “Year for Mobile” will be Different for Everyone

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Much like people use the weather as a crutch when making small talk, every discussion involving mobile marketing eventually winds its way to the question…Is this the year for mobile? While it certainly keeps the conversation rolling, worrying about whether this is the year for mobile is a misguided mindset when evaluating the use of mobile as part of the marketing mix. “The Year for Mobile” is subjective and only serves to delay constructive discussion about how to integrate mobile into larger strategic initiatives.

The “Year for Mobile” should be dictated by your business goals and will most certainly take place at a different point in time for each company, whether consumer or business-to-business. While many companies are “testing” mobile, others are jumping in with both feet and seeing incredible results. What differentiates those companies that have successfully moved from the sidelines and into the fray, is that they integrate mobile with traditional elements of the marketing mix. Just as you wouldn’t launch a website without appropriate support, mobile is not a standalone channel that can flourish on its own.

While the appropriate time to execute for each company may vary, the time to start educating your team and thinking about integration plans is now. Waiting until the last minute, or for an analyst to declare it’s time, is a sure way to get started on the wrong foot.

Is this the year for you?

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How Not to do Mobile Alerts – The Perfect Case Study

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

We like to keep things positive around here and part of being positive is learning from negative experiences and doing it better the next time. While doing a bit of research to see how companies in different industries are executing mobile initiatives, I came across perhaps the worst execution that I’ve seen in any industry. The following example comes courtesy of a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains.

1. The Call to Subscribe
Whether trying to drive email or mobile subscribers, the call-to-action should be prominently displayed, not buried in the header or footer in font that is easy to miss. This particular resort completely misses the mark with their design and has the “Text Alerts” link buried between the “Employment” and “Sitemap” links. Clearly not prime real estate.

2. The Sign-up Page
Signing up for mobile alerts should be a simple process and it should NEVER involve making the subscriber select their mobile carrier. Any mobile marketing agency worth their salt can determine this on the fly if they are sending the messages via SMS. Asking for the carrier shows that your mobile agency is not doing their job or they are sending the messages via email. Sending messages to phones via email = bad!

In addition to a poor user experience, the resort also does not include the “standard messaging charges may apply” copy on the page. Again, not good.

3. The Sign-up Process
Once the site visitor submits their mobile number, a confirmation message should be sent to the phone asking for them to confirm their subscription by replying to the message. However, this lovely resort sends a confirmation number to the subscriber which then must be entered into the website. Yes, subscribing to their mobile alerts program involves having to revisit the site to enter a code. I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen this done by another company.

4. HELP
HELP is a universal keyword in the mobile world and you should be able to send HELP to any short code and receive a response with relevant information about the program. As the resort is clearly not sending messages via SMS, there is no way to respond with HELP for additional information or STOP to opt out. In order to opt out, you must visit the website and enter your mobile number.

5. Short Code
In trying to figure out what mobile company the resort is using for this ghastly execution, I quickly found that they aren’t using a short code and are sending the messages via email. By doing research on the number from which the messages come, Google returned multiple pages of complaints from people receiving spam text messages from that same number.

Please be careful when selecting your mobile marketing agency.

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