What is a mobile strategy?
A mobile strategy is a roadmap to help you successfully navigate through the mobile ecosystem.
If we go with this definition we need to further define or explain the following terms:
- roadmap
- navigate
- ecosystem
What do you think?
What would you add?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
When I started my career, I saw lots of people who asserted they did product strategy, user experience strategy, and similar. I wanted to do that, and when I got my consultancy I knew we had to do it. So what was it? One MBA later, I knew what strategy was, but still not “user experience strategy,” “marketing strategy,” or similar. So I had to break it down myself.
Strategy is the plan for how to compete.
Corollary: what you compete for, the competitors, and what you can manipulate depend on the domain.
Example: corporate strategy is the plan for how to compete with other organizations for shareholder returns, and involves things like what lines of business to be in. Business strategy is the plan for how one business unit competes for market share/return/etc. against substitutes.
Product strategy is pretty straightforward. How will a specific product compete against substitutes (including do nothing) for the measure of interest? (attention, market share, etc.)
This leaves an interesting question regarding things like “marketing strategy” “mobile strategy” and “user experience strategy.” Each of these has heavy influence on product and a bit less influence on business line, but almost no influence on corporate strategy. Each involves decisions on where business effort is placed, and has different tools to effect change.
So I go with: mobile strategy is the plan for how to compete at a business and product level via various mobile channels. This involves understanding business strategy, product strategy, the mobile ecosystem, the mobile industry, and how best to support business goals by providing the end users access to information, support, services via the mobile phone.
This applies at an internal level as well, where end users are employees.
Barbara – It’s always a pleasure to have you add your insight here. I would add to your definition one thing – I would go beyond just the mobile phone. A mobile phone is not not always the best tool for a mobile worker. I realize that nowadays when we speak of mobile devices most typically people are typically referring to ‘phones’ but I still believe we haven’t quite made the jump to it being the only answer for our mobile workers.
I like Barbara’s view, but would agree that it should be a device not limited to a phone.
Strategy is a road or guiding path a business should travel as it seeks to deliver the objectives. A good strategy importantly will help prioritise activities, investment and resources.
I see many organisations that are progression mobile development without focus and understanding of the market. They have gone tactical. Why? Their management and teams are blinded by hype, cool and tech factors.
Take the UK market, the disproportionate investment being placed on iPhone is staggering. The iPhone has less than 3% marketshare out of all of the top 100 devices (30+ million), yet I would estimate that well over 50% of businesses are spending significant time developing for this device.
A strong strategy would see investment in this platform but at a level that represents a true balance of the market and demographic.
I also agree that mobile is not just about mobile phones. We’re still evaluating netbooks (as an example) around here: to what extent do they need a different design and strategy? This is sitll up in the air, but should be included in a business’ thinking.