As smartphones become ever more pervasive, it's increasingly imperative that brands extend their communications strategy to mobile. In a recent interview, TheSociable.com asked me to explain mobile brand engagement and how it differs from traditional and even other digital forums. I've excerpted my five key points below, but be sure to check out the full article.

Customers
Customers are already on mobile, so brands should be there, too. Brands don’t have to convince consumers to use the platform/channel; only to use/download their apps.

Accessibility
Mobile presents the potential for an unprecedented level of access to customers. People take their smartphones everywhere, and it’s culturally acceptable to use them virtually anywhere, anytime. Through apps, brands can engage with customers more frequently and more directly.

Lovemark
People are mentally, emotionally, and physically attached to their smartphones. When they download an app, they invite a brand into their personal space. With the right mobile experience, brands can become a fixture of an individual’s daily routine. The brands that successfully enter this space are the ones that tailor their apps to the user’s needs, likes, and behaviors.

Interaction
The inherently interactive quality of mobile makes it an essential channel for reaching today’s conversation-seeking consumers. Mobile serves as a forum for developing a brand’s reputation as “modern” in the sense that the brand appears both tech-savvy and responsive to customer opinion.

Engagement
Use of mobile devices and the possibilities for mobile brand engagement are only expanding, so it’s wise for most brands to extend their communications to this key channel—to both increase engagement and prove that they are changing with the times.