Many companies are beginning to venture into Mobile Marketing due to the great growth of the use of smartphones (smart phones) in Colombia and in general in Spanish-speaking countries. A very common question among those responsible for this issue is: Should my company make a mobile site, a mobile application (app) or both?
To answer this question, I will start by reviewing the difference between mobile site and mobile application.
What is a mobile site?
A mobile site is a website specially designed for mobile (cellular) devices. These sites are designed for small screens, so the images and content are optimized for cell phone screens.
A conventional website is very uncomfortable to navigate with mobile devices, which makes reading and usability difficult.
The most commonly used in mobile portals is to locate it in the subdomain: m.mycompany.com and have a program that automatically detects if the person accessing it does so from a computer or cell phone to show them the appropriate portal.
Mobile websites are compatible with all cell phone technologies: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, etc.
What are mobile applications (Apps)?
Mobile applications, also called apps, are programs for smartphones (smart phones). Creating a mobile application is more complex and expensive than a mobile website.
Unlike mobile portals that cover all cellular technologies, mobile applications only run on the cellular technology for which it was made, so an application must be created for each of them: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, etc. .
Mobile applications can become more powerful than the mobile website as technologies such as augmented reality, geolocation and camera applications can be used.
It is important to note that when a company creates mobile applications (Apps) it must create an online and offline promotional campaign.
What technology to apply for the presence of your company on mobile devices?
My opinion is that portal technologies and mobile applications are complementary and not exclusive, that is, organizations must have both solutions for an adequate presence on mobile devices.
I believe that the implementation should be in stages, starting with the mobile portal and in a second stage developing the mobile applications for each technology.
