When I bring up branding as part of mobile business intelligence (BI) discussions, I’m often met with that “deer caught in the headlights” look. I realize that branding is typically discussed in the context of marketing, but I also see it playing an important part in the design and execution of a mobile BI strategy. As with any technology project, in mobile BI we need to effectively manage communication of the mobile BI vision and strategy.

I consider brand management an important function of any mobile BI initiative because it helps us successfully position our solution with our target customers (mobile users) even if the scope of our project is small and internal facing. Successful mobile BI branding enables us to develop a mutually-beneficial relationship with our target audiences and increase adoption, a key criterion for success.

Here are five ideas to successfully brand your mobile BI initiative through effective communication.

1. Know your audience

An effective mobile BI branding strategy starts with your audience. You have to consider two main things: your target demographic and end-to-end mobile user experience.

• Start by answering simple questions like: Who are your target mobile users? For example, are they sales teams or analysts?

• Next, consider the needs of your audience. How can you improve their day-to-day activities as well as long-term goals?

• Understanding your audience better will help you custom-tailor your communication towards them.

2. Simple is beautiful

Remember, with your communication, you’re here to make things simpler for your audience—not more complicated. The fundamental goal of mobile BI branding is to communicate effectively through available channels, starting with all mobile channels first.

Your customers (mobile users) must be able to discern quickly the intended message and, more importantly, any actions they need to take. Moreover, I always argue that our branding (messaging) needs to connect with our users at some emotional level. Make it personal and articulate why it should matter to them.

3. Use layman’s terms

All mobile BI initiatives (like any other technology offering) include technical solutions. But remember you are delivering these solutions to human beings who may not get as excited about the technical details as your technical teams would.

Moreover, unlike the PC users who may be chained to their desks, mobile BI users typically access mobile BI assets on the go and with less time to spare. Always speak their language, which is a layman’s one, because it’s the only way.

4. Branding is about quality, not quantity

You need to be short and to the point in your messaging— that goes without saying. But this rule is more important in today’s fast-paced business environment that is crammed with social media expression and a burning desire to multitask. Any social media expert will tell you that it’s not the number of tweets you send but the quality of content you share that matters.

That same principle applies to mobile BI branding. You need to establish both credibility and engagement (your users’ desire to connect with your mobile BI team) so that when they see a communication from your team, they consider it a “must read.”

5. Relevance delivers adoption and results

We often forget that mobile BI is first and foremost about actionable insight. Our branding strategy needs to reflect this mobile mindset, and there’s nothing more powerful than relevance to accomplish this objective. Keep the conversations current (especially with large audiences) such as the launch of a new mobile BI asset or offering of a new mobile service.

This may be challenging, but making it easy for our mobile users to find what they are looking for provides invaluable benefits—whether we push the latest updates to them or have them pull down the appropriate message. Moreover, advertising it (making it visible) across all channels (newsletters, social collaboration page, mobile asset store or catalogue) keep users informed and engaged.

Bottom line

Your mobile BI branding approach must complement your mobile BI strategy. Finding the right balance is critical because it will be one more tool that enables faster, better-informed decision making that contributes to growth and profitability.