This is specifically meant for people working in the mobile services industry — aggregators, service providers, interactive agencies, developers, public relations executives, the whole shebang: Could you please write me an email and tell me about your latest client? I want to publish some case studies and link to your sites.
Here’s why. There are a lot of people reading this blog who want to buy mobile services, but are used to doing the same old searches. The ones I still regularly do. You know, premium+sms+uk or two+way+sms or shortcode+south+america. No matter what, it seems that whenever I do a search hunting for someone, I find the same two players. Netsize or Mblox. Or somebody similar.
It really does wind me up. That’s not to detract from Netsize or Mblox… it’s just, there are MORE people out there providing services. I know this, because people email me regularly looking for assistance. And I tell you, I feel a right plonker having to say, ….’errrrrrrrrrrrrrr’ to myself and find my mind blank.
Apart from feeling like a plonker, it also pisses me right off that there are companies out there doing phenomenally interesting and exciting work … and rarely do I hear about it. If someone sends me a press release, I do my best to get it up. But more often than not, quite a lot of companies don’t have time or simply don’t bother to do a press release. I’ve been there myself. I remember when we won the moderation contract for Sky, the last thing we wanted to do was arse around with a press release. We wanted to get on, get the cash in, and have a super time working with them. But then no one knew. No one knew what we were doing. Our website sat there blank for ages.
I’ll give you an example, right. Now and again Alex, one of the chaps who runs SendMyTxt.co.uk, a mobile services provider, regularly sends me mobile related news headlines and things he’s come across. He has, by the way, got lightning quick reactions when it comes to any ICSTIS notices.
Now, I don’t have a clue who his recent clients are. I’m willing to bet he and his team have done some exciting work recently for someone. Somewhere. Or I’m wililng to bet he’s got a good example of something smart they did last quarter. Or late last year. Or something.
The same goes for mobile innovators, iTAGG and the delightfully vocal Mr Steve Procter. I regularly communicate with Steve via the blog but haven’t taken the time to actually ever ask him about his latest clients. They’re regularly doing wicked stuff. I am forced to give it a cursory glance and move on with the rest of my day.
I connected today by email with Jim over at conVISUAL — although I couldn’t have guessed that they are
an international leading Full Service Provider for mobile and voice-based interactive value added services.
I know they work with some TV companies. That’s about it. I think I need to know more, and rapidly more.
I’d like to know more. I also think it would be extremely interesting to learn who’s doing what with whom. But without having to read through pages of press releases and ‘The CEO commented,’ paragraphs.
The SMS Text News blog is phenomenally well placed in Google particularly when people are searching for rather in-depth mobile terms. So I think that if I regularly published small case studies, complete with the contact details or a link to the site of the author, it could be really valuable promotion.
I reckon it would also be interesting for everyone else to read. Could become annoying. But then again, it’s better to know what’s going on rather than hide away, right?
We shall see.
Here’s my challenge. Could you email me with answers to the following questions. I will make a special effort to turn them around as soon as possible and stick them on to the site. I will also stick’em under the “Case Studies” category for anyone wanting to read them together.
If you can, pick a recent client and mail me the results? One line replies or five paragraph replies. Doesn’t matter!
The Case Study Questions
1. Your name, your company name and a two line overview of your company
2. Name of the client (or “A global consumer electrical company” if you can’t give their name publicly)
3. What problem did you solve?
4. What results did you see? How was it (the product or service) used or deployed?
5. If appropriate, give an overview of the technology you used or implemented? Any programming or development?
6. What was particularly exciting about this example? Or what were you most proud of achieving?
7. Your contact details (Product page link, web link, phone number, email)
Ok, now stick it in an email so I can tell the world!