The iPhone 5 launch left consumers around the world bothin love and frustrated. Many of its reviews glowed about the newform factor, improved optics and audio and updated operatingsystem. Just as many consumers were disgruntled with the loss ofthe native YouTube app, the subpar Apple Maps app and the all-newcharging dock connector.

Despite these issues, Apple sold 5 million of the iPhone 5mobile devices in just the first 10 days.

Notwithstanding the power of the Apple brand, many othersmartphone brands like the Samsung Galaxy S III also achieved greatpick-up within the consumer market, once again underscoring thelong-held belief that we are quickly becoming a mobile society.

Related: Read Rick Gilman's previous column, “Huntand Gather.”

Trending toward mobility

Hubspot's recent 2012 Mobile Stat Report notes some startlingtrends:

• Worldwide, more people own a cell phone (5.1B) than atoothbrush (4.2B)
• There are four times more cell phone users than PC or laptopusers
• Three out of five searches are performed using a mobile phoneand 70 percent of all mobile searches result in action within 1hour
• It takes a month for the same percentage of desktop users totake action.

Internet searching isn't the only activity taking place ingrowing numbers on mobile devices; text marketing is proving to bean effective means of reaching your audience quickly, efficientlyand successfully. According to the same report:

• It takes 90 minutes on average for a person to check andrespond to an email
• It takes 90 seconds for that same average person to check andrespond to a text
• Text messaging has been estimated to be five times moreeffective than direct mail and 10 times more effective thannewspaper advertising.

Finally, the report states:

• 43 percent of businesses now use mobile phones
• 25 percent of businesses plan to do so within the next 12months
• 16 percent of businesses plan to do so in more than 12months
• Only 15 percent of marketers have no plans to use mobiletechnology at all.

With trends like these, if you find yourself in the 15 percentgroup, with no expectations of implementing mobile technology, thenyour agency will become irrelevant.

The pros and cons

There are many reasons for not implementing a mobile strategyfor your agency.

Applying another technology and marketing tool may be too muchto consider right now. Or perhaps your agency is concerned with theinferred security issues stemming from mobile access. Exposure ofsensitive data through a mobile device might cause enumerabledamage.

Maybe you don't see the value for your agency to provide this“painful,” “extra” service to your clients. The return on theinvestment just isn't obvious.

Read another Gilman column, “PersonalTouch.”

The truth: Mobile is here to stay. Your current clients use itand your future customers look for your services on it. Your staffand future hires expect it. If you don't embrace mobile technology,your agency quickly will become irrelevant.

The business community is in the midst of a perfect storm in theworld of marketing and communications. First, constant change andits pace are increasing exponentially. Technology is the root causeof this quickening pace, with Moore's Law the oil lubricating theengine.

Add to that the fact that we are inundated with messages by thethousands each and every day. Consequently, agents are finding itharder to get their messages heard. Finally, let's throw in the mixthis thing called social media.

Keep your brand visible

One key to thriving in this growing digital marketing revolutionis finding ways to build an effective brand that demonstratesrather than just communicates. In the long run, if your brand isnot visible, you don't exist.

One way to help your brand stand out from the competition is toleverage mobile technology and the powerful aspects of video-basedmarketing.

Many studies have shown that when it comes to informationretention, people remember about:

• 10 percent of what they hear
• 20 percent of what they read
• 80 percent of what they see and do.

This means that if you can implement tools that show yourbrand—and I don't mean your company name and logo, but actuallydemonstrate the “attitude, aptitude and action” of your brand—thenyou're on the way to distinguishing your agency from the others.

Video is a great way to do that by adding video-based emailmarketing, video messaging and video resources throughout yourwebsite. Your website should include a mobile-optimized site tosimplify access over mobile devices. If you visit your website on asmartphone and you have to zoom in to read or to click a link; orif you have to scroll in any direction to see the whole page, thenyou will lose prospects if they're searching for insurance via themobile phone. And more and more people are doing just that.

Finally, what better way is there to get noticed than being ableto put your brand in your client's hand via your own customizedphone app? Many of the biggest carriers are offering mobile appsfor their clients directly. GEICO, State Farm and Progressive offerapps that make filing a claim easy, accessing basic policyinformation convenient and communications between carrier andinsured a one-click option.

So why shouldn't your agency have an app, too? There are ahandful of companies that target insurance agencies with theirmobile apps. Some include components of ACORD forms that can becompleted right on the mobile device; some have the featureallowing your insureds to report an accident with photos of thedamage, automatic GPS location, and capturing of the other person'sinsurance information, all connected to the VIN number and policynumber.

Related: Read “New ROI” by Rick Gilman.

Additional features agents can bring to a mobile app includeone-touch calling or emailing, information on the agency, productsand services listings, office locations and directions, appointmentscheduling, listing of approved service providers like repair shopsand glass replacement services also with one-touch calling. Videofunctionality and the ability to post podcasts within your appdemonstrate your knowledge, professionalism and caring, which areessential when convincing prospects to buy from you.

These features bring both value-added benefits to your existingclients and enormous credibility to your marketing efforts to findand keep new clients.

And don't think that this is way out of your price range.Developers  build apps for your agency anywhere from aslow as about $1,000 all the way up to $10,000 or more; some giveyou only one platform, others give you all three platforms (Apple,Android and HTML5) and the input on design varies as well. Nomatter what your budget is, there is a solution for you. Even ifall you have to spend on a build is $200, if you have some basicdesign skills, there's do-it-yourself approach as well.

So there's no excuse anymore. You know it's going to happen.Similar to where the business community was at 15 years ago withthe need for websites, we are at that point with the need formobile phone apps. At some point in the near future, you will wakeup one morning to find everyone has a mobile app. If your agencyisn't among them, then you're out of the game.