Going mobile on no budget, because we all know the ad spend is tied up in print and events!

As part of our Silicon Valley Beach Fest panel this weekend, we also took a moment to dive into mobile. As we know, launching apps is expensive.

For most brands, we’re talking more than $500,000. So why would a brand create something that in most cases dies after the initial marketing and PR because a company can’t maintain what it’s built?

Here were five great points from BeachMint, StyleSaint, Pose and FMM.

1. Partner with an established mobile leader: “Partner with mobile apps such as Pose who have dedicated, built-in audiences that love fashion, beauty and style,” said David Oh, head of optimization at BeachMint. “Instead of you building something that no one’s ever going to visit, you’ve gotta go where they are. It’s cost effective and it allows you to leverage the mobile partner in your new customer acquisition strategy.”

2. Leverage your influencers: “Take key figures in your company and position them on the networks you’re wanting to leverage,” shared Alison Beal of StyleSaint. “Give each public person one or two platforms and build the brand’s audience around them. When companies do this, they find that brand extension through key figures makes them much more social dynamic.”

3. Optimize for mobile: Mobile optimization of content is key, focus on that before you focus on anything else. Use responsive design and create content made for short form engagement. Just remember that mobile is a utility; your content must be focused on user behavior on this specific platform.

4. Integrate your marketing strategy: “Mobile technologies bringing brands into their communities must focus on not over-saturating or stimulating the community with brand presence,” advises Alisa Gould Simon of Pose. “Integrated marketing is key.”

5. Leverage social media platforms on mobile: “Leverage mobile apps such as Instagram and Viddy as part of social media campaigns,” said Macala Wright, founder and publisher of FMM. “It’s better to go into communities with robust users instead of trying to build your own. Figure out the points of entry, what action you want the user to take as part of the campaign using that platform and how you’re going to incentivize them for that action. It can be as simple as a feature on Facebook or your blog or it could be added value for a large sweepstakes prize. Mobile apps drive social impressions, reach and engagement so plan according. Do it successfully and viola, you’ve integrated a mobile component to your efforts.”

Photo Courtesy of PSFK/Guardian.