Questions
1. Why does MobileCMS only support iOS and Android devices?
2. What are the features of MobileCMS?
3. I am a teacher. How does MobileCMS promote classroom learning with mobile devices?
4. I am a school administrator. How does MobileCMS benefit our school?
5. I am an investor. Why should I invest in your business? (Long version)
6. I am an investor. Why should I invest in your business? (Summary)
7. I am an investor. How will you invest my money?
8. I want to be a customer. How can I buy this product?
9. Prove it. Where are your sources?
1. Why does MobileCMS only support iOS and Android devices?
It costs too much to support all mobile operating systems. According to engadget.com (2012), iOS and Android devices already account for 82.8% of all smartphones and tablets market shares. To keep this company fiscally responsible, the company has no plans to support other mobile operating systems in the near future.
2. What are the features of MobileCMS?
Click here to see all the key features.
3. I am a teacher. How does MobileCMS promote classroom learning with mobile devices?
Click here to see how MobileCMS can benefit the classroom learning environment.
4. I am a school administrator. How does MobileCMS benefit our school?
With our competitors’ pricing model, the school pays for both the admin and client software resulting in high costs for the school and inflexibility for BYODs. With MobileCMS, if your school allows students to BYOD, then the school only needs to pay for the admin software and get the students to download the MobileCMS client app for $2.99. This will reduce the school’s cost significantly. This is an ideal model for private and post-secondary institutions.
In addition, other built-in features such as Print Manager are also designed to save money by cutting the cost of accidental printing. Click here to discover how MobileCMS can benefit your school.
5. I am an investor. Why should I invest in your business? (Long Version)
If you want to make good returns with your money, then you want to invest in MobileCMS. The six reasons below describes the market for mobile technology (supply and demand), the company’s business plan, and its marketing strategies.
Reason 1 – There is an emerging market for mobile devices!
The demand for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops has skyrocketed in the past five years, with Apple and Android devices leading the way (Mulen, 2012). According to Perez (2012), “the number of mobile devices will exceed the world’s population by the end of 2012, and it is expected that by 2016 there will be 1.4 mobile devices per person on the planet.”
In addition, educational technology experts predict that smartphones and mobile tablets in particular are emerging market trends that will transform learning in K-12 and post-secondary institutions (KQED, 2012; Educause, 2011).
Reason 2 – With a new emerging market, there will be a new need.
Did you know that 4 out of 10 high school teachers say they spend more time on classroom management than teaching? Due to issues with classroom management, many teachers have refused to use technology (Ertmer, 1999). Teachers can use technology to overcome their fear of technology.
Because mobile technology is a growing trend, there will be a growing need for classroom management tools. MobileCMS capitalizes on this niche area.
Reason 3 – There is currently a lack of supply and a lack of competition.
Many educational apps in the Apple AppStore (2012) and the Play Store (2012) can broadly be categorized by subject area (e.g. math, science, geography), references (e.g. dictionary, periodic table), tools (notebook, mind mapping, collaboration). Apps for classroom management remain untapped.
As of July 2012, there are currently no free or open-source classroom management software for mobile devices. The only substantial competitors are NetSupport School (NetSupport, 2012) and LanSchool (2012). These companies sell classroom management software but they are better known for commercially producing classroom management applications for PC and Mac workstations than for mobile devices. In fact, in recent years, many schools have switched to iTalc (2012) as an alternative because iTalc is open-source. Despite the fact that iTalc has less features than both competitors, many teachers like iTalc more because of its simplicity.
Following this anecdote, MobileCMS is priced substantially lower than both NetSupport School and LanSchool’s licensing fees. MobileCMS also has a simple interface, making this produce easy to use and requiring less technical support.
Click here to view a side-by-side product differentiation with the competitors.
Reason 4 – Consumers are willing spend money apps.
New apps come out each and everyday, and mobile users are buying them. As of 2011, the Apple AppStore has had 18 billion downloads while Android Market / Play Store has reached 10 billion downloads with $4.9 billion and $330 million in gross revenue respectively (Sahajwani, 2012).
Reason 5 – The conservative financial projections look promising.
In 2006, there are 64.0 million students in K-12 and 17.5 million students in post-secondary institutions in the United States. If only 1% of educators purchase this software, MobileCMS will sell 815,000 units in US alone. If this app costs $2.99 per client and $299.99 per admin (500 clients), then MobileCMS will make $2.9 million in gross revenue in US alone.
There is a plan to market this product to India and China (PRC), two growing markets, with the intention to translate the language locale to Simplified Chinese for the PRC market. The combined population of these two countries (India 1.21 billion, China 1.44 billion people) are 8.5 times larger than that of United States. Just imagine how much money MobileCMS is able to make in these two countries. Now imagine the global market!
Reason 6 – The CEO is a very nice person!
Very true, but the founder and CEO also has the traits and skills that make him a successful entrepreneur. Click here to read his biography and his FEBE philosophy.
He also plans to donate of net proceeds back to education in the form of teacher awards, student scholarships, and school grants. Competitors are not known to do this. Giving back is part of the company’s promotional strategy that MobileCMS uses to make its name in the marketplace; also, the CEO is a strong believe in philanthropy. See? He is very nice person!
6. I am an investor. Why should I invest in your business? (Summary)
Mobile technology is an emerging market trend in educational technology. With any new trends, new opportunities arise. Teachers need a classroom management suite to support learning, but the options are limited. The main competitors are NetSupport School and LanSchool but their licensing fees are outrageous. Educational institutions need an alternative–enter MobileCMS.
According to the research, consumers are willing to spend money on iOS and Android apps. There is definitely an opportunity to make money. Estimates project that MobileCMS can earn about $2.9 million in gross annual revenue in the United States alone, assuming if this product can reach 1% of educational institutions. The revenue is expected to exceed that amount because it will be available worldwide, with plans to focus on India and China.
Portion of net proceeds will be donated back into the education systems in the form of teaching awards, student scholarships, and technology grants. Not only is this an effective promotional strategy but also the CEO and founder strongly believes in philanthropy.
7. I am an investor. How will you invest the money?
The founder and CEO has a programming background and has the technical side covered. However, he may need to hire another programmer / web designer to assist him. Ideally, this programmer / web designer will also have the inside knowledge to troubleshoot problems and maintain the help forum on the website. This position can possibly be outsourced to India.
Sales and marketing, however, remain to be the most challenging aspects. Aside from the monetary investment, the company wants an investor who can take the product to the next level. Speaking to financial experts, the company will need at least five capable salespersons: two in North America (Vancouver, New York), one in India (Mumbai), and two in China (Hong Kong, Shanghai). They will be paid mostly by sales commission: 10% for sales under $1,000,000 and 15% over.
8. I want to be a customer. How can I buy this product?
You can’t. It is a project for ETEC 522, but the research and the concept are real(istic). However, I am working on a small-scale version for Android in developmental stage. Maybe you will see this product out in an apps store, perhaps under a different name. I will need to seek legal advice when the time comes.
9. Prove it! Where are your sources?
Click here to view the references. All images are downloaded under the creative commons license. Some of the images are edited where the CC license permits.