I think that depends on what your intention is. I would wait/use SMTs if I wanted to list my tokens on popular exchanges directly; especially if the exchanges I'm considering already lists STEEM. The reason is that if an exchange lists STEEM already, then all the infrastructure is in place to support an SMT. I don't deal with exchanges directly, but I imagine that one of the major hurdles an exchange must do is setup the infrastructure to support a new blockchain. If your token has volume, and the exchange already has infrastructure setup to support STEEM, it's a no brainer to add an SMT pairing.
ICOs are currently $1 to create but are not finalized and are subject to change.
It is very possible to see STEEM act as a pairing between SMTs, there are talks about a decentralized exchange directly on the chain. But first things first, right?
Really great info here. Thanks for all your work.
Has burning a certain amount of Steem been considered as part of the ICO cost. If not, please suggest it. I personally would like to see more Steem uses/sinks.