What’s all the buzz about mobile marketing, anyway? It’s just advertising on a cell phone…right? Well, not really.
Defining Mobile Marketing:
According to the Mobile Marketing Association~
Mobile marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.
Don’t think of a smartphone just as another vehicle to advertise, but rather a marketing medium with two distinct characteristics, as unique as the person to whom it belongs: enables consumers to talk and provide information about the kinds of messages they want to receive and it allows one-on-one communications with consumers, effectively targeting individuals who are most likely to take action.
With over 171 million people in the US using their smartphones for pretty much everything, mobile marketing via text, mobile websites, on-the-go coupons and other strategic features, has become a marketing tool that delivers results. Also, mobile marketing boasts nearly 100% open rate and an average of 12% redemption rate, that’s more than four times the rate of direct mail, print, advertising and email.
If that’s not enough, mobile marketing is ideal for almost all industries, it’s affordable and it’s measurable, with results you can see both in analytics and in profit.
It’s all about Targeting
Traditional marketing and advertising platforms provide basic demographic information to craft your message in hopes people will buy your product or service. Mobile marketing is like advertising in “high definition”, allowing you to craft a direct and highly focused message to motivate consumers to take action.
Tools of the Trade:
Mobile-Friendly Websites
What is a “mobile-friendly” website? A website that is optimized for mobile devices and tablets, meaning website navigation features should be easy to use and content easy to read. Latest statics show 99.5 percent of people access the web via a smartphone to find information quickly and easily. In other words, more people are using their mobiles to access the Internet than their computers, so no matter your business, your website must be mobile-friendly or consumers will go to a website that is.
Mobile Apps
Apps serve many functions: they can provide general info, prices, registration forms, search features, news feeds, and much more. One of the biggest benefits of having a mobile app is that all the information you’d like to provide to your customers – including special sales and promotions – is right at their fingertips.
Loyalty Programs
How about digitalizing that loyalty program you have in place? Instead of sticking with that old printed punch card or plastic keychain card, make it possible for your customers to collect their rewards via your mobile app. The result? More downloads and more return customers.
Proximity Marketing
Proximity Marketing is an emerging strategy that enables marketers to connect with mobile app users in the context of their daily lives. By taking advantage of location and push notification capabilities, marketers can understand more about their customers and reach them more effectively than ever before.
Text Messaging / SMS Text Messaging / SMS:
There are over 6.3 billion text messages sent everyday in the US and 8.6 trillion worldwide, therefore the obvious tool of mobile marketing is text messages or SMS (short message service). Texts can also be used to send out alerts, product / service information, mobile site links, interactive voting, enter-to-wins, and text-to-donate messages are just a fraction of the innovative means of how to use text messages most effectively to target consumers.
Mobile Coupons
Mobile coupons are the most common use of text messages as a marketing tool to send discounts or special offers. According to Juniper Research, global revenues from mobile coupon redemption will reach $43 billion by 2016. By offering coupons via your mobile website or app, or SMS, consumers always have them at the exact time when they need them most, point of purchase.
QR Codes
If used properly, QR Codes can help bridge the online/offline gap and draw more people to your website. They promote immediate action by taking static print advertising and transforming it into interactive media, allowing you to communicate directly to your customers through mobile web content. This communication in turn leads to increased sales and customer engagement.
As you can see, there are a multitude of mobile marketing tools for any size business to heighten its marketing strategy by going mobile. No matter what your existing marketing plan may entail, it’s imperative to add the mobile component to maximize your efforts and make a return on your investment.