Mobile Marketing - the Low-Cost, High-Impact Way to Grow Your Business

What is Mobile Marketing and Why is it Important?
     
 
   
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."
  
 
And that communication and engagement is being implemented by marketers from the smallest 'mom & pop shop' to the largest multi-national corporations.  As the traditional marketing channels suffer various levels of decline, mobile marketing is experiencing triple-digit growth annually.  Why you ask?  According to the Director of Research at Nielsen Mobile, "People look at every text message they get", and they do so within 15 minutes. Can you think of any other advertising medium where you are almost guaranteed that every person targeted will see your message?
  

 

A mobile marketing program is any marketing or advertising program that is
delivered via a handset.

 
  
  
"The most direct and personal of all media channels these days is mobile phones. They enable us to remain connected 24/7. No need to log onto the Internet or roam around town looking for a hot spot. Mobile devices are always hot. A marketer’s dream is to engage in meaningful two-way conversations with people who are truly interested in their brand, and mobile gives you that direct line of communication — constantly.
 
  
Mobile marketing is quickly growing beyond the experimental and is showing tangible results. Two examples are Barack Obama’s unprecedented mobilization of supporters during his presidential campaign, and the incredibly successful American Idol reality show, where over 20 million mobile users text their votes each week." - Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer / Vice-President, Eastman Kodak Company.  An additional recent example is the spectacular fundraising efforts for Haiti which were driven by mobile donations.
  
 
"Mobile apps for the iPhone and other smart devices are enabling access to online communities like Facebook and Twitter, but more importantly, to established companies like Target, Barnes and Noble, the Wall Street Journal, and Kodak. This is a fresh, innovative way to reach your customers and give them access to your brand at any time, wherever they are." - Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer / Vice-President, Eastman Kodak Company
  
 
Focusing on display, search and messaging-based advertising, eMarketer predicts that U.S. mobile advertising spending will grow from $320 million last year to $416 million this year to more than $1.5 billion by 2013.
 

   What Do Consumers Think About Mobile Marketing?
 
A new survey published by Compete.com indicates smartphone owners are very receptive to mobile coupons.  The fact that over 1 in 5 smartphone owners would be interested in these top-5 concepts is very promising for the mobile marketing industry. Read more about the Compete,com survey.
  
 
Another recent survey indicated that consumers are unhappy about the lack of mobile advertising by their favorite brands. Yes, you read that correctly!  "a massive 83% of people surveyed for HipCricket's second annual Mobile Marketing Survey are staring blankly at their mobile screens just waiting for a marketing message that could direct them to a bargain from their favorite brand or provide them with a nugget of new product information.

  
Consumers are already using the mobile Internet to find brands and products, with 85% of respondents agreeing that it's a valuable source of information that interests them. A little over 40% have visited a retailer's mobile website for such reasons as finding store locations (70%), store hours (51%), directions (39%) and searching for coupons or promotions (29%)." - BizReport.com
    
 
 
   What is the Most Effective Way to Utilize Mobile Marketing?
 
It is important to understand mobile’s role in the marketing mix. It certainly won’t supplant ecommerce or the wired Web. It won’t take away from print, TV or radio’s branding strengths. And it won’t compete with the catalog, mailer, insert or email.
   
 
Instead, mobile will enhance other advertising channels, through mobile advertising, mobile marketing and mobile commerce.  Adding mobile to print, TV, radio, direct mail, email and other channels will help enhance the range, and track the effectiveness, of those channels.
  
 
Mobile Marketing is most effective when utilized as a complement to the marketing mix in conjunction with your standard marketing media.
   
 
 
   What Results Can a Company Expect from Mobile Marketing?
  
 
While results of 54% opt-in achieved by one national fast-food chain  and 62% opt-in achieved by a well-known pizza franchise are certainly not standard for mobile marketing, the results ARE typically much higher than most traditional forms of marketing. Results in the range of 10 to 15% are fairly standard, though many mobile campaigns have a response rate as high as 30%, compared to direct mail which typically results in a 2 to 3% response rate.


 
 
International CTIA WIRELESS 2010. March 23-25. Las Vegas Convention Center. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hear the Keynote and Other Presentations to Learn Where the Mobile Industry is Headed



The Importance of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is the process of promoting your business through social media channels and it is a powerful strategy that will bring attention to your products or services; massive amounts of traffic to a your firm, your website or a blog; and a tremendous opportunity for increased revenue. There is no other low-cost promotional method out there that will easily give you access to the large numbers of prospective customers for your business.
Those who ignore social media usually fall into three categories:
  • the ones who don’t know much or anything about social media,
  • the ones who are interested but don’t know how to use it,
  • and those who don’t believe in the value that a social media strategy can bring to a business.

 
So How Does Social Media Help Your Company Make Money?
The more supporters you have in the social media universe, the faster word spreads about your company and your product or service. Social media marketing is an excellent way to get people to come into your website or your facility to take a look at what you have to offer. You will grow when there are a group of loyal followers ready to always act upon what you have to offer.
Social Media Marketing is an excellent tool for increasing awareness and credibility for your firm among its target audiences; as with any other marketing medium, it's all about 'building your brand'.


What is a Virtual Event?

Virtual events are conducted entirely online with event organizers, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees exchanging information and networking from the convenience of their computers. These events look and feel remarkably similar to their in-person counterparts while delivering the same knowledge-sharing and personal interactions at a significantly reduced cost and requiring less investment of time and staff resources.

  
Virtual events combine various configurations of the latest technologies in webcasting, online chats, video streaming, webinars, social media and avatar graphics to provide elements such as one-on-one interaction, speeches, Q&A, seminars, distribution of literature, interactive social ‘gatherings’ and exhibitor booths – all without ever leaving your desk or home to participate.

  
An additional benefit of virtual events for the hosts, sponsors and exhibitors is the rich marketing data that they deliver - far more than can be obtained at their in-person counterparts.  The anonymity of attendees participating in an in-person event evaporates; instead, hosts, sponsors and exhibitors receive detailed marketing data about attendees/participants, much better than any other marketing vehicle available today.  Further, many virtual event organizers see many more C-level executives than at a physical event, because attending a virtual event requires less of a time commitment on their part.

  
For event participants, it's much easier to listen, take notes, gather information and interact when they choose without having to deal with someone hovering to obtain their business card.  In fact, studies show that participants/attendees are more apt to interact with a speaker, other event attendees, or an event exhibitor online than in-person.  New technologies, including the most business-applicable elements of Web 2.0 and social networking, make it extremely easy for professional networking to occur in virtual events.