| Mobile marketing is a huge potential source of | | | | Mobile marketing, you could argue, is perhaps a |
| traffic, customers and profit for your business, | | | | rather more captive audience. When someone has |
| but as yet fairly untapped. Yet, over the next | | | | their phone in their hand and downloads a page, |
| three years, it is predicted that more than half | | | | they are much engaged than on a desktop based |
| current internet users will be accessing the web | | | | website. It's a much more powerful direct |
| via mobiles and other handheld devices. | | | | response tool than the internet. |
| Mobile marketing offers a very personal kind of | | | | Conversions from mobiles compared to web or |
| interactivity for relationship building with your | | | | email marketing are five times higher. And, |
| prospects. It's not just about bombarding folk with | | | | obviously competition is much lower because |
| text SMS marketing messages. Mobile friendly | | | | nobody really knows about this yet. |
| web sites and mobile applications mean marketers | | | | So what changes do you need to make in your |
| can reach a much greater target audience. | | | | business to attract mobile clients? |
| The statistics are pretty convincing and | | | | Well, first you should make sure your website is |
| competition in the mobile direct marketing arena is | | | | mobile friendly, especially if you are sending text |
| still comparatively low. | | | | SMS messages with active web links to your |
| Growth in mobile customers | | | | mobile contacts. There's a tonne of reasons why |
| World wide there are 4 billion people with mobile | | | | this is important, but mostly because mobile is an |
| phones. In fact, there are almost five times more | | | | instant and impulsive kind of medium, so you |
| cell phone owners than laptops and computer | | | | want the recipient to be able to follow the link and |
| owners, especially home internet ready. | | | | get to a useful page and quickly. |
| Gartner, the IT research company, predicts that | | | | Consider that subscriber on your email list may |
| over the next three years over half current | | | | well be reading their messages on their phone. So |
| internet users will be accessing the web via | | | | you want to keep your main message and link |
| mobiles and other handheld devices. | | | | ‘above the fold' to use a newspaper term. To |
| "There are clear opportunities for mobile | | | | clarify: when you're accessing emails from a |
| transactions to grow as users, in this and previous | | | | mobile, sometimes the longer ones will get |
| surveys, indicate that they want to be able to | | | | truncated so put your link early on and remember |
| use their mobiles to buy more goods, such as | | | | the rules of compelling headlines. |
| books, music, travel services, household utilities | | | | But also, as with the SMS, your mobile user |
| and electronic appliances," says BuzzCity CEO, KF | | | | should be able to click your call to action link in the |
| Lai. | | | | email and bring up the page right there and then |
| It's a very global trend. BuzzCity's recent survey | | | | from their phone's web browser. The chances |
| questioned 1,798 mobile users across the | | | | they will visit your website when they get back |
| Americas, Asia, Africa, Western Europe and the | | | | to their PC are far lower. |
| Middle East and showed that 90% had directly | | | | Google is actively hunting for decent mobile |
| purchased products or services via their mobile. | | | | enabled sites to feature in its search results, since |
| The trend towards mobile marketing | | | | this is a huge source of revenue for them if their |
| It's no surprise really that the fastest growing | | | | users are happy. There's not enough mobile sites |
| marketing technologies and emerging channels are | | | | out there. So learn how to create a |
| mobile, rich media and social media. You only have | | | | Google-friendly mobile version of your site and |
| to do a search on some of the popular keywords | | | | you could rank higher than for your regular |
| for the internet marketing and online home | | | | desktop site. |
| business industry to see how these methods are | | | | There's a whole spectrum of solutions for making |
| all being adopted with enthusiasm by marketers. | | | | your webpage mobile friendly. These range from |
| Unica just released its "The State of Marketing | | | | the simple and cheap like adding a bit of code you |
| 2010" results from the latest Global Survey of | | | | add to your wordpress blog to a more complex |
| Marketers and there are some astounding findings. | | | | and expensive decision to create a complete and |
| The survey reported that "Nearly half of | | | | total mobile website. |
| marketers surveyed have already embraced | | | | Getting your site indexed by Google on the mobile |
| social media marketing, and adoption is healthy | | | | search engine? |
| across most social media outlets, such as blogs, | | | | Google have mobile site maps distinct from the |
| Facebook, and Twitter. However, marketers need | | | | usual site maps. Check out their webmaster tools |
| to think more about integrating social media with | | | | for help on that. And get yourself listed in the |
| other marketing tactics." | | | | Google local business listings. Google has a way |
| Despite the rapid increases in the potential | | | | you can build a mobile landing page within that tool. |
| audience, "mobile marketing" is a relatively new | | | | It works best for brick and mortar businesses, |
| practice. The term describes marketing on or with | | | | but it's all good web presence. |
| a mobile device, such as a cell phone using WAP | | | | Google knows that people search differently on |
| or text messaging to communicate between the | | | | their mobiles than they do on their desktop. They |
| business and the customer. | | | | actually have a specific mobile keyword research |
| Mobile marketing is increasing in significance with | | | | tool. Not a bad idea, then, to clue up the whole |
| over 30% of marketers surveyed already using | | | | different algorithms search engines are using for |
| some form or other of mobile marketing and | | | | mobile searching. |
| many sources of information (magazines, and | | | | Another thing to remember to keep your mobile |
| services available to support them. | | | | text ads short, mirroring the style of social |
| Nevertheless, mobile advertising has grown over | | | | networking conversations. Opera (one of the |
| the past 1-2 years (almost 100% in the UK), | | | | mobile browsers) statistics show that 41% of |
| despite the economic recession. The total is | | | | people accessing the mobile web are going to |
| pretty small compared to advertising on the | | | | social network sites, so myspace, facebook, |
| internet, which last year was higher than that | | | | twitter. These are intertwined and meshed |
| spent on TV. | | | | together as a tool, so these ads need to work |
| However, the Mobile Marketing Association | | | | together. |
| suggests the growth in mobile marketing is likely | | | | You want to add a mobile phone field to your |
| to accelerate as handsets equipped with new | | | | web page capture form if you currently capture |
| technology, including mobile broadband, become | | | | your visitors' names and email addresses. With a |
| ubiquitous and consumer behaviour changes. | | | | list of numbers, you can unleash your mobile |
| The response from marketing vendors isn't far | | | | direct marketing power by sending automated, |
| behind. For instance, recently launched its | | | | scheduled SMS or text messages to your |
| Do-it-Yourself mobile marketing campaigns that | | | | subscribers. |
| can be run from the convenience of a desktop | | | | Internet marketers have known for years the |
| computer. YouTube is making huge changes to its | | | | money is in the relationship with your email list. As |
| mobile web presence and has now begun | | | | mobile marketing gets unleashed, it's likely your |
| incorporating adverts throughout its mobile site. | | | | phone list will become the gold standard. |
| How to tap into the mobile market | | | | SMS has an astounding 97% open rate – and |
| Anyone in business should always be looking for | | | | usually within the first 5 minutes of receiving the |
| new ways to reach out and touch their | | | | message. That's powerful to marketers! If the |
| customers and build attention from new | | | | "autotexter" replaces the autoresponder, do you |
| prospects. And mobile marketing may just be the | | | | have a business strategy for that dramatic |
| golden ticket. | | | | change? |
| Your mobile user is permanently switched-on, | | | | Early adopters ALWAYS make the most money. |
| impulsive and ready to interact at the drop of a | | | | So go check out mobile marketing and see what |
| hat. Who wouldn't want to tap into mobile | | | | a difference it can make in your business. |
| marketing? It's the ultimate direct response tool. | | | | |