Mobile Marketing Trends, Important Things to Know

Marketing a business we all know is the only way to keep existing clients and attract new clients. Marketing being one of the most important tools where improving your business financially is concerned has over the years taken different forms. Formally, many companies were not interested in mobile marketing trends like road shows, outdoor advertising in general or moving billboards to market a product or service but today that’s not what we see. Many companies big, medium and small are very much interested in mobile marketing because it has proven to be more useful and with mobile marketing, results are seen at once so you know if you are making progress or delay.

Today’s development in technology and the rate at which people are getting accustomed to computerized systems and the computerized way of living is making marketers concentrate on the usage of electronic systems to market their products. Most companies or marketers all over the world have found a new way of marketing their products by using mobile SMS marketing techniques which is all about promoting and advertising through smart talk phones. Even though this trend is new on the market, it has a very bright future because it is very simple, less complicated and very efficient when it has to do with the delivering of SMS’s to a particular audience or clientele base.

Also, using billboards and television road shows to promote a company or its services is another trend of mobile marketing. No matter what kind of business you are operating, mobile marketing can be used because it is not limited to any specific type or class of companies or people. Using text messages for marketing is one of the best options for many companies since these services cost less and is more than efficient. For instance for restaurants and bars, you can use the mobile phone marketing to send text messages to your clients or customers of new recipes and upcoming events at your bar also; discounts on your services can be sent to them using the mobile phone but you must first draft a short survey for your customers to know if they won’t mind having weekly or daily messages from your
company to their phones before you go ahead because most people do not like to receive such messages so make sure you know for certain or have consent from client before you begin.

Staying in touch with your customers regularly and making them aware of new promotions in your company as a private business owner or a corporate company is very important because doing this makes the customer feel important and when a customer feels a kind of belonging they never see the need to hire the services of other companies. Although email marketing is also good, it is not as efficient as mobile phone marketing because many people do not check their emails often which make it difficult for them to know about these promotions ahead of time. If you are ready to get started with your mobile marketing campaign, contact us Local SEO Ranking Services.

Mobile Marketing – 5 Ways To Reach Your Customers On Their Mobile Device

Mobile marketing is ever evolving, and so must you. Know how to bring technology to your advantage. Here are some of the top ways to reach customers on their mobile device;

 

1. SMS and MMS Marketing.

 

Since the introduction of mobile phones back in early 2000s, SMS or text marketing has evolved as another important medium of direct advertising. SMS marketing mainly involves the collection of consumer mobile phone numbers usually by registration of the customer using a ‘keyword’ sent to a ‘short code.’ Upon registration, the customer mobile phone number is added to a messaging platform database which sends mass messages of special promotions or updates. Because SMS marketing provides some sort of personalized update system from a firm, it does not only help in convincing potential repeat customers but also builds the foundation for a customer ‘brand loyalty.’

 

MMS (Multimedia Message Service) marketing is almost the same as SMS marketing in terms of its role. The main difference is perhaps MMS messages are ‘media rich.’ With higher functionalities, this type of advertising is generally more interactive. MMS messages may even contain links that can drive traffic to websites.

 

2. Mobile Web Marketing

 

Mobile devices are often connected to the web, and this has always been one of the key features that consumers always ask for. Most of them buy theirs primarily for the privilege of accessing the web anytime and anywhere. And this is where you must take advantage. Common yet powerful means of mobile web marketing include mobile search advertising programs, social media marketing, and even e-mail newsletters.

 

3. Mobile Apps

 

Mobile games and other applications are already a growing market, and a potential growing market is always an opportunity for a marketer. Sponsoring a few apps is always a good idea, but as a rule of thumb, these apps should be specific to your target niche. App-advertising is still relatively new, and developers are still seeking more ways to integrate ads without disrupting overall customer experience. Sponsoring apps may be expensive, but when properly done, rewards sure are promising.

 

4. QR Codes

 

QR, or Quick Response codes is a type of matrix bar code created for tracking purposes. They however, became popular for other uses such as storing information. Mobile devices today have the ability to read and save quick response codes by simply ‘swapping them.’ These QR codes may store important information such as addresses, contact details and website URLs. They may be placed in any form of advertising media such as banners, newsletters, and even magazines. In addition to advertising platforms, QR codes can also be strategically placed on places or objects where users might need information. The convenience of using QR codes to store information on the consumer’s part makes it a very appealing form of mobile marketing technique.

 

5. User Controlled Means

 

Bluetooth, infrared, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), and other means of data transfer can offer the pipeline of an effective viral marketing. In this type of mobile marketing, it is the users themselves that introduce new potential customers for you. Mobile content can be virally promoted most effectively by referrals. Here, users encourage their friends to try a service in exchange for some points or other benefits. Users themselves are your marketing tools. Cunning as it can be, this marketing technique has already been proven effective.

If you are ready to get started with mobile marketing, contact us Local SEO Ranking Services:

 

7 Benefits Of Mobile Marketing

Today the advancement in the mobile technology has grown to higher levels than in the previous decade. There are millions of users all over the world who use mobile on daily basis for their personal and business purposes. This is like a holy grail for the business owners as they can use mobile marketing for promoting their business.

 

Mobile marketing is an entirely different sphere of reaching people compared to the conventional offline marketing methods. The mobile marketing makes it possible for the small business owners to reach their customers in real-time with a very low expenditure on marketing costs. The business owners can directly contact subscribers which will enhance the bond between the customer and the provider.

 

Apart from the low-cost start-up expenditure, there are many other benefits of mobile marketing which is making it popular these days.

 

1. Higher conversion rates:

 

With mobile marketing we can promote the product to the right audience and the response rate is more which will convert most of the subscribers into customers. The mobile ad campaigns have higher conversion rates compared to radio or tv commercials.

 

2. Engage Customers:

 

Almost every customer who has a mobile can be updated with the latest offers or services helping you engage the customers. This will help you in retaining the customer as well as increase your business. Also helps in building a good customer relationship with your business. It is a proven fact that customers will be loyal to a particular brand or service if the business has built a good relationship with them.

 

3. Honest Feedback:

 

Mobile marketing can be used as two-way communication which will help in getting feedback from users about a new product or feature. This will help in better understand what are the likes and dislikes of the customers, helping a business to develop a product that customers like.

 

4. Cost Effective:

Mobile marketing requires a very low-budget on ad campaigns but the return of investment is really higher. Usually you only have to pay for the text message and nothing else.

 

5. Distribution:

Customers anywhere in the world can be reached with mobile marketing in mere seconds in case of an urgent announcement. The added benefit is going viral, if the customer likes a feature or product in question that is mentioned in the text message you have sent to them, then they might share it with their friends and family which is free advertisement for your business.

 

6. Customization:

Each subscriber is different and the ads can be customized to each person increasing response which will get more conversions or sales.

 

7. Easy to set up:

The mobile marketing is simple as using a mobile phone, it does not need any technical knowledge for you as a business owner to use. They can be easily integrated into your existing ad campaigns or can completely replace other marketing campaigns you are using now.

 

It is possible to engage even those audience without an internet connection using mobile marketing, so distribution of your message is possible to higher number of people who are interested in your service. As a business owner it is our responsibility to increase the business using the latest trends in marketing and today mobile marketing is considered to be the future of advertisements so catch up with this trend to stay ahead of your competition. To get on board with your own mobile marketing campaign, contact us:

Three Ways A Mobile Website is Different From Any Other?

More and more now you will be hearing about – or perhaps even finding out for yourself – that there are these new types of websites called mobile websites.

1. A mobile website

Is made up of HTML, holds content and images, and accessed via the web. Sounds like a regular website, right? Well actually a mobile website generally works in conjunction with a regular website, but as a counterpart is a smaller version and has a simpler layout. A mobile website’s main function is to serve up essential information on smart phones. Smart phones are those popular little devices that are actually rather advanced computers with multipurpose monitors built-in. IPhones, Blackberries, and Androids are some of the most popular Smart phones that can, among many other functions – surf the web.

Therein lies the purpose of mobile websites. Because the screens are so much smaller on a smart phone, traditional websites are often more difficult to navigate, and the design or feel of that website has lost its initial purpose. In addition, many websites use programming such as flash or FLV videos which many phones have difficulty displaying properly.

2. Mobile websites

Are sometimes scaled down versions in terms of size and content. In fact a mobile website is generally under 300 pixels wide, compared to traditional websites which can be 800 pixels and much larger. A mobile website’s navigation can also be easily accessed using a thumb or finger, as the buttons generally span the width of the phone.

As a scaled-down version of the main website, a mobile phone actually serves its purpose because most people accessing a mobile website will in fact be, mobile themselves. And you generally don’t visit a website or surf on your phone without a specific purpose in mind. Often that means finding phone numbers, place of business, hours of operation, e-mail addresses, services offered, contact names, product availability, etc. In that sense mobile websites are generally less on design, and focused much more on accessing that essential information.

3. A mobile website

Is usually set up as a sub domain of the main website. So it’s URL would be something like m.webaddress.com, but just existing in that virtual space is not enough, because when a smart phone surfer goes to a website’s main URL, they won’t know that there’s a mobile version unless there is a link to the mobile version of that website. Or a more popular strategy is to use JavaScript or PHP encoding that detects a smart phone is calling up a website. The purpose of this is to redirect smart phone traffic directly to the mobile website. That speeds things up a lot for the user and chances are it’s what they wanted anyway. Most mobile sites however, will also offer the option for the user to go to the company’s main website via a regular HTML link. You don’t want to force your smart phone traffic to stay on the mobile website, because that should still be a matter of preference.

These are some of the major differences between a mobile website and a regular website, and in the coming months and years you’ll find that mobile websites will be a standard feature of most websites due to the phenomenal growth of smart phone technology and usage. To have one built for you:

Mobile Website Marketing for Beginners

The Web made a move to a new format and this time it’s smaller and on the move. With the birth of the iPhone and Android smartphones, accessing, the Internet while you’re away from the Internet became the norm. Sales of tablets caused the trend to grow to the point that customers who visit your site for will be doing it on a mobile device.

If you want your company to be on the forefront of the move towards mobile devices, you’ve got to reposition yourself as a mobile site that anyone, anywhere can access, whether it’s at a doctor’s waiting room, the subway or riding along as a passenger in a car. Consider getting a business analyst certification in order to learn the ins and outs of business tasks such as website marketing.

If you’re just making the leap to mobile marketing without formal training or education, there are some guidelines to help get you started:

• Make a Website Geared Towards Mobile Apps – That Flash introduction on your main site looks impressive. It just won’t work for a mobile user. They’re watching every byte they download on their mobile phone plan and, if they’re on the go, their coverage strength varies with every block that they walk. They simply don’t have the time or patience to download a graphics intensive site. Don’t make them type too much. The QWERTY keyboard on smart phones is tiny, even for the smallest of fingers.
  Or you can set up a site on a .mobi domain. It instantly causes you to stand out, and it makes it easy for Google’s crawler to find you as a legitimate mobile site.
• Treat Marketing Emails and Newsletters the Same – While many people are willing to open HTML rich emails from a desktop or laptop, they’re still thinking of conserving bytes when opening up any of your marketing material. Newsletters with several large images and rainbow colored hyperlinks just aren’t going to cut it. Either reduce it to text or take out the flashy media features.
• Play Nice with Social Media – People switch between their browsers, email applications, Twitter and Facebook constantly on their phones. It’s become what we do while waiting. Make sure your site is tightly integrated to interact with tweeting, sharing and liking functions for major social media sites. Few people wait till they go home to share the totally awesome thing they took a picture of with their Android today at lunch.
• Apply Different Search Methods – Mobile users use their tiny keyboards to type out smaller words and, most of the time, they’re looking for something close to them, like a Chinese restaurant. As a result, if you turn yourself into a local resource, you’re likely to attract mobile users. They also use more targeted search words, searching for “Chinese fusion restaurant” instead of just “Chinese restaurant” in order to be more efficient with their searches.

If you haven’t submitted your site to local directories, do so as soon as possible. You will turn up on a Google search as a top local site.

Repositioning yourself for mobile marketing takes learning some new strategies.  If you don’t have any formal education, such as an online advertising degree, it’s important to take some simple steps to get on board the mobile trend. If you are ready to get started, contact Local SEO Ranking Services.

Sources

mobiThinking (2012)

Heidi Cohen (2012)