Aug
Making the Most of Mobile Marketing
A recent comment left by a reader of this blog asked that I put together something more direct about mobile marketing. I figured it would be a good topic to cover because I am a big believer in mobile marketing. In fact, I recently took ownership in a small start up called DrinkersList. It’s a bar marketing platform that has evolved into a fully integrated mobile, email, and social media marketing solution for bars and restaurants.
Here is a screenshot from my iPhone that shows how bars can market to their patrons.
These are not the only types of businesses that can benefit however, and this is not the only means of mobile marketing.
As people rely more and more heavily on mobile devices for web access rather than surfing at their desks, business marketing strategies must evolve in order to continue reaching audiences with their messages. SMS, or text message marketing has begun to fill this niche and now, with the introduction of Google’s new mobile ad campaign and Apple’s iAd, businesses can expect expanded mobile advertising options.
Choose Your Ad Platform
Google’s mobile advertising platform allows you to target specific audiences with keywords and with contextual targeting. As users browse the web, they will see ads relevant to the topic on which they are currently searching. Campaigns can be created for standard mobile phones or for higher end devices. Using a combination of text ads and display ads, you can reach the greatest portion of your target audience as they search the mobile web and visit mobile websites.
Google’s greatest competitor is the Apple iAd platform. iAd places mobile ads inside apps, enabling users to view advertisements without being redirected to a website. Ads can also be contextualized, making them relevant to the content the user is currently viewing.
Encourage Customer Interaction
As customers become more familiar with mobile marketing, they’ll expect greater relevance as well as the ability to interact with marketing messages. As you build your strategy, encourage people to engage with your brand by offering relevant content and giving the user a benefit-rich experience. Once a person has clicked on your ad, keep the conversation going by directing him to a mobile friendly website that offers seamless continuation of the conversation while also providing value in the ad experience. The user should feel engaged in your message as you encourage dialogue in order to build brand loyalty.
Be Willing to Grow
Mobile marketing sees new developments continually. As technology offers more marketing options, your business should be willing to adapt your strategy. This doesn’t mean you should jump on every marketing bandwagon that comes along, but it does mean that you shouldn’t become too dependent on any one idea. Choosing one technique to master can offer greater benefits than trying to merge ten techniques into a single campaign without doing any of them well. When your one idea evolves, however, be willing to evolve with it.
Mobile marketing gives your business the opportunity to reach customers with relevant content no matter where they are. By targeting specific customer niches with mobile specific ad campaigns, you’ll see a greater return on investment that will carry your business into the future of marketing.
How are you investing in mobile marketing? Is there something holding you back? If so, what are your concerns?
Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.Related posts:
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DrinkersList seems like an interesting platform. Obviously the bars pay for it, but is there a membership fee for the users? Is there a Foursquare like component to it? I wrote a blog a while ago about Foursquare for bars and restaurants http://www.synactable.com/blog/charleston-sc/trevor-b-reed/foursquare/, let me know what you think. I completely agree that mobile marketing is here to stay, and the faster companies adapt, the better. Also, what do you think about QR-Codes for marketing purposes?
Trevor B. Reed@ Charleston Marketing Firm´s last [type] ..Vs Dofollow-A Nofollow Link Solution
The phone is considered the third screen after TV and PC, and it’s only normal that things will evolve in this direction. My concern is how much is too much? SMS, ads, ads inside apps, somehow it feels like spamming…
I am sure there will come a time when the market decides enough is enough and some forms of advertisements fall off. When TV started, commercials were highly effective. Now, consumers have become desensitized and new advertising outlets are needed.
Trevor B. Reed@ Charleston Marketing Firm´s last [type] ..Vs Dofollow-A Nofollow Link Solution
Thats right about commercials, which makes now the time to get in on mobile marketing. I do believe that the platform will last, but those to embrace it first are more likely to see the most benefits.
I completely agree that now is the time to get in on mobile marketing. I am really looking for someone who can
1. Combine all mobile check-in services
2. Make it automatic
3. Make it functional so I don’t auto check-in to places I don’t want to
4. Provide a value to the user by way of promotions, incentives, etc.
5. Make it fun!
If a company can do that, they will be sitting on a gold mine (Trebek)
Trevor B. Reed @Charleston Marketing Firm´s last [type] ..No Problem! Social Networking Rises Above Search Engines
Mobile marketing will be the thing next to online marketing. All of us has a mobile phone, our mobile phone can access online. So this is now best upcoming medium in marketing.
Hey,
Mobile marketing is definitely the in thing right now and with smart phones, like iphone, there so many apps being created to help us with it.
Thanks for the share.
wow good post. With all the people useing powerful mobiles these days it’s a good target.
I like the GO section – Mobile marketing gives your business the opportunity to reach customers with relevant content no matter where they are.
Thanks for sharing this.
Mobile marketing is the newest technique in marketing and this require a enough patience to master. Once you master this technique, it is quite rewarding since it is rare to find a someone who does not have a mobile phone.