An Introduction to Mobile Marketing
If you look at the metrics behind a successful marketing campaign, you can usually identify the underlying reasons for its success. It’s also clear, that over the past few years, many forward thinking companies have been able to create effective marketing strategies without breaking the bank. You might be asking yourself…how have they done it? Although each business is different, and campaigns often vary quite a bit, when it comes to marketing one thing most successful companies have in common is innovation. And in order to be innovative you need to be well informed. Which brings us to today’s topic…mobile marketing.
It’s rare to find a person who does not own a cell phone and it’s even more rare to find a person who owns a cell phone but doesn’t have it handy 24/7. So it seems logical that companies around the world are utilizing mobile marketing to promote their products and services. But what is “mobile marketing?”
According to Wikipedia, mobile marketing can refer to the following 2 categories of marketing:
- Marketing that takes place on or with a mobile device
- Marketing in a moving fashion
Today we’re going to talk a bit about marketing on a mobile device. What mobile marketing really boils down to is quite similar to email marketing. Only, in this case, potential customers will receive a short message service (SMS) on their cell phones outlining details of your company’s products, discounts, promotions, reward options, etc. Basically, everything from promotional codes to new items and in-store events can be conveyed in a short and simple text message. Customers who provide you with their phone number, either upon store checkout or at another conversion point, become eligible to receive these beneficial insights to the happenings of your business.
SMS notifications, when made via mobile marketing, can be relatively inexpensive - especially when compared to print advertising and other forms of media. Furthermore, since you reach people directly, it can also be quite lucrative. Both small and large businesses have started to use mobile marketing in order to reach customers because it is proven to work for all kinds of companies. Here are a few quick examples:
- Automotive services offer customers reminders for maintenance and send service promotions
- Entertainment businesses promote upcoming performances and offer discount coupons for tickets
- Companies like AXE have created integrated campaigns like the “little black book” mobile campaign which had great success!
Different markets also have the potential to make excellent use of mobile marketing. Since cell phone users generally keep their phones on them at all times, your communications are practically instantaneous and if you contact people who have made purchases from you in the past, you already have a targeted audience at your fingertips.
We would love to hear from you! I expect we’ll be writing many more articles about mobile communications in the future. If you have any questions, or if you have come across anything that you would like to share with our community, we encourage you to send us an email and share your thoughts!
