Social Marketing is so 2008. Mobile Marketing so 3008.
Most likely, marketers are aware of the next big wave (or band wagon) we are going to experience: Mobil Marketing. That is probably not a big surprise. However, my husband, a finance guy, shared an 'Early Look" article from a financial analyst, Rebecca F. Runkle, Managing Director at ResearchEdge stating the following:
"The Mobile Internet has the power to pull us out of the current economic downturn. That's how powerful this innovation cycle is and will be over the coming years. It will impact every consumer with an Internet-enabled mobile phone (meaning everyone) and it will alter the way every business does business."
A few points came to mind I would like to share:
- I've been hearing and reading about Mobile for quite some time and knew a year ago this was the next 'thing'. This may be new to functions outside of the marketing or product development departments. Made me realize, marketing really IS at the forefront of understanding implications to various technology on reaching and connecting people. Not every channel is right for every company, but marketers are generally the first in an organization to know "what's out there".
- Whether mobile is right for your business now, or in the future, you may want to start thinking about capturing mobile phone numbers from your customers now. That way, if and when you are ready, you have the database.
- A note to dumb marketers: Please don't ruin it for the rest of us. While discussing mobile technology marketing applications with my marketing classes, the students first reaction was, "Ugh. That is going to be such a bother." Their first thought was mobile spam.
And they are right. So, for those marketers finding mobile technology an important tactic in the toolbox, please tread forth respecting your customers and prospects. Understand your message isn't the biggest thing in a person's life. If you send a mobile message, PLEASE be relevant. Make sure it is something they asked to receive and that it is valuable information.
Example: One student had a great experience with mobile text messages from the Chicago Blackhawks. She said every message has a point or great offers or great information. Another student had a terrible experience with a company I will not name. She said the company bombarded her with 'stupid' messages. So, she unsubscribed.
The utility of mobile applications can be great if marketers act responsibly and smart. Otherwise, your unsubscribe rates will soar and you will have to work 10 times as hard to get them to reconnect.
I guess that is my lesson for the day.
What do you think?
Jackie
Categories: social marketing,marketing tips,strategies,mobile marketing
Tags: mobile marketing marketing tactics
I have a couple comments:
1. Mobile is a platform, not a channel. The user elects HOW to access their channel. Having said that, think about how your message or application may need to be tweaked to perform well via mobile. Many sites automatically identify the platform and provide the correct content based on that (Huffington Post, NYTimes, Google).
2. On the issue of CRM and mobile, I woudl vote for total OPT IN as it applies to mobile numbers. Spam texts are annoying and (for some) expensive. USe Twitter or another social media outlet to send out blind offers. COnversely, with OPT IN, some users may WANT direct texts or roto calls to keep them current.
Yes, mobile is important. Even more important are the potential technological advances that will happen with mobile in the next few years:
- expanded web capabilites for smartfones
- Max Fi / 4G networks
- WiFi tablets and netbooks
Dont let your strategy sprout roots. It will need to be agile and flexible, and able to shift as the tools and platforms shift.
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The internet is moving off the desktop. For the first time, laptops are outselling desktops but growing faster than both are web-enabled phones.
Mobile phones are the fastest-selling consumer electronics in the history of the planet. The "convergence" debate used to be over whether TV or the PC would be the interactive entertainment device of the future. But the crown may well belong to the web-enabled phone.
It's to be expected that marketers would jump on the opportunity for good or bad. Your comments and student experiences are evidence of the use and abuse that can be expected. History tells us that there will be a flood of scatter-gun marketing programs that will flood our phones with useless messages.
The applications are endless for good and for marketing. Dunkin Donuts application that uses the GPS features of your phone to find the closest Dunkin Donuts is useful. Uses that same feature to text a person walking into a Dunkin Donuts with a message from Starbucks is invasive.
All I have to do is look at my 16 year old daughter to see where we are headed. She does everything with her phone, and uses a computer for homework.
In the development of my e-commerce business model, we see mobile marketing as a key component of our marketing strategy into the future. It can not be denied as the number of web-enabled phones continues to climb and the cost of cellular service declines.
Paul
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Excellent blog, plus I agree with Tom, but will now expand. I presented a speech earlier this year titled Cell Me The Snacks. Mobile marketing is on the edge, but it is clear that the younger demographic has a higher retention of fielding a message and responding to a call to action. However, if spam is the issue, then marketers can align with services people subscribe to wanting to be short coded about promotions or impluse purchases. One service that comes to mind for your DePaul students is Mobile Campus out of Atlanta. Good stuff.
Keep on skating to where the puck is going to be Jackie re: Mobile Marketing. $2.8 billion market today. $14 billion market by 2012. Just follow Coke and what they are doing.
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Example: One student had a great experience with mobile text messages from the Chicago Blackhawks. She said every message has a point or great offers or great information. Another student had a terrible experience with a company I will not name. She said the company bombarded her with 'stupid' messages. So, she unsubscribed.
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Such a nice post
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Mobile Marketing is NOW marketing. It's a global niche. Think about that for a minute... whoa.
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I really like this website this is the good post and really amazing topic that is discussed over here.
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