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