Mobile Marketing

By Pat Smith

Mobile marketing is the latest trend in online marketing strategies. With over 5 billion cell phone users worldwide, this marketing medium can help companies explode their sales and turn their brand into a household name.

Although mobile marketing is an exciting venue, this is still a relatively new online marketing strategy. Business owners will need to become educated about how mobile marketing works, how to apply it to their business, and carefully monitor results. As with any marketing campaign, results should be tested, tweaked, and tested again to ensure marketing dollars aren't wasted.

There are many ways to incorporate mobile marketing into your business plan. However, before implanting this online marketing strategy it is crucial to understand FTC regulations. Cell phones are a very intimate P2P communication tool and companies must tread carefully to avoid intruding into the personal lives of their customers.

Mobile devices allow companies to send targeted offers to customers who opt-in. Businesses can send money-saving coupons and discounts, private sale announcements, or notification of flash sales which require consumers to act quickly to receive a hot product or discounted service.

Mobile marketing can also be used to generate sales leads, build brand recognition, develop P2P and B2B relationships, or offer free mobile apps, ring tones, wallpapers, or games.

When developing your mobile marketing plan determine your goals before spending one penny. Do you want to create viral campaigns that set off a frenzy in a short period of time? Do you want to engage in streaming campaigns that build upon the last marketing message? Do you want to use mobile advertising to build or brand or as a direct marketing tool?

It's important to establish a budget and allocate sufficient staff to develop and monitor ad campaigns. If you don't have the time or resources to manage all aspects of mobile marketing, there is no point in going down this path.

A good solution for entering into mobile marketing on a trial basis is to work with an online marketing agency. Working with experts is a great way to learn the ropes, but if you have no desire to learn the intricacies you can always turn the project over to the ad agency.

Advertising Age Editor, David Berkowitz states, "It's critical to understand your audience and how they are using mobile when creating your plan." He recommends considering how consumers use their cell phones; i.e.; texting, surfing the web, playing games, taking photos, or using social media. There are multiple ways to deliver marketing messages via mobile devices, so give serious thought as to how your customers use their phones.

Venturing into the mobile marketing arena without conducting research and creating a plan can be costly. This advertising method is virtually untapped. Those who take time to harness its power could potentially dominate their niche. If this is the direction you want to take your business, we should talk.

At Online Marketing DNA, we work with an elite group of visionary business owners. They know mobile marketing is the next frontier and they are ready to jump to the forefront of this advertising goldmine. If you're a pioneer ready to pave the way into new frontiers, we're here to help you master mobile marketing advertising.

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Published on December 17, 2010

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