Bruce Hershey, Director of Mobile Marketing at Merkle, discuses the importance of marketing. As with any business, one of the first things you want to be able to do effectively is make your brand known, and get your product out there. Marketing is of course, the way to do that. Depending on your product and how you get started, you’ll want a business phone. Establishing this first line of communication is a great way to have clients get in touch with you, and keep the ball that is your business rolling. What comes next? You’ll need computers, internet, and any other form of communication you can get a hold of. You can be reached, but now it’s time for you to the reaching. This is where mobile marketing comes into play.
Why go mobile?
- Mobile marketing is inexpensive to add to the marketing plan
- It reaches out to important customers
- It can be personalized
Important figures
- Nine in 10 adults, seven in 10 teens, and one in 5 kids have mobile phones
- 98 percent of young adults ages 22-24 own mobile phones
- 70 million people use the web on mobile devices each month
- 64 of the Fortune 100 companies have a mobile strategy
Mobile’s growing usage
- Google’s mobile search has grown more than 500 percent in the past two years
- There are thousands of iOS and Android devices purchased every day
Why is mobile unique?
- The mobile phone is the only device that is turned on all day that the user carries all the time
- We are in a time where multiple channels have converged into one (mobile = phone +email+TV, etc., referred to as “mobile synthesis”)
Building a mobile strategy
- 60 percent of companies that start using mobile marketing do not have a strategy (alarming)
- Strategy is necessary to return results, measure against business goals, and measure increase in revenue
- Mobile strategy makes customers want to be engaged with the brand
Types of mobile marketing
- Mobile display advertising
- QR codes
- Digital coupons
- Location-based offers
- Mobile-tailored web sites
- Text message
- Smartphone apps
Mobile marketing successes
- Target – gives consumers the freedom of choice as to how they want engagement
- Starbucks – great integration of smartphone app with location-based marketing, reminds you when you are near a store
- K&G Fashion Superstore – implemented text offer to customers currently in the store to be used instantly, had a redemption rate of 87 percent
Using QR codes properly
- Uses include link to website, an app, a coupon, registration for newsletter, video, etc.
- Tell the user where the QR code is going to take them
- Strategy should include what your best use of QR code is
- Have back-end support prepared for when QR code response comes in
Don’t leave non-smartphone users in the dust
- Only 37% of all consumers have smartphones
- Combine QR code with SMS – allow text for a scanner if user doesn’t have a smartphone
- Must optimize website for all web-capable devices
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