Local small business guide to mobile marketing, mobile optimization, & mobile sites

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EdBisqueraandBondSocialMediaAgencyLLC

JoinusatourFacebookPagehttp://Facebook.com/BondSocialMedia

TableofContents

1. Introduction………………………………………………. 1

2. MobileDevices……………………………………………. 3

3. WhatisMobileMarketing…………………………… 5

4. MobileMarketingTrends……………………………. 7

5. WhyMobileMarketingisImportant……………. 10

6. WhoNeedsMobileMarketing…………………….. 15

7. ArePeopleUsingMobiletoBuy?………………… 18

8. WhyYouNeedaMobileFriendlyWebsites…. 19

9. MobileFriendlyWebsites……………………………. 21

10. MobileMarketingTools………………………………. 23

11. QRCodes………………………………………………….…. 27

12. Summary…………………………………………………….. 29

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Introduction

Okay,let’sfaceit!Mobilephones,smartphones(Blackberry,Android,iPhone,etc)yes,they’reheretostay!

They’vegonefromthebrick‐sizedversionthatweighedaton,tothestylish,chicversionthatfitsinanypocketandgoeswithyoueverywhere.Youliterallywon’tleavehomewithoutit!Infact,you’llturnaroundandgobackhomeforit.Mobilephonesareeverywhereandareinthehandsofconsumersofallages!

MobileMarketing,anewmarketingtrend,istheresultofthegrowthintheuseofmobilephonesandothermobiledevices.

I’vewrittenthisguideforthebusinessownerwhoisreadytotakeadvantageofthisnewmarketingtrendthatissettotakeofflikearocket.Mobilemarketingisforthebusinessownerwhowantstobeaheadofthetrend‐insteadoftrailingitlongafterit’sbeenaroundforyearsandusedsuccessfullybyothers.

Ifyouownasalon,acoffeeshop,anautorepairshop,apizzashoporanyotherlocalbusiness,youknowthataregularpayingcustomerisworthmoretoyouthanacustomeryouhavetoacquire.Youmaynot,however,haveanywayofkeepingtrackofyourcustomers–whotheyare,howmanyofthemyouhave,whattheybuywhentheycomeintoyourshopandtherefore,youhaven’tbeenmarketingdirectlytothem.

Youdoyourmarketingtheold‐fashionedshotgunway–blastthemarketwithadvertising,hopingyou’reaimingattherightpotentialcustomerswhoneedyourproductorservice.

Inthisreport,we’regoingtofocusonlasertargetingyourmarketingtoyourlocalcustomerbaseinanaffordable,veryeffectiveway–usingmobiletextmessagemarketingtosendthemwhattheywantandgetthemtalkingaboutyouandcomingtoyourbusiness.

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Wewillcoverthefollowingtopics:

• Mobiledevices

• Whatmobilemarketingisandwhatmobilemarketingisn’t.

• Trendsinmobilemarketing

• Whyyou,asabusinessowner,shouldbeveryconcernedaboutmobilemarketing.

• Whoneedsmobilemarketing

• Mobilefriendlywebsites

• Mobilemarketingtools


WhatisaMobileDevice?

Amobiledeviceisawireless‐enabledcomputingorcommunicationsdevicethatwillmaintainitsfunctionwhileonthemove.Ittravelswithyouanywhereyougo.

Mobiledevicesincludetwobasictypesofdevices:phonesandnon‐phonemobile‐enableddevices.

Thefeaturephoneisthebasicmobiledevicewe’reallfamiliarwith.Featurephonesmakeupabout75%ofmobilephonesanditisimportanttorealizethat.Thesephonesarelimitedintheircapabilitiesandthereforetheyplacelimitsonthestrategiesthatcanbeusedtomarkettothem.Wecanreachcustomerswhocarryfeaturephonesusingtextmessaging(SMS),multi‐mediamessaging

(MMS),voiceandlimitedmobileinternet.

Thesmartphoneisanewdevicewhichcombinesthefunctionalityofaphonewithfeaturesweusuallyassociatewithapersonalcomputer,suchastheinternetandemail.Mostofthesephonesalsohaveacamera.

Thisisanexcitingcategorytomarketto,butit’simportanttorememberthatsincesmartphonesrepresentonly25%ofthemarket,featurephonesarestillthemajorityofphonesbeingused.Wewanttorememberthemajorityofphoneshaveamorelimitedaccesswhenwecreateourmarketingcampaigns.

Theconnecteddeviceisthethirdcategorywewanttoknowabout.ThisdeviceisnotaphoneandincludesiPads,e‐readers(Kindle,Nook)andportablegamingdevices.Weareabletomarkettothesedevicesaswell.

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IDC.com–July14,2010‐Smartphones,orMobiledevices,willsoonbecomethedominantcomputingplatformforhumanityandsupplantthePC.


WhatisMobileMarketing?

AccordingtotheMobileMarketingAssociation,mobilemarketingis

“asetofpracticesthatenableorganizationstocommunicateandengagewiththeiraudienceinaninteractiveandrelevantmannerthroughanymobiledeviceornetwork.”

KimDushinski,amobilemarketingexpert,enhancesthisdescription:

“MobilemarketingisbusinessesCOMMUNICATINGwithconsumersontheirmobilephoneswiththeirexplicitpermissionattherighttime,attherightplacewhileprovidingrelevantvalue.”

Thekeytobothofthesedefinitionsisthatbusinessesarecommunicatingwithconsumers–thisisnotaone‐waymessageorapushmarketingcampaign.Youareinvitingconsumerstoinitiatecontactwithyoubycallingortextingyou(knownas“opting‐in”),givingyoupermissiontocommunicatewiththem.

You,inreturn,willbeprovidingsomethingofvaluetothem.Thismaybebasedontheknowledgeyou’veacquiredaboutyourcustomersandthatistheexcitingaspectofthistypeofmarketing.Customershaverequestedyourresponseand

thatresponsewillbereceivedwithanticipation,oftenresultinginaction.

AWordofCaution:MobileMarketingisaNOSPAMZone!YoudoNOTwanttosendunwantedmessagestoanyone!Mobilemarketingisusingmobiledevicesasthemethodtodistributeyourmarketingmessage.

Itisjustonetoolinyourarsenalofmarketingstrategies.

Whilemobilemarketingisaverypowerfultool,itshouldbeusedinadditiontotheothermarketingtechniquesyou’realreadyusing.

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Youneverwanttocountonjustonemarketingstrategytogetyourmessageout.

TheInternationalTelecommunicationsUnion(ITU)hasfound.

AccordingtotheUnitedNations‐runorganization,awhopping6.1trilliontextmessageswillbesentbytheendof2010.Thatfigure,whichhastripledinthepastthreeyears,meanspeople

aroundtheglobearesending200,000textmessageseverysecond.


MobileMarketingTrends

Mobilemarketingisexperiencingtremendousgrowthglobally.Itisestimatedthatby2012,10trilliontextmessageswillbesentanddeliveredtomobilephones.

Mobilemarketingisaveryacceptedmarketingstrategyinmostpartsoftheworld.Japanwasoneofthefirstcountriestoembraceit,withEuropeandotherareasfollowing.TheUnitedStateshasbeenlaggingbehindandisjustnowstartingtotakeaseriouslookatthisstrategy.

Whyismobilemarketingsoimportanttoconsiderusing?Statisticstellthestoryandyou’llbeamazed!

Astheworld’spopulationapproaches7billion,thenumberofcellphonesubscriptionscontinuestogrowandisexpectedtohavereached5billionbytheendof2010.Thisisover70%oftheworld’spopulation!

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IntheU.S.alone,over250millionAmericanscarrymobilephones–morethan80%ofthenation’spopulation.Infact,over20%ofU.S.householdsare“mobileonly.”

Now,ifyousubtracttheveryyoungpopulationandtheveryelderlypopulation(whoarenotlikelytousemobilephones)fromthetotalpopulation,youcanseethatalmosteveryoneelsehasamobilephone–everyonewhohaspurchasingpower.Thisishuge!

Ontheotherhand,therearelessthan2billioninternetusersglobally.Whichsizepopulationwouldyouratheraimyourarrowsat:2billionor5billion?

Insomepartsoftheworld,themobilephoneistheonlyconnectiontotherestoftheworld.TherearefewPCsandfewlandlines.Furthermore,withtheonsetofthesmartphones,mobilephonesarebecomingtheconnectiontotheWorldWideWeb–likeacomputercarriedbypeopleeverywheretheygo.

• About1.3billioninternetusersuseemail.

• About3billioncellphoneusersusetextmessaging.

• Bytheendof2010,6.5trilliontextmessageswillhavebeensent.


• Theglobalmobileadvertisingmarketwillbevaluedatover$16billionby2011.Source:M:Metrics,CommonShortCodes:CrackingtheMobileMarketingCode

So…whatdoallthesenumbersmean?Basically,mobilephonesarequicklybecomingthepreferredwaytocommunicatewithaconsumer,overthepersonalcomputer.SurveysshowthatemailuseonPCsisdecreasingatthesametimethattextmessagingoncellphonesisincreasingatahugerate.Advertisersarerecognizingthistrendandareplanningonputtingmoreandmoreadvertisingdollarsintothemobilemarket.Mobilephonesareheretostay.MobilephoneuseisgrowingexponentiallyandisalreadybiggerthanPCuse.Marketingtocellphoneusers,usingdifferentmarketingtools,isdefinitelyoneofthekeystoyourfuturebusinessgrowth.


WhyMobileMarketingisImportant

Mobileisnowconsideredthe7thmassmedia–theother6beingPrint,Recordings,Cinema,Radio,TelevisionandInternet.Theyarecalledmassmediabecausetheyreachoutandtouchnotonlytheelitebutalsothegreatermasses.

What’ssospecialaboutthemobileindustry,thenewestmassmedia?

Itisthefirstmassmediathatiscapableofdoingeverythingtheothersixcando.Wecanreadnewspapers,watchmovies,listentomusicandwatchTVshowsonoursmartphones.Yes,wecanevensurfthewebonmobiledevices.

Moreimportantly,mobilephoneshavebenefitsthattheother6mediadon’thave.

• Itistheonlymediathatistrulypersonalandcarriedconstantly.Mobilephonesarenotsharedwithothers–evenourspouses!

• Mobileistheonlymediawhereeachconsumercanbeidentifiedindividually–bytheirphonenumber–withadegreeofaccuracynotavailablewithanyothermedia.

• Mobileisthefirstandonlymediathatisalwayson.Messages,news,andpromotionsaredeliveredinstantlyandcanbeaccessed24/7byconsumers.

• Themobilephoneistheonlymediathatisconstantlywiththeowner.

7outof10peoplesleepwiththeirphoneswithinarm’sreach.Andyes,I’msureyou’veheardpeoplespeakingontheirphones,eveninpublicbathrooms.Peoplehavebeenknowntoreturnhometogettheirforgottenphones.Itisanincrediblyintenserelationship.Youjustdon’tleavehomewithoutit!

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• Mobilephoneshavebuilt‐inpaymentmechanisms.ClicktoBuyisHUGE!!Youcan’trunuptothemoviescreentobuyashirtyouwantorclickonyourradiotobuytheproductbeingadvertised.Evenontheinternet,youneedtosetuppaymentoptionssuchasPayPal.Liketheringtoneonyourphone?ClicktoBuy.Likethebookyouseeonyourphone?ClicktoBuy.Payformovietickets,iTunes,insuranceorpizzawithyourphone?ClicktoBuy!!

• Andthemostincrediblebenefitofmobileisallthiscanbedonewithoutwaiting–atthattimeofintenseimpulse!Noneedtopowerupthecomputer.Noneedtodownloadthepicturefromthecamera.NoneedtoturnontheplayerandinserttheDVD.Noprintingthecoupon,cuttingitoutandwalkingittothestore.Nowaitingtogotothestoretobuythebookyouwantrightnow(thankstoClicktoBuy).YoucanhaveitNOW!


Mobileisthenewestmassmediaandithasthepotentialtobecomethemostinfluentialmassmediaofalltime.Okay.You’reconvincedmobilemarketingisimportant.Buthowdoesmobilepertaintoyourbusiness?

1. Well,ifyou’reexperiencingasmallermarketingbudgetduetoeconomicconstraints,mobilemarketing,donecorrectly,canbeamoreaffordableandeffectivewaytobuildyourclientbasethantraditionalmarketing.You’resmarttoreadthisreportandlearnmoreaboutnewmarketingstrategies.

Youdefinitelywanttoconsultamobilemarketingexperttohelpyouwithyouradvertisingcampaignsandyourbusiness’mobilepresence.Theywillhelpyouavoidexpensivemistakesandasteeplearningcurve.

2. It’sbeenfoundthatallagecategoriesareaccessingemailsthroughmobilephonesinlargernumbers.Theproblemisthatemailsareoftenconsideredtobespamandnotallofthemareopened.

Ontheotherhand,click‐throughratesandconversionratesaresignificantlyhigherfortextmessagesthanemailsandinternetdisplays,despitethelattertwohavingalargerpieceofmarketingbudgets.

Evenmoresignificantly,“about90%ofalltextmessagesarereadwithinthreeminutesoftheirdelivery,andover99%ofalltextmessagesarereadbytherecipient,”accordingtoawhitepaperonconversationaladvertisingbySinglePoint.

Thisdataillustratesthattextmessagingthroughmobilephonesisbecomingthepreferredwaytoreachcustomers.Textmessagesareopenedandreadalmost100%ofthetime.


Textmessagesdon’thavetogothroughspamfilters,they’renotignoredandthey’renotautomaticallytrashed.Textcouponscanhavearedemptionrateof10‐30%becausetheyarealwaysavailableonthephone,asopposedtoemailorpapercoupons.

Asabusinessowner,youarealwaysstrivingtobecomeawareofthenewestmarketingstrategiesyoucanusetogrowyourclientbaseandincreasesales.Youwanttostandoutfromthecrowd.

Well,mobilemarketingisthenewestmarketingstrategythatcanhelpyoustandoutfromthecrowd.

It’seffectiveandaffordableanditprovidesconstantaccesstoyourcustomersbecausepeoplealwayshavetheirphoneswiththem.Youcanalsoexperienceveryquickresultsfromyourmobileadvertisingasopposedtohavingtowaitforprintadvertisingorothermethodstoreachyourclients.Inaddition,theseresultscanbetrackable.

Withmobilemarketing,youcansendmessagesaboutasaletocustomerswhohaverequestedtobecontactedaboutaparticularproductandwhenitgoesonsale.You’remorelikelytogetabetterROIonthatpieceofadvertisingthanifyoumailedoutadirectmailadtoarandomselectionofhouseholds.

AccordingtoAdvertisingAge,

“It’sclearthatretailersthatdon’tembracemobilephonetechnologyinthecomingyearwillbeleftbehind,muchasthoseretailerswhosatonthesidelinesintheearlydaysofdigitalorsocialmediaarenowplayingcatchup.”

Clearly,ifyourbusinessisn’tonthemobileweb,youarelosingclientsand,more

significantly,thoseclientsarelikelytogotoyourcompetitors!


WhoNeedsMobileMarketing?

First,letmesaythatnoteverybusinessneedsmobilemarketing.Ifyoudonothaveanadvertisingbudgetthatcanhandleexperimentationlossesfromusinganewtechnologyyou’renotfamiliarwith,youdonotneedtobedoingmobilemarketingatthis

time.

Ontheotherhand,ifyouengagetheservicesofamobilemarketingexpertwhocanhelptomitigateanysuchpotentiallosses,youshouldcertainlyconsiderusingmobilemarketing.

Inaddition,youshouldnotconsiderusingmobilemarketingifyourproductorservicefocusesprimarilyonatargetdemographicthatwouldnotbeusingmobilephones.

Manybusinesses,however,dohaveproductsorservicesthatareidealcandidatesformarketingusingmobile.

Retail,aboveandbeyond,isanichewhichcanbenefitthemostfrommobile.Anyonewitharetailbusinessshoulddefinitelyhaveamobilefriendlywebsiteandshouldtakeadvantageofmobileadvertisingstrategiesoryou’llbebehindthe8ball.

Themobilemarketingopportunitiesforaretailbusinessareendless!

Therearemanyotherbusinessnicheswhichcanbenefitgreatlyfrommobilemarketingandtheyinclude,butarenotlimitedto:

• Travel• Nonprofits• Sports• Legal• Foodandbeverage• Healthcare

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• Education• Consumerelectronics• Apparelandaccessories• Automotive• Artsandentertainment• Consumerpackagedgoods• Education• FinancialServices• Government• Homefurnishings• Media/publishing• Politics• Realestate

Imaginethebenefitsofofferingcoupons,recipes,surveys/feedbackcampaigns,fanclubs,loyaltyclubs,movietimes,ticketsales,classschedules,detailsofapropertyforsale,lastminutetraveldeals,sales,storeevents,donationsites,emergencyalerts,newpublicationsbyafavoriteauthorormusician,healthtips,carry‐outordeliveryordering,theaterlocations.

Clearly,thelistcangoonandon.Youcanmodifymanyoftheofflinepromotionsyouarealreadydoingtomakethemworkonmobile.Youcanalsocreateandexecutenewpromotionsthatdonotworkoffline.Therearenolimitstousingyourcreativitywithmobilemarketing!

It’sbeyondthescopeofthisguidetodiscussindetailallthewaysyourbusinesscanmarketusingmobile,butamobilemarketingconsultantisabletohelpyouplanyourmarketingcampaigns.


ItAllSoundsGood–ButAreTheyUsingMobiletoBuy?(ShowMeTheMoney!)

AccordingtoareportpostedbyeMarketer,mobilephoneuserelatedtobuyingactivitiesincreasedsignificantlyin2010,withanevengreaterincreaseduringthelastquarter‐the2010holidayshoppingseason.

Consumersnotonlycheckedtheirphonesforcouponsandsales,sharedgooddealswithfriendsanddidcomparisonshopping,butyes,theyboughtproductsusingtheirphones.

SmartphoneActivitiesPerformedDuringtheHolidaysAccordingtoUSSpmartphoneOwners,Dec2010

SourceGfKRoper

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WhyYouNeedaMobileFriendlyWebsite

Whenyouplanyourmobilemarketingcampaigns,youwill,atsomepoint,besendingconsumerstoyourwebsite.Ifyourwebsiteisnotmobilefriendly,consumerswillnothaveagoodexperienceandwillleaveyoursite.

Reasonswhybusinessesneedamobilefriendlywebsiteinclude:

• Peopleusetheirmobilephoneseverydaytosearchforinformationonbusinesses.

• Yourwebsiteloadsfasteronthemobilephonewhenitismobilefriendly.Peopleareusuallyinahurryandnotwillingtowaitforawebsitetoload.They’dratherclickoffandfindanothersitethatloadsfaster.

• Yourbusinessinformationiseasilyvisibletoconsumersinamobilefriendlywebsite.Youcandisplaya“ClicktoCall”buttonora“ClickforDirections”button,amenuorsimple,pertinentfeaturesofyourbusinessthatareeasilyvisibleonaphone.

• Travelersusetheirmobilephonestofindhotels,restaurantsandotherbusinesseswhenindifferentcities.Youwantyourinformationtobereadilyavailabletothosetravelers.

• Whenyouhavetwoversionsofyourwebsite,youcanofferyourinformationtotwodifferentsetsofsearchers–thoseontheroadwhoareinahurryandthosewhoaresittingathomewithtimetodoresearch.

• Amobilewebsitegivesyouanothersitetomarkettosearchenginesanddirectories,increasingyourbusiness’rankingsontheweb.

By2014,itisestimatedthathalfofAmericans’webbrowsingwillbedoneontheirmobiledevices.Itiscriticalforyoutomakesureyouhaveamobilewebpresenceandthatyourmobilewebsitesareworkingproperly.Asasavvybusinessowner,youwanttogetthejumponyourcompetitorsandnotwaittilleveryoneisusingmobilemarketing.

Yourpotentialcustomersexpectyoutohaveamobilewebsite:

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“Whenaskedwhethertheyexpectsitestheyvisitfrequentlytoprovideadedicatedmobileversion,aresounding84percentrespondedintheaffirmative.”–iCrossingStudy

You’llwanttoengagetheservicesofamobileinternetmarketingconsultanttohelpyoudomobilesearchengineoptimizationforyourmobilewebsite.Itdoesn’tmatterifyouhavea.comora.mobiwebsite.Ifitcan’tbefound–you’relosingcustomers.

TheTulsaZoowebsiteisanexcellentexampleofallthefeaturesyoucanincludeinyourmobilefriendlywebsite,inaclear,easy‐to‐readformat.

Featuresincluded:

• “DonateNow”buttonandlink• “Directions”link• “Hours&Admission”link• “Contact”link• Linktomainwebsite• Linkstocurrenteventsandexhibits


MobileFriendlyWebsites

Youknowyouneedamobilefriendlywebsite,butwhatexactlyisamobilefriendlywebsite?

Apictureisworthathousandwords.Seebelow.

.comwebsiteonaPCscreen

.com

Non‐mobilefriendlywebsitespresentobstaclestoaconsumerwhoissearchingforinformationaboutyourbusiness.ThelargePCsitesrequirescrollingandaconsumerislikelytoscrollrightpasttheinformationthey’relookingfor(phonenumbers,addresses,etc.).

.comwebsiteonamobilescreen

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.mobi

Mobilefriendlywebsitespresenttheinformationinaveryclear,easy‐to‐navigatefashionwithlinkstopertinentpages.Thereisaminimumofgraphicsandextensiveinformation.

.mobiwebsiteonamobilescreen

PleaseNote:Lessthan1%of.com,.netand.orgsitesaremobilewebfriendly.Thismeansthere’sa99%chanceyourwebsiteisn’tmobilefriendly!

Amobilemarketingexpertcanhelpyoucreateamobileversionofyourcurrentwebsite.


MobileMarketingTools

Okay.Itworks.Youthinkit’sworthconsideringusingmobilemarketing.

Howdoyoudoit?

First,youneedtodecidewhichstrategyyou’llbeusingtogetyourmessageoutandthenyoucancraftyourmessagetofitthestrategy.

Thereareseveralmobilemarketingstrategies/toolsyoucanusetoreachyourcustomersontheirmobiledevicesandwe’lllistthemhere.It’sbeyondthescopeofthisreporttogointoextremedetailforeach.Yourmobilemarketingconsultantwillbeabletohelpyoumaketherightchoicesforyourbusiness.

TextMessaging(SMS)

SMSstandsforShortMessageService,alsoknownastextmessages.Mostcellphonesarecapableofsendingandreceivingtextmessages.You’relimitedto140charactersandthatisenoughtogetashortmessageout,linktoawebsiteorsendoutacoupon.

We’vealreadytalkedaboutthegreatopenratesandconversionratesfortextmessages.Thisisdefinitelyonestrategyyou’llwanttokeepinmindwhensettingupyourmobilemarketingcampaigns.

MultimediaMessagingService(MMS)

Inadditiontosendingtext,youcanalsosendaudio,picturesandvideoinanMMSmessage.Youcangetquitecreativeherewithyourmarketingmessageanddistributeiteasilythroughphones.

MobileE‐Mail

Despitetheincreaseinpopularityoftextmessaging,emailsarestillagreatwaytogetamessageout.You’llobservepeoplecheckingtheiremailsalldaylong,ina

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varietyoflocations,becausetheyhavetheirmobilephoneswiththem.Thisisanaffordableandacceptablewaytomarketviamobile.

MobileInternetSites

Theincreaseinsmartphoneswhichhavetheabilitytosurfthewebmeansthatyourwebsiteshouldbeformattedtobemobilefriendly.Peopleonthegotendtosearchforbasicinformation,suchasphonenumbers,addresses,andhoursofoperation.They’retryingtomakequickdecisionsanddonotusuallyhavethetimetoreadacomplicatedwebsitewhenonthego.Youneedtomakesureyouhaveappropriate,easilyfindableinformationonyourmobilefriendlywebsite.

MobileApplications

Mobileapplicationsarecomputerprogramsthatareinstalledonmobilephones.Theyareusedtoprovidecapabilities,suchaslookingatacheckingaccountbalanceorplayingagame.Applicationscanalsoincludeyourmarketingmessage.Theycanbeagreatwaytogetyourmessageout.

InteractiveVoiceResponse(IVR)

Withallthecapabilitiesavailableonthemobilephonesoftoday,wemightforgetthattheirprimarypurposeistomakeandreceivevoicephonecalls.IVRtechnologyallowsustosendandreceivevoicecallsfrompeoplewithouthavingalivepersonanswerthephoneatyourend.

MobileSocialMedia

Socialmediahasbeenadrivingforceinthegrowthofsmartphones.It’sveryeasyforfolkstoparticipateinsocialmediaconversationsthroughoutthedayusingtheirphones.Youcantakeadvantageofthistrendbyincorporatingamobilesocialmediastrategyinyourmarketing.


MobileAdvertising

Mobilephonespresentagreatopportunitytoadvertisetoabroadpotentialcustomerbase,inadditiontoyourtargetedcustomerbase.Google,recognizingtheimportanceofthemobileindustry,recentlyboughtAdMob,amobileadvertisingplatform.YouknowifGooglethinksit’simportant,weshouldalsopayattention.

Mobileadvertisinginvolvesplacingadsinmobileapplications,onwebsites,andintextmessages,tonameafew.

MobileCommerce

Itispossibletoarrangeforanimmediatepurchaseofnotonlydigitaldownloadableproducts,butalsoofretailproductsusingyourmobilephone.Yourmobilephonecanliterallybeusedasadigitalwalletusingbarcodescannersandmobilepointofsalesystems.You’llwanttoconsidersettingupamobilecommerceprogram,ifyousellanyproductswhichcanbedownloadedorshippedout.

ProximityMarketing

Mobilephonesarecapableofshowingtheexactgeo‐locationofthepersonusingthephone.Thiscapabilitycanbeusedtotargetbuyersinspecificgeographiclocationswithmessagesappropriatetotheirlocation(e.g.mallstoresofferingcouponstomallshoppersorrestaurantstextinga2for1dinnerspecialtothoseintheirvicinity).Thistypeofmarketingisreceivingattentionbecauseofthepotentialfortimingthepromotionsasneeded(e.g.slowdayforarestaurantorclearancesaleinastore).

Thegeo‐locationcapabilitiesofphonesareagreatreasontofocusonlocalinternetmarketingforyourbusiness.Youdefinitelywantyourmobilewebsitetobefoundwhenconsumersaresearchingforalocalbusinesstogoto.Youalsowanttoinviteconsumerstocommunicatewithyou,whentheyfindyourwebsitebecauseofyourgreatlocalwebpresence.


Alocalinternetmarketingconsultantcanhelpyouwithyourlocalinternetmarketingprogram.

Mobile‐EnabledTraditionalMedia

Mobilemarketingcanonlybedonewiththeexpresspermissionofyourcustomer.Youcanusetraditionalmediatoinvitethemtoopt‐intoyourlist.AnexampleofthiswouldbeasigninyourstorewindowornearthecashregisterinvitingthecustomertotexttoanumberwhichwillrespondwithacouponcodeorscanaQRcodewhichwilltakethemtoawebpagewheretheycanopt‐in.

QRCodes

QRCodeswillbeexplainedinthenextsection.


QRCodes

QRCodesareagreatmobiletooltouseandtheydeservesomeexplanation.

TheQRCodeisabarcodethatwasdevelopedinJapanandiscommonlyusedinmuchoftheworld.

QRstandsforQuickResponse.

IfyouhaveaQRscanneronyoursmartphone,youcanscanthecodeonthispage.

ThedifferencebetweenaregularbarcodeandtheQRcodeisthattheQRCodestoresdatawhichcanbereaddigitally.TheQRcodeisreadbyscannersinstoresorbyusingthecameraandaQRcodereader(availablefree)thatisinstalledonyoursmartphone.

AQRCodecanbeusedtoprovidealinktoawebpage,acouponordetailsonanewproductandcanbeprintedonanything–event‐shirts!TheusesforaQRCodeareendless.

QRCodesareusedextensivelyoutsideoftheU.S.andarebeginningtocatchonhere,too.I’malreadyseeingtheminprintadvertisinginmagazines,onstorewindows,insomedirectoriesandonotherwebsites.Youcanaddthemtoanyprintadvertisingsuchasbusinesscards,tovideos,andtoanythingelseyoucanthinkof.Whenscanned,itwillprovideatextmessage,takesomeonedirectlytoyourwebsiteorlinktowhateverelseyoudecidetosendthemto.

InJapan,McDonald’sincludesQRcodesontheirproductpackaging(HappyMealboxes,sandwichwrappers).MagazinesareincorporatingQRcodesintotheirprintadvertising.CanyouthinkofhowyoumightuseaQRCode?

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YoucandownloadyourGooglePlacesQRCodefromyourGooglePlacesDashboard.TheGooglePlacesQRCodelinkstoyourPlaceslisting,whichprovidesimportantinformationaboutyourbusiness.

SomeonewhoisfamiliarwithQRCodeswillappreciateusingthem.IfsomeoneisnotfamiliarwithQRCodes,they’llaskaboutthemwhenthey’reinyourstore–openinguplinesofcommunication.

QRCodesareagreattoolforinvitingaconsumertoopt‐intoyourlist,inexchangeforsomethingofvalue(coupon,salesevents,linktoadownload).

You’llbeseeingmoreandmoreQRCodesandyou’llbeusingthemyourselfinyourmobilemarketingcampaigns.


Summary

Mobileisthenewestmassmediawiththegreatestcapabilitiesandgreatestmarketingpotentialforthebusinesscommunity.Mobilephoneuseisgrowingatarapidpaceandthisgrowthreflectsagrowingcustomer

base,whichabusinesscanpotentiallytapinto.

IfyoucanimaginewhatitwaslikebackwhenTVwasinfringingonradioandtheexplosionthatresultedfromthat,you’llrealizethatmobileisinfringingontheinternetandthereisanexplosioncomingfromthat.

Areyoureadyforthemobileexplosion?

Therearetwothingsyoucandorightnowtomakeyourbusinessmobile.

1. Createamobilefriendlywebsite.25%ofthepopulationhasasmartphoneandtheycanaccessyourwebsite.

2. Startatextmessagemarketingprogram.Themajorityofpeoplehave

mobilephoneswhichcanreceivetextmessages.Thisisadirect,personalandcost‐effectivewaytocommunicatewithconsumers.

Thereareseveralinexpensivetextmessagemarketingplansavailabletosmallbusinessowners,somestartingaslowas$10amonth.Youwanttobecarefultoprovidevaluetoyourcustomerswhenyoutextthem.Aseasilyastheyopted‐in,consumerscanopt‐outbytextingSTOPiftheyfeelyourtextmessagearespam.

Textmessagemarketingisanincrediblemarketingopportunityforsmallbusinesses.Ifyoucantype,youcansendatextmessage.

Themobileindustry,asawhole,isnotunderstoodbymanyandisinaconstantstateofchange.Consideringthemultitudeofmarketingtoolsavailableinmobile,

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asabusinessowner,youneedtoseriouslyconsiderusingexpertsinthemobilemarketingfieldtomakethebestuseofyourmarketingdollarsandtime.

Don’twaittillit’stoolate!GoMobileNow!

BondSocialMediaAgencyishappytomeetwithyoutodiscussyourmobileinternet,socialmediaandvideomarketingneeds.

Youcanreachusat(360)597‐8283orviaemailat:[email protected]

BondSocialMediaAgencyLLC

Portland,OR|Vancouver,WA|Olympia,WA

www.BondSocialMedia.com/mobilemarketing

Local small business guide to mobile marketing, mobile optimization, & mobile sites

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