The Color of a Mobile Message
Media Quiz 1990: What is black and white and red (read) all over? A newspaper.
Media Quiz 2000: What is black and white and red (read) by 20% of recipients? An e-mail.
Media Quiz 2010: What is black and white and red (read) by 99% of recipients? A text message!
Mobile marketing is thriving and its use by direct marketers and major brands is continuing to grow for good reason. No one leaves home without their cell phone. There is about a 99% open rate for mobile marketing compared to an average of 10% for e-mail marketing. Mobile marketing can be used in many ways, including a mobile-generated push to opt-in mobile subscribers, or to create a vertical lift in any e-mail or direct mail campaigns.
Text messaging, while new to some marketers, is bringing in lots of new customers daily to others. Text messaging is all about reaching the appropriate audience with a relevant message and timely offer that they can respond to immediately. And the mobile marketplace is generating new technologies that are still cutting edge. There are the two different types of mobile marketing, and several new technologies are being developed to complement marketing to mobile phones.
Push campaigns are used by about 80% of mobile marketing advertising campaigns. In push campaigns. the mobile subscriber will get a text message (about 160 characters). The subscriber will then click on the message and the call to action is to drive traffic to the Web site either by downloading a coupon or dial to a call center. Push campaigns must be sent only to opt-in mobile subscribers, and must allow for the consumer to opt-out to any future mobile campaigns. This type of advertising provides for great offer visibility, as almost 100% of people will open and view a message on their mobile phone.
Mobile marketing is very popular among ages 18-35 year olds who are comfortable with digital marketing. These young consumers are always looking at their cell phones and will respond to most offers. When using this type of advertising, it is important to make the offer timely, relevant, and easy to respond to, as there is a much smaller screen to get your message across than with e-mail messages and direct mail, so adjust your offer accordingly.
Pull campaigns are a form of mobile marketing that involves the consumer texting a “keyword” to a short code to opt-in to receive additional information from that client. Short codes are five or six digit numbers that have been assigned by all mobile operators for the use of brand campaigns and other consumer services. Brands have begun to treat mobile short codes as a means of marketing. The consumer can be alerted to the offer, keyword and short code via a billboard, TV commercial, direct mail piece, radio advertisement, e-mail campaign, Web site or more.
This type of marketing is very interactive and is viewed as extremely non-invasive to the consumer. That is why this type of marketing is a good choice for companies that may be hesitant to send out a mobile message due to privacy concerns, while still allowing the company to generate an opt-in customer and/or prospect mobile list for future promotions.
BlueTooth proximity marketing is retail marketing on steroids. Picture yourself walking in a mall, browsing the shops, when your phone vibrates with a message. It is offering you a discount at one of the stores that is just ahead, asking your permission to send a coupon your way. The offer is relevant to where you are and very easy to show your coupon on your phone and redeem. How did the store know you were approaching their entrance?
BlueTooth proximity marketing delivers permission-based marketing messages as you are entering a store zone of about 150 to 300 feet. Messages are received by local cell phone users via BlueTooth, with or without an Internet connection or cell phone service. This mobile media technology can be used by restaurants, retail stores, entertainment, attractions, event marketing, trade show advertisers and more.
Do you think mobile marketing is just for texting? Think again. Another cutting-edge new technology can help to optimize e-mail marketing campaigns by enabling easy viewing and response to an e-mail on a mobile phone. The majority of e-mail recipients may read their e-mails on their mobile phone. Mobile audiences are growing, but reading and responding to e-mails on your mobile device can be a challenge. You can increase mobile audience engagement by utilizing mobile-friendly e-mail layout and navigation. Mobile Web technology offers mobile friendly e-mail landing pages, maximizing the value for advertisers.
These are just some of the ways that marketers can incorporate mobile strategies into their overall branding or direct marketing campaigns. Remember to keep one eye on your phone and your other eye on the possibilities that mobile marketing offers.
Amy Benicewicz is president of Listbargains.com. Sharon Probst is senior account director at Foundation Media Group.
