Interruption, Irrelevance and Other Habits to Avoid in Mobile

Mobile marketing is like the game Operation. If you’re spot-on, you make a vital connection with your consumer. If you miss, even by a little, the buzzer goes off, your customer lights up and you lose, not only for this transaction, but maybe for the life of the consumer.

While sitting at home for dinner recently, I got an alert on my phone from my American Express App telling me I’m right near an Italian restaurant in town. Naturally, I think, “why does American Express care? I’m already a loyal customer to their cards.” But I move on and decide to turn off that function. Well, after ten minutes of searching in notifications and other settings, I come to the conclusion that there is no way to turn off the notice. The difficulty in opting out coupled with the fact that I never said I wanted them to notify me could only lead to one thing: I deleted the app.

With mobile usage at an all time high, stories like this one are happening every day, making it a tricky channel for marketers and increasing the need to get it right when it comes to mobile engagement. Here are some questions to ask yourself while you’re developing your mobile strategy:

Did the customer ask to be notified? Whether it’s through an opt-in or an app download, make sure you’re reaching out to customers who are eager to hear from you.

Is my message relevant for that consumer/persona? Using data to drive your messaging will help you hit the target in a timely, meaningful way. A message about a nearby restaurant is less impactful when I’m at home than if I’m at a meeting across town just before lunchtime.

Is there a way within the notification or via text to turn off or limit notifications? If you’re successfully optimizing the mobile channel, it’s not likely customers will want to silence you but customers like to be in control, especially in a space as personal as mobile, so give them some freedom to decide how often they want to hear from you.

Are you creeping out your customers? Beware of automation! Does your offer make sense? Is it well-timed? Mobile is sacred ground for consumers. Tread lightly.

Marketers are scrambling to establish best practices for mobile, particularly when it comes to loyalty. This is a prominent channel but with high risk attached to it. That is, if you’re going to ping customers in the most present, targeted way to reach them, your messaging better be spot on and, most of all, of value to them. And moreover, the consumer needs to feel in control of the engagement process.

Without a carefully thought out strategy that is segmented based on the consumer type, lifestyle, and their technology adoption, more firms are going to find their apps being deleted.  The result? Creating more distance between the consumer and the brand in a space that has the potential to greatly increase engagement.

Article Source: http://www.plurismarketing.com/interruption-irrelevance-and-other-habits-to-avoid-in-mobile/

New Mobile Possibilities Force Marketers to Check Into Local

For at least a decade, the internet’s “local opportunity” has been “emerging.” But while it remains elusive and unrealized from an advertising standpoint, from the perspective of consumer behavior, “local” has been the most important but least understood phenomenon online.

Marketers haven’t seen “local” clearly or known how to address it. But the rise of mobile and location-based services (LBS) is starting to reveal the importance of local and is helping marketers better understand — and track — the already existing online-offline connection.

Check-ins and mobile loyalty programs are giving marketers tracking tools they’ve lacked previously, and companies such as Foursquare, Gowalla and ShopKick are showing new possibilities to national and local businesses. But they by no means define the local-mobile opportunity.

Forrester Research recently published a survey that found “only 4% of U.S. online adults have used location-based applications.” That kind of data argues that location-based “check-in” services are a sideshow in mobile — an over-hyped phenomenon with limited reach and impact.

But the fact that most people aren’t “checking in” obscures and distracts us from the larger online-offline consumer-behavior pattern at the heart of the local opportunity. Discussions that focus on local advertising are important, but they often obscure this profound consumer-buying pattern: Local is ultimately about the point of sale. And mobile brings the internet to the point of sale.

Marketers spend roughly $100 billion a year on traditional media to reach consumers in specific geographic markets through direct mail, newspapers, directories, cable and outdoor. That spending is dominated by “national-local” entities (e.g., retailers, franchise brands) and largely excludes the $50 billion that U.S. small businesses spend on marketing annually, per Magna Global. Meanwhile, consumers drop almost $4 trillion in retail spending each year, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, and more than 95% of it is offline. Between 80% and 90% of consumers routinely consult the web before making purchases in physical stores. All this varies by category, but the internet’s influence over offline buying is unmistakable.

Local marketing online has really never had that “search to store” visibility.

Local-mobile ad networks such as Where, LocalAdXchange, Chitika and IAC’s CityGrid report response metrics that exceed online and traditional media, sometimes dramatically. For example, coupon redemption rates in print hover around 1%, while online can often hit 10% or more. Mobile coupon redemption rates can exceed 20%.

Location adds relevance (and personalization) to advertising and especially mobile advertising, which is why response rates are much higher.

Chitika analyzed more than 5 million searches and found that local queries on the PC generate 38% more click-throughs than non-local queries. On mobile devices, local-search users clicked through 64% more often.

Part of this also has to do with the immediacy of mobile consumer needs. Microsoft reported earlier this year that 70% of users begin and complete a search-related task on the PC in about a week. On mobile devices, that time frame compresses to one hour.

Despite these compelling metrics, marketers are just starting to experiment and figure out where mobile fits in the mix. However, audience fragmentation and limited reach is a barrier to mobile adoption at the national level. And small businesses don’t see mobile as a priority; they still haven’t figured out online yet.

For the foreseeable future, there’s little danger that mobile will “cannibalize” other media. Ultimately, mobile is a powerful complement to other marketing, not a substitute.

Location on mobile devices is about the point of sale. But will brands and local businesses recognize it? And, this time, will they do a better job of aligning their efforts with how consumers are actually behaving?

Article Source: http://adage.com/article/digital/mobile-possibilities-force-marketers-check-local/145835/

Mobile Marketing Campaigns – Legalities and Realities

There has never been a better time for businesses that engage in digital marketing to invest in the mobile marketing space.  For those that wish that they implemented “opt-in” databases and SMS text message marketing campaigns last year, it is not too late.  In fact, the percentage of Americans who own smartphones is steadily increasing and now is the time to develop a business strategy that includes mobile marketing campaigns.

Mobile marketing is evolving at a staggering rate.  From a legal perspective, the “opt-in” nature of mobile marketing translates into the knowledge that consumers have already consented to receiving certain commercial marketing communications.  For those businesses that wish to implement mobile marketing campaigns, an experienced mobile marketing lawyer should be consulted to explain how best to comply with the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and Mobile Marketing Association (“MMA”) guidelines.

The MMA offers best-practice guidelines for mobile content services.  As a general rule, when promoting programs via mobile phones, content providers should ensure all material clearly indicates whether the service is a “subscription.”  The program’s terms and conditions, the pricing information, additional fees, the subscription term and billing interval also must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed.

In August 2004, the FCC voted to amend the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 to outlaw all commercial e-mail messages to mobile phones and pagers, unless the device owner has given express prior authorization. The ban does not cover “transactional or relationship” messages, or notices to facilitate a transaction already entered into with a customer.  All authorized transactional or relationship messages must still comply with CAN-SPAM requirements. Consumers must be allowed to “opt-out” of receiving future messages the same way they “opted-in” and senders have 10 days to honor opt-out requests.  For programs charging a subscriber a standard rate for text messaging, only a single “opt-in” is required.  This single “opt-in” only applies to the specific program to which a customer subscribed and may not be construed as approval to market other products or services to the customer.  However, for ”premium rate” programs, a double “opt-in” verification and consent is required.  Where the premium service is a subscription service, the double “opt-in” must include identification of the service as a subscription and the billing interval.  In addition, prior to renewal of the service (or at least once a month) a renewal message must be sent to the subscriber.

Mobile marketing SMS and premium SMS sweepstakes promotions are also gaining in popularity.  There are three elements to an illegal lottery: (1) consideration or entry fee, (2) prize, and (3) chance.  In order to operate a valid sweepstakes in the United States, it is necessary to eliminate one of these elements.  Generally, operators eliminate the consideration element.  Where entry into a mobile sweepstakes is via premium SMS, you must allow for a free alternative method of entry.  There are numerous legal issues that surround what a “free” method of entry truly is.  Typically, this is accomplished by either providing a toll-free number for entry or by allowing free entry via a Web site.  Individuals entering the sweepstakes via the designated “free” method must be given the same opportunities to win as those individuals who enter via premium SMS.  In addition, marketers must provide the complete official contest rules prior to the potential entrant’s submission of an entry.  Contest rules should be reviewed by an experienced online promotions attorney because once a sweepstakes is commenced, the rules for that contest may not be modified until the conclusion of the contest period.  Regardless of the method of entry, states such as Florida, New York and Rhode Island require bonding or registration of the sweepstakes in the event that the aggregate prize value exceeds a particular threshold.

Experienced legal counsel can assist your progressive mobile marketing campaign(s) to comply with evolving local, state, and federal laws and regulations pertaining to legal disclosures, privacy, and data collection.  The unprecedented financial benefits of implementing a mobile marketing campaign necessarily come with risks.  Hinch Newman LLP is committed to ensuring the  growth and vitality of your advertising and promotional endeavors.  The firm will assist you to successfully navigate the legal landmines that could otherwise lead to government and regulatory investigations, or costly litigation.

Article Source: http://www.hinchnewman.com/internet-law-blog/2010/12/mobile-marketing-campaigns-legalities-and-realities/

New Mega-Trends in Mobile Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC]

New report also looks at the best practices being applied to mobile marketing.

Digital security firm Gemalto has produced a new infographic detailing the new mega-trends and best practices taking place in the mobile marketing ecosystem.

The infographic looks at the best practices that companies should take when it comes to customer interactions, whilst also emphasising the importance of text messaging as a key channel through which companies can make direct and personal communications with consumers.

Designed to show how companies, brands and mobile operators can harness mobile phones to ensure continuous customer touch and interaction, the infographic also delves into how they can enable more conversational and contextual marketing and commerce.

Please see the infographic in full below.

Article Source: http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/infographic-new-mega-trends-in-mobile-marketing/021360

Using Mobile Marketing To Improve Your Business’s Visibility

Mobile marketing is a new way to reach a massive audience. Take some time to get to know more about how you can use mobile marketing by reading the pointers below.

When you consider what to include on your mobile page, remember that it’s important to say as much as you can with as little copy as possible. Mobile device screens are small, so droning on and on about a product just to get more keywords in is annoying to readers. Mobile marketing requires you to stick rigidly to the focus of the topic in a concise, yet thorough, manner.

TIP! Put your customers first. Understanding the wants and goals of your customers is the basic premise of mobile marketing.

Create a mission statement in tune to your purpose on how you can stay on track when doing social mobile marketing. If you have a clear definition of your principles, it’s easier to create a marketing plan that fits them.

You can gain an advantage by keeping an eye on what your competitors have been doing. You need to be discernible from the competition.

You need to have a home base if you are developing a mobile platform that will stand alone. You should want people to visit your webpage or keep them coming back to it. Do not ever base everything completely on a mobile marketing campaign.

TIP! Keep mobile marketing content messages brief and to the point. Make sure the messages you send can be absorbed quickly and understood by your customers.

Keep in mind that there can be different levels of mobile customers because of various outside influences; also note that once the entire market changes then customer base changes as well. Changes in technology can have a dramatic effect on your business, so stay up to date on all of the latest advances in technology.

Almost everyone is familiar with the idea of offering free apps, but not everyone understands just how easy it can be to develop one that meets the needs of your business. By offering visitors your own custom-made apps, you could significantly increase the success of your mobile marketing plan. There are many choices to make about app features; the possibilities are endless.

The most successful mobile marketers at some point started small, and over time implemented bigger and better strategies. This should be your strategy as well. Begin with simple texts and calls, then expand your campaign to include things like video content and social networking. Try everything you can to reach potential customers.

TIP! Use a mobile marketing strategy that keeps you visible and relevant. If you wish to stay competitive then be up to date with new technology and releases on a daily or weekly basis.

Although lots of people use their phones for Internet text, not all know the different kinds of abbreviations used online. If a person can’t understand your ad, you might lose a customer.

Allow message recipients to leave feedback about your mobile marketing communications. This offers an excellent opportunity to connect more effectively and interact with your customers. You may have people not being as receptive as you would like, but keep in mind that any information from a consumer should be treated as valuable input.

Cross-platform compatibility is essential in attracting more customers when taking on a mobile marketing campaign. If not, you risk losing customers due to technical problems.

TIP! Avoid sending messages to people at inconvenient hours of the day. Even though a person may like what you have to offer, nobody wants to hear about it at ridiculous hours.

Keep in mind that mobile users have a more difficult time navigating webpages. Your mobile marketing proposal should be simple, and if it is simple on a computer, those using a mobile device will have an easy time viewing it.

Split test the mobile capabilities your site. Testing is as essential to the mobile world as it is on traditional websites because this lets you see what works. The better of the two trial pages you create, as deemed by its success, should be your final choice, no matter how emotionally invested you may be in the other. Then use the one that gets the most conversions.

If texting is part of your mobile marketing plan, clearly disclose how often you intend to text your subscribers before they subscribe. It is very easy to screw up an SMS strategy because of how it notifies consumers. It can seem like you are being pushy. Therefore, make sure that only your opt-in customers receive your SMS texts, and never send more than the maximum number of messages specified in the opt-in terms. This is a great way to build up your brand loyalty.

Mobile Devices

Your mobile website should include maps and directions that are easy to use with a mobile device. There are a lot of people that rely on mobile devices for getting navigational directions. Create an easy way for your customers to reach you. Check that the maps and directions you provide display well on different mobile devices and work properly with mobile searches. Consider using an external link to a known site, like Google maps, for your customers.

As a method of enticing customers and expanding your branding, try QR codes. Your customers can use your QR codes to instantly access special promotions and discounts. All they need to use your QR codes is a cell phone. QR codes make it easier to market your products to your customers in a quick way with information they can use.

TIP! When delving in mobile marketing, you need to understand the basics of mobile devices in order to have your site and ads set up correctly. Conduct extensive research on the most popular mobile devices; this allows you to see things from your target market’s point of view.

Have relevant content. It’s easy to go overboard when entering the mobile marketing arena. Be sure your messages have a purpose. Approach things from your customers’ perspective and send out messages they would judge as interesting. Fill the needs and wants of your customers to ensure that they stick with you and continue to buy your products.

Promote your new mobile marketing campaign as a means of gaining access to exclusive offers and special savings. Advertise your deals on a host of different platforms to reach a wider audience. If people truly believe that your mobile campaign will help them, there is a good chance they’ll sign up. Let them know it will be fun and they will be better informed.

You can always improve your advertising. Be sure to look at the competition and see what is proving effective for them. Use the advertising tips discussed here to gain a competitive edge in your market arena.

Article source: http://bobsmlmblog.com/index.php/using-mobile-marketing-to-improve-your-businesss-visibility-5/

Top 5 Reasons to Choose a Business

I’ve been a business owner my whole life. I owned one of the first web development firms in San Luis Obispo. I started what later became the second largest virtual tour company in the country. I sold that to what is now the second largest newspaper group in the country, and got a chance to try my hand at the newspaper business.

I grew an IT company from 15 employees to 40 in less than 2 years. And I’ve provided consulting to countless business owners over the years. Bottom line: I’ve seen a lot. People often ask me what key factors I look at when considering my involvement in a business, so here they are:

1) Risk vs. reward

What do I get for my sweat equity? Can I turn a little money – and a lot of hard work – into more money?

2) What’s the income potential?

Can this make me the kind of returns I want?

3) Recurring income

Do I have to fight for income each month, or do I build up recurring income the longer I work at it?

4) Am I excited to be a part of it?

I love technology, I love helping business owners. I want an excuse to NEED the new iPhone.

5) Freedom with my time

Do I have to open my doors each day at the same time? Can I take a vacation without the business falling apart?

Top Benefits And Tips For Mobile Marketing

Some industries absolutely must use mobile marketing to survive, but using it well can be difficult. There is so much to learn both on the marketing side and the technical side. Read on to learn how you can easily and effectively integrate mobile marketing into your business plan.

Older cellphones cannot properly display the same sites as newer smartphones or tablets, so your links need to lead to different sites for different phones. If you use a flash player on your website, only provide the cellular link.

TIP! A picture-to-screen feature can boost your mobile marketing campaign. Utilizing a picture-to-screen campaign allows customers to utilize their mobile phones to take pictures.

Do not send too many offers on mobile platforms. Stick to the essential ones. With this you know that your customers will not tire from your messages and look for to see all you have to offer.

It is important to have your own dedicated short code. The price tag is higher, but this will help to protect your brand. Doing this will also protect you legally.

Every successful mobile campaign should have a home base. Your mobile presence should be about driving people to the home base, or keeping in touch with people who already visit your home base. Do not ever base everything completely on a mobile marketing campaign.

TIP! Check out the things your rivals are doing, you will get advantage when it comes to social network marketing. You must be unique from your competitors.

Remember who you are talking to if you are going to make phone calls, they are people whose lives you are interrupting. Realize that is an issue and act accordingly.

Mobile Web

Check to verify that your mobile web site works on every popular mobile web browser in use. It’s important that your messages work no matter what type of phone your customer is using. It’s going to be a lot easier for you to use a simplified message, rather than trying to make a custom message work across all platforms. Mobile marketing and the KISS principle work well together.

TIP! Usability testing before going live is a must for any mobile marketing campaign that you want to be effective. If you send texts that do not make sense or work, you will not succeed.

Be sure to test mobile websites and ads on multiple mobile devices. Some mobile devices use special browsers, and others have limitations based on their screen size or resolution. Your website and content might look different on each device. Your mobile marketing campaign should be tested on all popular devices, to be sure that it looks right on each one.

Creating a mobile app with lots of helpful information for your target market is a great mobile marketing strategy. Any apps that give users helpful hints or useful information are wildly popular. You can use your app as a lead-generation tool for other products, or sell the app directly for profit.

Mobile Marketing

TIP! You should never send messages to your customers without a good reason. Every message you send should contain information that matters to your readers.

Understanding how mobile marketing works is very important if you want to use it to help your business reach as many people as possible. The points in this article have hopefully given you a better understanding of how mobile marketing can work for your business. Use the pointers presented here as a starting point.

Article Source: http://larne-business-marketing-advertising.co.uk/mobile-service/top-benefits-and-tips-for-mobile-marketing/

The State of Mobile Content Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC]

With all the technology that is now available, content is being consumed in many different ways and on many different devices. While desktops and tablets are big players in the game, mobile devices seem to have a big influence on click through rates and browsing. In 2013, mobile content marketing will generate a large return on investment if done properly.

We gathered research from our corporate blogging platform client, Compendium, and email marketing software client, ExactTarget, to show the impact of mobile marketing over the past couple of years and what is yet to come. When all the data was put together, there were some startling findings:

• Open rates on mobile devices have increased by 300% from October 2010 to October 2012.
• Mobile email creates twice as many conversions as social activities or search.
• Mobile may not mean “on the go.” 51% of US mobile users browse, search, and purchase on mobile devices at home.
• Web visits on a mobile or tablet device are highest on Thursday at 15.7%.
• SMS marketing messaging is becoming more popular, with 31.2% of agencies using this tactic to increase click through.

What is the state of mobile content marketing? Get in the game, or lose the opportunity for click throughs, conversions, and engagement.

Article Source: http://www.marketingtechblog.com/mobile-content-marketing-infographic/#ixzz2PtYc112e

How Mobile Marketing Can Help Your Business

You may have seen the statistics – one study claims that more than 80% of small businesses that invest in mobile marketing see increased business as a result – but how can you go about capturing some of those gains yourself?

Small Business Computing recently looked at a few companies that are engaged in mobile marketing to find out.

Ron’s Auto Repair Center of Ames, Iowa, uses Yodle, a service that helps small businesses with mobile-optimized websites, listings on Google, Yahoo and Bing maps, and paid-search services across multiple desktop and mobile outlets. The service doesn’t require much sophistication to use. Using a unique tracking number, Ron’s Auto Repair can tell where calls come from and see how many of them are a direct result of online and mobile marketing spending. The service has so far been worth about $9,000 in new sales a month, the business estimates.

Rok Bistro of Sunnyvale, Calif., uses FanMinder to send out marketing messages to all channels, including Twitter, email, texts and Facebook. Mobile coupons have turned out to be a good marketing tool for Rok Bistro. The coupons, which are trackable through FanMinder, allow the restaurant to see how many people click on the offer and redeem it at the restaurant. When a customer shows the server a coupon on his or her mobile device, the server simply clicks a button to redeem it.  In the restaurant, customers can also scan QR codes or send a text message to get an immediate discount and sign up for the Rok Bistro mailing list.

At a minimum, all businesses should have a mobile-optimized website, and make your website mobile-friendly by placing your location and contact information in a prominent place. Clarity, simplicity and speed matter most for mobile users, so make sure it’s clear what you do and how you can help customers. And monitor mentions of your business on Yelp and other sites that can influence consumers.

Adapted from Small Business Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work by Vangie Beal at Small Business Computing. Follow Small Business Computing on Twitter.

Read more: http://business.time.com/2013/03/26/how-mobile-marketing-can-help-your-business/#ixzz2PEMMdb94

Article source: http://business.time.com/2013/03/26/how-mobile-marketing-can-help-your-business/

Mobile & Loyalty Programs [INFOGRAPHIC]

This infographic from Chadwick Martin Bailey illustrates the potential of loyalty programs coupled with mobile wallets.

Article Source: http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/2013/03/20/mobile-loyalty-programs-infographic/9607