Mobile Marketing - Text Message, the Leading Medium
Mobile Marketing is the fastest growing advertising technique and can communicate
instantly with customers. Businesses may send a text message blast to all customers
that have given permission to receive them, offering a keyword or promotional offer.
Customers will view the text message moments after being sent containing a link to
the website or simply by reading the message and showing it to the business. Compared
to other types of mediums such as TV, print, and radio, mobile marketing is less
expensive, personable, and instant.
It has become effective due to the technological cell phone age that has created an
instant gratification public. Text messages are more likely to be opened and responded
to than emails or direct mail, primarily because customers must opt-in for the mobile
promotions. These customers want to be advertised to and are more likely to use the
coupon promotion bringing customers to the business more effectively. With customers
providing permission to contact them, they are trusting businesses leading to brand
loyalty. Cell phones are a very personable item that people continuously use 24/7,
allowing advertising to reach consumers at a high rate.
The reach of mobile marketing not only advertises to smart phone users but to traditional
cell phone users also. Mobile traditionalists comprise 60% of mobile users that website
advertising cannot reach. Text messages can reach an audience of 100.7 million compared
to the web at 34.1 million. People have their devoted attention to their cell phones and
interact with them uninterruptedly. With web and TV, the audience is most likely distracted
by numerous attempts to gain attention. Mobile marketing breaks through the clutter and
advertises to customers as an individual.
Cell phones have become personable through individualized apps and reflect an active user
perspective on consumers. Marketing professionals can detect where a customer has been,
what they've been doing, and essentially know that customer. This allows businesses to
better fulfill the needs of their customers, relating their product specifically to their
habits. People use their cell phone for just about everything now, carrying it everywhere,
checking their personal accounts, and leaving intimate details about themselves. Businesses
can relate relevant and valuable information to customers creating a deep relationship.
GPS location is also a successful tool that mobile marketing utilizes. It can direct the
text message blast within a certain mileage of the business or target certain demographics
specifically. By reaching a more precise target, there is no wasted circulation and the
message is delivered to the intended target audience. Through the help of mobile carriers,
there may be user profiles to better pinpoint a target audience. Mobile marketing uses
geography to make advertising integrate into a campaign, focusing at home or away.
The use of an effective mobile marketing campaign has the chance to double a business'
revenue but at the cost of $100,000, in 2007. In a recent campaign I conducted for a
counseling business, the use of text message appointment reminders and online booking
doubled the profit intake for the business. Since mobile marketing is a recent advertising
campaign, there are still challenges to be considered. But, it has proven to be an effective
and upcoming marketing medium.
The beginning of mobile marketing has been successful and shines hope on upcoming advances
for companies such as AdMob, Quattro Wireless, Millennium Media, JumpTap, and InMobi. Future
mobile marketing may include video messages, advertising with games, screen savers and coupons.
Mobile marketing has proved to be a success for many businesses, and is an upcoming leading
medium in the advertising world.
