What Is Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing is a relatively new marketing concept that focuses on companies using mobile devices (i.e. cell phones) as a way to reach out to their customer base. Through the use of a cell phone, companies can advertise a product, service or cause that reaches their intended recipient through a text message. I won’t get into mobile paid advertising or mobile landing pages in this post but rather save that for a rainy day.

Why Mobile Marketing?

Simply put, almost everyone has a cell phone and the majority of these cell phones have text capabilities. Look at mobile marketing this way, society, in general, is on the go and very mobile.  We are so active, 20% of web browsing now occurs on a mobile device. That’s a staggering number. Advertisers recognized that they need to change how to market their products and/or services to deliver their marketing message.  Here are some interesting facts about Mobile Marketing that may surprise you:

  • +There are 271 million mobile subscribers in the US.  Charts Bin
  • +In 2008, U.S. cell phone subscribers sent and received on average 357 text messages per month, compared to making 204 voice calls a month (Source: Nielsen Report)
  • +82% of adults have a cell phone.  PEW
  • +There are five times as many cellphones in the world as PCs.  Impiger Mobile
  • +25% of Americans use only mobile devices to access the Internet, as opposed to desktops.  On Device Research
  • +Mobile coupons typically receive 10x higher redemption rates than print coupons. (Source: Borrell Associates)
  • +70% of all mobile searches result in action within 1 hour. (Source: Mobile Marketer)

Benefits Of Mobile Marketing:

  • +Send your customers offers and promotions
  • +Provide product/services updates to your customers
  • +Increase the purchase frequency of a business’ existing customers
  • +Drive traffic to your business during slow periods
  • +Broadcast event notifications
  • +Roughly 65% of the e-mail you receive is spam, less than 10% of SMS is spam

Mobile Marketing Real-World Scenarios

A good way to show you the power of Mobile Marketing is to outline some different scenarios where a consumer and a business both benefit from SMS Mobile Marketing. Imagine you are trying to decide where to eat for dinner. Your choices are vast but your wallet isn’t. You receive an SMS Message from a restaurant that you gave your phone number to in order to keep you informed of upcoming events and promotions. The SMS text message stated a 20% off on your dinner that night only when you mention the SMS message. That restaurant now has the upper leg against the competition because it directly reached the user at the appropriate time. The client wins and the business also wins. Another completely different scenario could deal with a school system. Everyone knows how frustrating it can be to watch the local news during a snow day to see if your school is delayed, closed or on-time. If the school system used an SMS Marketing tool, parents who subscribe to the school’s SMS notifications would automatically be updated about any change to the school schedule. This eliminates the need to watch local news as soon as you get up to see if your school’s name is scrolling at the bottom of your TV screen. All you would have to do is to look at your phone and you would be instantaneously updated with the latest news and events.

Mobile Marketing Is Actively Used By:

  • +Schools
  • +Restaurants
  • +Entertainment Venues
  • +Retail Stores
  • +Resorts / Hotels
  • +Pharmacies
  • +Political Campaigns

Is Mobile Marketing Right For You? Contact Us For A FREE Consultation