To put it simply, mobile marketing is marketing with or on a mobile device. Many are wondering if mobile marketing is for them and questions regarding terms such as SMS and App can be confusing for the uninitiated. As with any marketing endeavor, becoming educated is tantamount in making the decision as to whether mobile marketing is right for you and your business.
Clearing Up A Few Mobile Marketing Mysteries
First, let’s explore the difference between SMS and Apps; SMS, or Short Message Service is simply text messaging and since it can connect directly to most mobile phones, it can be a great tool for connecting; especially for those who may not own one of the new smartphones. Apps, or applications, are features of the smartphone. The trick here is to select the option that is most likely to appeal to your target market; just remember, SMS will cover a wider range of consumers because it does not limit the type of phone a customer may have.
Many believe that the effectiveness of mobile marketing in the next few years will be closely tied to mobile browser capabilities, rather than Apps. The ability to browse the web through mobile devices is already important and will continue to grow; do not limit who can receive or view your information.
While most business believe mobile marketing is expensive, there are tools to fit every budget and can be accomplished with the smallest budget by choosing off the shelf standard tools.
Mobile marketing consultants will charge anywhere from $200 to several thousand to educate a client on utilizing the tools of mobile marketing and recurring costs will fluctuate. The outlay will depend on the volume of messages you intend to send and can range from .05 to .20 per SMS message.
The requirements needed for a company to participate in mobile marketing will be a keyword and shortcode and, unless they look for a shared shortcode, this can cost between $1000 to $1500 per month. A shared shortcode will be infinitely more cost effective for small business and the results will not be diminished.
A common mobile marketing misconception is the belief that mobile marketing will be the one thing to cure all the problems. However, in order for mobile marketing to be successful, it must be incorporated in the marketing mix of a business; this is about reach and engagement and a business will lose the power of mobile marketing if it is not integrated.
One should never use mobile marketing to duplicate offers that may be broadcast elsewhere. This is a definitive permission-based form of marketing and the offers should always be unique, which makes them valuable as they cannot be found elsewhere.
As with most everything, there are regulations covering mobile marketing, issued from the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) that has close ties with carriers; they have created best practices guidelines, keep watch over mobile marketing and any abuse will be stopped.
Any company that is interested in mobile marketing can either contact an agency to work with or go online for self-service tools to get started. Small businesses will find the online tools to be a great way to start learning more. There are also many agencies that will work with small to medium sized business to help create a plan and strategy to help the company get the ultimate benefits from mobile marketing.
If a company’s goal is to do mobile marketing on their own, a mobile marketing agency will be invaluable in guiding and educating them on the process until they are ready to go it alone.
The success of mobile marketing is all about consistency and commitment. In order to realize success with mobile marketing, a company needs to consider what they are offering and be committed to continuously refining and measuring the results of their offerings. A mobile phone can offer a great deal of creativity and it helps us to better understand the customer. As with any marketing vehicle, it is a matter of trial and error as to what works and what does not.
