What is Mobile Marketing? Get The Most of It!

Mobile Marketing is a relatively new marketing tool compared to the conventional advertising methods.
Technology associated with mobile phones is rapidly changing for the better.
These changes are creating some massive enhancements, as well as positive effects on the marketing and advertising industry overall.

Most of the advertisers using Mobile Marketing are large corporations and organizations.
This, however, does not lock out small businesses as the cost of Mobile operation is usually minimal.
The problem is that most small business owners just do not have a clear understanding of how important Mobile Marketing is to their growing business.
Mobile Marketing is simply a marketing method that uses mobile phones and related devices to promote a business.

Today, children are receiving cell phones as gifts at very early ages, which is a sign that these devices are here to stay. 
Many people today will not take the time to read newspapers or other types of print so the only way to get to them is through mobile phones.
This provides businesses with an opportunity to communicate with them directly in a manner that will grow and enhance their brands over time.
Mobile Marketing is an extension of internet marketing and trends are showing that it could be even more effective over time.
People are slowly moving away from using their PCs to browse the internet and opting for the convenience found in phones.

In fact, mobile phone internet usage is expected to exceed desktop internet usage within a couple of years.
Therefore, even more people will be glued to their mobile devices performing internet searches.
This is why every business should take a serious look at adding Mobile Marketing to their advertising funnel.
Increasing profits and expanding the reach of your business can easily be accomplished by branching out into this new-age digital form of marketing.

The Power of Mobile Marketing

Before we look at how powerful Mobile Marketing is, we should discuss the reasons why this is so.
Well, how many people do you know that do not own a mobile phone? In this technology savvy age, that number must be zero or something close to that.
In fact, most people carry their cell phones with them at all times and many of them go to bed with their phones right by their sides.
The fact that mobile phones have become somewhat of an “attachment” to their owners is the main reason Mobile Marketing is causing ripples in the marketing world.

If you want to reach out to your prospects and customers, what better way than to contact them on a device that is nearest and dearest to their hearts?
Marketing to mobile devices is one of the most direct forms of marketing to ever exist.
The use of mobile phones to convey your messages is also inexpensive compared to other forms of advertising.
The world is controlled by the media and businesses have no option but to adopt the best strategies to market their products and services.

By “best,” we mean methods that will achieve the desired goal within a short time while keeping the cost at minimum levels.
This is the perfect description of Mobile Marketing, which consists of many different techniques that allow you to engage with your mobile audience.

For instance, with Text Message Marketing, you have the ability to send a message to thousands of customers with a press of a single button.
Marketing your business using mobile phones is as good as having thousands of people in the same area wearing t-shirts advertising your business every day.
Technology is moving fast and small businesses should move with it by embracing the use of Mobile Marketing to popularize their brands and increase their customer base.

The Mobile Marketing Factor for Your Small Business

Many business owners wonder why they need Mobile Marketing as a marketing tool.
Well, the answer is simple; people are too busy to watch TV, read newspapers or look at billboards.
Therefore, there is a need for businesses to get their messages across to consumers directly in other ways.
The most effective way to do this is through mobile phones. 
The following are some features you can take advantage of to market your business to mobile consumers:

SMS Text Message Marketing
This is the earliest of the existing Mobile Marketing strategies.
It involves sending out text messages to multiple recipients (usually customers), to inform them about coupons, events, special offers or anything else your business needs to communicate to them.
This method has proven to be effective due to the fact that it is inexpensive, yet extremely powerful in getting a response and sales.

Mobile Websites
You might have an official, traditional website for your business but this is not enough in our world. Websites that are not mobile-friendly can only be comfortably viewed using PCs. You might be wondering where the problem comes in. Well, the problem is that most people are now using their mobile phones to access the internet.
This means that they will avoid your website if it takes forever to load and is difficult to navigate on their mobile devices.
When this happens, you miss out on a large percentage of potential business.

QR (Quick Response) Codes
These are the odd-looking squares appearing on print media everywhere.
They are similar to barcodes but with more information embedded.
The codes are designed for smartphones with cameras.

All your customers need to do is scan the codes and use mobile applications to decode the information.
QR codes can be used to link to websites and other digital media pages, which will allow you to take your Mobile Marketing efforts to a whole new level.

Understanding the Scope of Mobile Marketing

Whether or not you are making profits is what determines the level of success in your business.
A business owner should strategize their company from its roots to make sure that profits are maximized and costs are minimal.

Marketing is the fuel that your business runs on and should be plentiful.
Mobile Marketing is a great traffic source that can be used to attract more customers to your business with the goal of increasing sales and profits.
Through Mobile Marketing, your business can create and maintain a healthy business-prospect relationship that will benefit both you and your customers.

When we talk about mobile marketing, we are not limiting this discussion to SMS Text Message marketing.
Many business owners only think of this type of marketing when it comes to Mobile Marketing, but it reaches far beyond that. 

While Text Message marketing is indeed a profitable avenue for most businesses that use it, Mobile Marketing entails much more such as a mobile-friendly websites, mobile apps, and QR codes.
Mobile-friendly websites are sites that have been configured to allow internet users to clearly view a website on their mobile phones.

Therefore, it is crucial that every business maintains a mobile-friendly website so they can provide a pleasant viewing experience for their mobile audience.
QR (Quick Response) codes have also revolutionized the marketing industry.
These are codes that allow customers to access business’s information by simply scanning the printed codes and using a reader to decode the data embedded in the codes.
Mobile apps are gaining momentum in the marketing world as well.

Making life more convenient for mobile users, these applications have taken the mobile world by storm over the past couple of years. 
If there is anything you want your customers to be able to easily access in regards to your business, a mobile app will get the job done.
 

Understanding Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are clearly the latest craze to hit mobile technology.
Internet enabled smartphone owners are constantly on the lookout trying to find applications that will make their lives easier and interesting.
Applications, or “apps” as they are commonly referred to, are software designed for smartphones in order to enable the user to perform some functions easily and quickly.
Initially popularized by Apple, there are now multiple types of mobile applications created by software developers.

Mobile apps developers ensure that the applications are generally uncomplicated because smartphones, unlike computers, do not have enough processing power to handle complicated software. 
This is why most will run on smartphones easily and can be operated hassle-free.
In most cases, smartphone users use mobile applications without even realizing it.
For example, if you have an iPhone and surf the internet using the Safari browser, then you are using a mobile app.

There are quite a number of mobile applications that are pre-installed in most smartphones.
These include calendar apps, clock apps, YouTube apps, calculator apps, compass apps, etc.
These are just simple apps but software developers spend their time creating more complex mobile apps that can perform different tasks in about every aspect of life.
The first mobile app was designed for Apple products but, with time, software developers have expanded this to multiple other types of mobile devices.

Of all the existing mobile applications, the most popular ones are from social media sites.
These are geared towards aiding mobile phones users to access these sites freely and easily.
Since the world has embraced a new era of technology, the internet is where people meet for socialization, business and general communication.
Because more and more people are using mobile devices to access the internet, mobile apps are a good way for your business to make life easier for your customers and increase brand awareness.

Posted on March 26, 2012 by MATFlawless Posted in Mobile Marketing
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