Mobile Marketing: Can You Reach Me Now?
Want to get your message noticed? Mobile can help break through the clutter.
Want to get your message noticed? Mobile can help break through the clutter.
Mobile marketing is an exciting, relatively new channel for reaching consumers, especially if you target teens and 20-somethings. Unlike the now-ubiquitous URLs on ads, mobile short codes are immediate. They’re the ultimate direct response tool to connect you to consumers.
Mobile marketing is a complementary medium. It can be incorporated into a marketing program in a variety of ways:
Mobile marketing helps build consumer relationships in a direct, measurable way. The medium truly puts the consumer in control. As cell phones are more personal than email, carriers have a heightened awareness about privacy and protecting consumers.
Mobile marketing differs from interactive marketing in that content delivery occurs over closed wireless networks, requiring substantial carrier- and handset-specific knowledge, as well as carrier approval. Content formats and ranking can vary from carrier to carrier. The devices, their capabilities, and consumers’ ability to use them all vary widely.
Adding mobile to a larger campaign requires detailed, careful project management to ensure flawless execution. On top of the many carriers and handsets that must be accommodated, not much content from other campaign aspects can be repurposed. Before implementing a campaign:
Analyzing Mobile Campaigns
When planning a campaign, consider how to measure success. Review current campaign analytics to determine which indicators can be adapted to the mobile component. Due to the many ways mobile marketing may be used, approaches may vary. Mobile marketing extends the reach and interactivity of other media, so you may not get complete or unique measures. Adding a mobile component to a branding campaign, for example, can increase the effect and recall due to unique features and word of mouth. But it can be hard to separate mobile from other brand metrics.
Because the medium is relatively new, the analytics are still in flux. As with any new marketing channel, measures will evolve over time. Suggestions for beginning this process:
Revenues per respondent = total revenues/number of respondents
Cost per respondent = total mobile marketing costs/number of respondents
Marketers are using mobile to extend campaign reach or engage consumers in a very personal way. Right now, mobile marketing can help a campaign break through the clutter with immediate engagement and word of mouth. As it matures, the novelty factor will fade, requiring other forms of creativity. For now, mobile marketing is an excellent, if somewhat challenging, way to get a message noticed.