Why You Need Mobile Marketing
If you want to grow your business then the fastest way is through mobile marketing and text messages.
There are currently around 5 billion users of cell or mobile phones which makes the mobile market five times bigger than the PC based market.
Customer time spent on mobile devices is rising faster than time spent on any other media and 4 out of 5 teenagers now carry some form of mobile device.
The text messaging response rate is astonishing compared to that achieved by email.
Text messaging achieves between 7-15 times the response rate of email and has a 97% open rate.
Text messages are also opened far faster than emails, normally occurring within the first few minutes of receipt and achieving an ROI of over 20%.
When it comes to email, over 78% of business people use their mobile device to check their messages while web based email usage has dropped an enormous 59% over the past year among 12-17 year olds, who prefer text or instant messaging as well as interaction on social media sites.
This goes to prove that no business, small or large, can afford to ignore the power of mobile marketing.
Imagine getting your targeted message out there within seconds and, more to the point, having that message read nearly 100% of the time.
Mobile devices have become an integral part of their owners’ lives.
They rely on them for immediate access to local information and for the vast majority of the time that involves searches related to local businesses and services within 5 miles of their location.
All of this means that, for the first time in history, the local business owner has the ability to reach their target market almost instantly and in the format they choose.
As well as texting, they can utilize the entertainment and informative value of apps to engage their prospects and existing customers alike.
With consistent branding and an intelligent use of promotional strategies such as special offers, discounts and insider information, mobile marketing offers near instantaneous opportunities to consistently attract and maintain an eager, responsive customer base.
By inviting customers to opt in to receive updates, news, coupons and special offers, businesses such as hairdressing salons, restaurants and retail outlets are building customer loyalty while breaking down the barriers of traditional marketing.
Almost everyone carries with them their keys, wallet and cell phone.
As such, they are directly contactable by businesses that benefit from the incredibly high response rates to mobile marketing messages.
Promotions sent via text message currently have around a 12% response rate to a blast which is far higher than that achieved by traditional forms of marketing such as direct mail and at much lower cost.
By following the lead of large corporations and embracing mobile marketing, local businesses are positioning themselves within a marketplace that is expanding on a daily basis.
By 2012 it is estimated that over 1 trillion text messages will be sent and received daily while apps are constantly being developed that offer a rich variety of marketing opportunities.
Mobile marketing is the way not only of the future but of now, opening the doors to quick, easy profit at a fraction of the cost of other forms of advertising.
Mobile Marketing Benefits:
1. Relatively low cost.
2. Rapid response rate.
3. Extremely high open rate for text messaging.
4. Speed of implementation.
5. Extraordinarily high mobile device usage that increases year on year.
6. Preferred over PC for access to emails.
7. Interactive capability through optins and apps.
8. Customers demonstrate preference for local businesses in their mobile device search patterns.
9. Even more powerful when integrated with social media.
10. Direct contact with a responsive, targeted prospect and customer base.
11. Flexibility of format.
12. Text message ROI of over 20%.
13. Mobile coupons have 10 times the redemption rate of paper coupons.
14. 97.2% of retailers do not use mobile coupons.
15. Mobile market is 5 times bigger than the PC market.
16. Customers spend increasing amounts of time on their mobile devices and favor them over a PC.
Leading The Way
As ever, Google has been one of the first to recognize the importance of mobile marketing, its Chief Executive, Eric Schmidt, talking of ‘mobile first’ or the idea that most things are now being created with mobile as a priority.
This means that Google’s own programmers now prefer to develop for mobile over PC in terms of applications and is a clear indicator of the way the market winds are blowing.
Google expect to gain a great deal of customer knowledge through increased mobile usage and to utilize this knowledge for their own growth.
A smart local business owner can only benefit from following Google’s lead and taking full advantage of the new and improved apps and services that will be developed in the wake of ‘mobile first.’
They can also take advantage of innovations developed alongside apps to meet increased mobile demand, including Google’s Click to Call program for advertisers which allows advertisers to activate phone numbers within their ads on iPhones and other internet ready mobile devices.
Aside from Google’s developments, the increase in smartphone capability and usage coupled with the growth in buying behavior demonstrated by smartphone users provides further opportunity for the mobile savvy business owner.
In a recent shopping survey of smartphone users conducted by eMarketer:
1. 68% would use their phone to look up shipping information of an item that they may purchase online
2. 52% would use their phone to review a product description
3. 43% would look for product or store coupons
4. 40% would use their phone to check if an item was available for in store pick up
5. 28% would make a purchase on their phone without seeing a product in store
All of this goes to prove that consumers are prepared to use their smartphones as an everyday part of their shopping and buying routines, in many cases using them as an adjunct to bricks and mortar shopping which can only be beneficial to local businesses that are market aware and responsive in order to beat the competition.
The eMarketer report went on to break down buying behavior by phone type, providing information that is gold dust for a business owner who is prepared to target each device accordingly.
While it has been common knowledge for some time that iPhone users have a higher average net income than other phone users, this report revealed that Android phone users are even more willing to spend money than their iPhone touting counterparts.
1. 71% of Android users and 93% of Blackberry users are prepared to spend up to $250 via M-Commerce
2. 81% of iPhone users are prepared to do likewise
3. When it comes to spending higher amounts between $250-$500 18% of Android users are prepared to spend via M-Commerce
4. Only 9% of iPhone users are prepared to do likewise
5. For amounts over $500, 11% of Android users are prepared to spend via M-Commerce
6. Only 9% of iPhone users are prepared to do likewise
With Google’s commitment to expanding the Android market, there are clearly unprecedented opportunities for the local business owner to exploit the rapidly increasing market share and spending habits of Android phone users.
While mobile marketing is currently considered big business, it is going to be huge within the next few years.
All of this indicates that now is the time for a local business to grab their share of the mobile marketing spoils and enjoy the rewards of this richly responsive platform for their brand.
How You Can Use Mobile Marketing
Aside from text messaging and the ingenious apps constantly being developed for the mobile market, there are a number of simple but highly effective ways you can incorporate mobile marketing into your business:
1. If you run print ads you can include a short code that potential customers can message to get more information about a product or service.
2. You could also use short codes to provide more information about events and business-related news.
3. You can incorporate an interactive platform so that customers can purchase directly from their phone.
4. You can collect customer numbers and information and, in turn, use this to advertise targeted special deals or offers.
5. You can offer promotions only for mobile subscribers.
6. Remember that customers use their mobiles for entertainment and distraction. While they are waiting in line or for a train they will often whip out their mobile device – incorporate interactive entertainment into your mobile marketing mix and you will have them hooked.
7. Remember that mobile devices are highly personal. Keep your marketing relevant and personal and you will encourage greater loyalty and participation.
8. Don’t forget the power of film. People love to capture events on their mobiles – engage with them by asking them to send them in for a specified reason and you will have an immediately responsive audience.
Explosive Growth
If the figures for mobile marketing look good now, over the next few years they are set to explode.
A recent study in the US revealed that mobile commerce will grow at a compounded rate of 65% between now and 2015 and that 8.5% of ecommerce will be conducted on mobile phones.
Coda Research Agency
Given that steep growth curve, it would be foolish for any business owner to ignore the power and real potential of mobile marketing to make a major difference to their own revenue increase.
Lack of technological knowledge is no excuse as there is plenty of expert help available to enable any business to claim their place in the mobile marketing race at a time when early positioning will guarantee a head start on others too slow to recognize this unprecedented opportunity.
Lose the mobile marketing race and you risk leaving vast amounts of profit on the table, to be snatched up by those who understand a gold rush when they see one.
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