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Mobile Marketing 101

Guest post by: Andy Crestodina

Article Overview: Although we’re trend watchers, we’re not bandwagon jumpers. We don’t seek to build things just because they’re popular. We build things that make sense for our clients. Still, when a tidal wave is coming (or arguably already here) we have to chime in. So here’s a pocket guide to marketing to your pocket.

Mobile Marketing 101

Although we're trend watchers, we're not bandwagon jumpers. We don't seek to build things just because they're popular. We build things that make sense for our clients. Still, when a tidal wave is coming (or arguably already here) we have to chime in. So here's a pocket guide to marketing to your pocket. Mobile Websites

Same but smaller?

You might be surprised to find that your website may already be viewable on many phones. Phone browsers are pretty much like regular browsers and if your site doesn't have a lot of Flash, it may work just fine. It's a small thrill the first time you see your site on a small screen if you can wait for it to load. But then, look how small it looks....zoom...scroll...zoom...click...

If you really want your site to fit in their pocket, it should be tailored to fit properly. Unfortunately, it's basically impossible to make your site work well on both a full-size browser and a mobile device. However, if you build one site for full-size users and another for mobile devices (the preferred approach), the site can automatically detect which medium your visitor is using and send them to the correct pages.

Building a mobile version of your site means adapting the design, content and the features.

Design - Simplify the design. Consider a one-column layout. Use few graphics both to save space and load time.

Content - If writing for websites is about being brief, writing for mobile sites is even more so. Remember, you've got about one tenth as many screen pixels. Turn your sections into single pages and your paragraphs into sentences.

Features - Some features fit nicely with smart phones, such as Google maps, blog and Twitter feed integration, galleries and video. But keep in mind that download times on smart phones are a lot slower than most full-sized browsers

Example: visit Orbit Media's website on your cell phone - notice how you're redirected to the mobile site? Compare it to the regular site. You may get some ideas on how a mobile website design is a bit different.

Mobile Applications

Make an app for that...

Unlike mobile sites, these are downloaded and installed from the marketplace on your phone (such as the iTunes store). We're talking about small, self-contained programs that don't use a browser. So what are you thinking?

I want to get rich quick by making the coolest new iPhone application.

Selling apps is big business. By 2012, more money will be spent on mobile apps than on music CDs. Keep in mind that the most popular applications are games, followed by mobile shopping and social networking apps. The best apps have great usability, integrate with other systems and often take advantage of sensors on the phone. The best apps are made by masters of both design and technology. Its also important to note the app users have a low attention span in that 95% of apps aren't used a month after download and or that only 20% get touched the day after downloading.

I want to promote my existing business.

You need to think about your audience (What would they like? How can we help them?) and your marketing plan (How can this help us?). Unless your app answers both these questions beautifully, go back to the drawing board.

Either way, you need a great idea. Remember that great ideas are usually simple. You also need a marketing plan. Don't assume that it will catch on like mobile wildfire.

SMS Marketing

txt msgs

The original way for marketers to appear on someone's phone is to text them. Like any outbound marketing, the results will be based on the how receptive the recipient is. In other words, it's about the quality of the list.

If you want to try, you have to build a list of mobile phone numbers carefully, making sure that everyone is interested in what you're going to send them. As you may already know, an unwanted text message is a real annoyance. Beyond that, it's illegal. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 tells recipients complain to the FCC if they receive "any autodialed text message on your wireless device, or an unwanted commercial message to a non-wireless device from a telecommunications company or advertising a telecommunications company's products or services."

I've seen SMS marketing work for a few kinds of companies:

Non-profits with dedicated supporters

Entertainment venues with young, loyal followings.

Do you know other groups finding success with SMS? Comment below.

Ready to try? A word of caution: Sending text messages will cost you (you'll need to work with an SMS marketing company) and may also cost your recipients. Ever heard the phrase "standard text messaging rates apply"?

Before you jump in, ask yourself if you're getting all the results you can with Twitter, which is similar but easier to use and measure. It's also free.

Bottom Line

There are more ways to reach your audience today. We have more inboxes than ever before and mobile marketing is connected to most of them. Of the seven inboxes shown in Figure 1, six of them could be in your customer's pocket! Stay open to new ideas, consider your audience, and keep one eye on the small screen.

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Article Tags: bandwagon, color 000000, column layout, design content, google, google maps, load time, mobile device, mobile devices, mobile version, paragraphs, preferred approach, sans serif font, sentences, size browser, size users, smart phones, text decoration, tidal wave, trend watchers

About the Author: Andy Crestodina RSS for Andy's articles - Visit Andy's website Andy is a Principal and the Strategic Director at Orbit Media Studios in Chicago IL. Andy leads business development for Orbit and connects clients with the firm. Within the company, Andy oversees sales, strategy and client service. Andy employs his extensive knowledge of marketing, interactive media, usability, and search engine optimization to develop the most practical and viable web solutions for both current and potential clients. In addition to establishing relationships with new clients, Andy leads Orbit's design and production collaboration with agencies throughout Chicago and he is on the Technology Committee and the Green Advisory Board for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Andy is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where he studied Mandarin Chinese and became certified to teach. Andy also writes articles on interactive marketing for The Orbiter, our monthly newsletter. Click here to visit Andy's website More from Andy Crestodina How to Use Web Video to Sell Mobile Explosion 3 Tipping Points Have A Pulse Claim Your Local Listing in 19 Places Top Trends for 2011 by Amanda Gant

Related Forum Posts
Re: The Mobile Marketing - Mobile Marketing involves communicating with the consumer via cellular (or mobile) device, either to send a simple marketing message, to introduce them to a new audience participation-based campaign or to allow them to visit a mobile website. Some of the tools of the trade and a few of the concepts that will be featured in this Mobile Marketing 101 series are: Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Bluetooth, Wireless and Infrared Mobile Internet and Social Media Mobile Applications Mobile connectivity not only enables people to connect to the Internet via a cellular telephone, PDA or other gadget, but also consolidates the different communication channels in a simple, yet effective, medium. Cheaper than traditional means for both the consumer and the marketer - and easy enough for almost any age group to understand and engage with - Mobile Marketing really is a streamlined version of traditional eMarketing.
Re: What is your Business? - We are running a Online Marketing Firm and we have some good clients to which we are offering a complete Digital Marketing strategy like Search, Mobile Marketing, Branding and Design. I think in Online Marketing company online presence can be a wining factor for the success of the company.
Re: The Mobile Marketing - Mobile Marketing is on pace and it'll engage a reputed image soon. Online shopping is based on PCs and Laptops at the present time but soon it will also be popular for mobile phones.
Re: Mobile Marketing - Top 10 trends in the mobile application in 2012 What is most interesting to us mobile marketers is what lands at # 2 and # 3 spots on his list. "Mobile Search", "location-based services," and also, the place n. # 8 is our favorite of my "mobile advertising." last round after this morning's location based on 1020 funding Placecast poster supports the thesis that when it comes to phones, people expect to be able to discover things around them. That makes sense - after all, what good is a mobile device if you can not access the information you need right now? Gartner reports that location services will be "one of the most disturbing in the coming years." Gartner predicts that the LBS user base of 96 million global growth in 2009 to more than 526 million by 2012. "His value to the user high is the result of its ability to meet a variety of needs, ranging from productivity and fullfillment target social networking and entertainment." Mobile Search, which Gartner says is a fundamental purpose "to drive sales and marketing opportunities in the mobile phone," now just need the user experience. Once "the industry improves the user experience of mobile search to get people back again," Gartner predicts it will be the third most popular application in 2012. Getting to # 8, mobile advertising is no joke. Total spending on mobile advertising in 2008 was $ 530.2 million, which Gartner expects to grow to $ 7.5 billion in 2012. "Mobile advertising is an important way to monetize the mobile Internet content, applications and offering free services to end users. The mobile channel will be used as part of the largest advertising campaigns in various media, including television, radio, print and outdoor, "says Gartner. Here's the full top 10 types of future mobile applications, according to Gartner: 1. Money transfer 2. Location Based Services 3. Mobile Search 4. Mobile Browsing 5. Mobile health monitoring 6. Mobile Payment 7. Near field communication services 8. Mobile Advertising 9. Mobile Instant Messaging
Re: Mobile Marketing - No doubt on this.Mobile marketing seems to be a good business now although very few amount of people have knowledge about this.

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