Driving Foot Traffic With Mobile Marketing

As the smartphone market nears saturation, mobile continues to change the way consumers shop and the way businesses advertise. When it first began, mobile marketing was something only the large, national and international corporations did. Now even the smallest local businesses are getting into mobile marketing. If your business depends on getting foot traffic into a brick and mortar location, you might think that mobile marketing isn't for you. You couldn't be more wrong. Mobile is a great way to drive foot traffic to your location.

According to one study, 80% of smartphone owners use their phone to search for local businesses. Furthermore, 80% of mobile searches result in a purchase and 75% of them lead a customer into a brick and mortar location. Here are three ways you can use mobile to drive foot traffic to your business's location.

Competitive Conquesting

Location based marketing has been gaining popularity for some time now. It's a technique in which businesses advertise via mobile when a customer is nearby that business's brick and mortar location. According to a recent report, mobile ad revenue from 40% to 52% in the next four years and businesses are expected to invest 4.5 billion in location based marketing this year and 15.7 billion by 2018.

Some businesses are taking location based marketing one step further. Competitive conquesting is based on the same principle, except businesses send a push notification when a customer is near a competitors business. Evidence suggest that competitive conquesting can lead to greater results from location based marketing.

Optimize Mobile Store Locators

One of the toughest thing mobile marketers face is that most conversions (or purchases) take place in a store and offline. A mobile marketer's job is to get mobile consumers to get off their phone and visit a business's store in person. One of the most effective ways to do this is mobile store locators.

The goal here is to make it as easy as possible for mobile customers to locate a business's brick and mortar location. According to a recent study, 70% of mobile shoppers use a store locator when planning their shopping trips. Your mobile optimized website should include a store locator (if you have a number of locations). Another great option is to include a click-to-map and click-to-call link for customers who have found your business's address or phone number. With just one click, their phone's GPS opens up and they can see exactly how to get to your address. The easier it is to do, the more likely they are to do it.

Provide “Tap And Collect” Service

As mobile technology continues to advance, mobile users are finding it easier and easier to complete purchases online. Businesses that don't sell online are missing out on a lot of business that way. For that reason, “tap and collect” services are growing in popularity.  “Tap and collect” allows consumers to make purchases on their mobile device and then come in to the store to pick up their purchase.

Restaurants have used this technology successfully by allowing people to order from their phone then have their order ready when the customer comes in. Pharmacies are using the technology to allow people to order a prescription and have it filled and ready for when the person comes in. Not only does it increase sales, but it gets customers in your store where they make additional purchases.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by businesstexter.com

Source: streetfightmag.com/2014/05/13/3-mobile-marketing-musts-for-brick-and-mortar-retailers/

Mobile Marketing Strategies: Developing An App

We have already established that going mobile is the only way you can stay competitive in today’s marketing world. Whether or not you are using smartphones for advertising isn’t the question. The question is how exactly you will develop mobile marketing strategies and whether or not that comes with your own app. It’s not for everyone, but most businesses are starting to create their own apps.

Why Use An App?

Some people may be wondering why you would develop an app for your business. Some of the more obvious reasons would be to sell things through the app. If you sell stuff online, having a mobile app makes it easier for your customer to quickly browse items and check out. It is also a much more mobile-friendly way of shopping than trying to pull up a browser and get to your company’s website. Another reason to get a mobile app is to help your customers remember you. If they download the app, they’ll see it when scrolling through their phone and remember to check it out. It’s also a great way to help customers monitor accounts, see tracking information, and more for your business.

Five Things To Ask First

You may be thinking, “Yeah! Let’s get an app!” But you will need to think through a few things before doing it, according to Entrepreneur. Here are five things to ask before getting an app put together:

1. Should you outsource? If you hire someone else to develop the app, it is pretty cheap, but you won’t have a lot of control over what happens. If you hire an in-house staff, it can cost a lot more money, but you’ll be able to make every decision.
2. What device should you use? Are you developing the app for a tablet? Smartphone? Computer? Each of these devices have their own positives and negatives. For the most part, you’ll want to stick with smartphones where you can get the most traffic. Of course, if you can create an app that is compatible for both Android and Apple, which would then make it available for most tablets as well. Start with smartphones and move to other devices if you so choose.
3. What is the purpose of the app/what should it do? This is the next most important question. Obviously, you can’t build an app unless you know the purpose. Maybe the app should help monitor accounts. Maybe it is informational. Maybe it is for shopping. It all depends on what your business does.
4. Can you handle more traffic? If you aren’t prepared for more website traffic and more business, you may want to put things on hold. Your app creation and mobile advertising will bring in much more business, so you need to be prepared to handle it. Otherwise, with too much business, you’ll end up giving bad service making customers unhappy and unwilling to return.
5. What about design? Are you going to make design a priority? Some people forget about design because they are so focused on what the app does. Make sure you consider design and look. If people don’t like the way it looks, they might stop using the app. Design is important and is something to consider when developing an app.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Source: entrepreneur.com/article/231411

Is Your Smartphone Too Addictive?

In the last day, have you checked your phone for missed calls or messages more than a few times? Do you spend more time than you should playing games or surfing the web through your phone? The real question is: is your smartphone too addictive? Well the answer to that might be yes, especially if you had the Flappy Bird game on your phone that is no longer available. That’s what the creator of the game believes anyway.

What is Flappy Bird?

If you haven’t heard of Flappy Bird yet, you are in luck, sort of. At least you won’t have to deal with the addictive tendencies associated with it. Unfortunately, it is not available to anyone anymore. The game was created by Vietnamese creator Nguyen Ha Dong in an effort to create something people could enjoy for a few minutes at a time. Maybe you were waiting in line or trying to get in a few minutes of the game while at the airport. The basic idea of the game is to get a bird through obstacles. It is so simple, yet challenging, that people just love it.

So What’s The Problem?

The problem isn’t that it’s a fun game and that it was doing well. The problem was that the game was doing so well that Nguyen wasn’t able to take a break. It brought in a ton of money, but he didn’t feel it was worth it. The point wasn’t to create crazy adicts of the game. The point was to give people a game they could play when they had an extra minute here and there. Now, the game is no longer available in the app stores, so those who don’t already have it cannot purchase it anymore. Goodbye Flappy Bird.

Selling Online

There were phones found online with a price of over $100,000 just because they had this game downloaded onto them. Of course, only the iPhones could go for such a high price, and there were other listed for much less than that. If you really feel like you want to get Flappy Bird on your phone, your only option is to buy it pre-loaded on a phone online, according to the Wall Street Journal.

What This Means For You

Any company recognizes that this kind of addiction may actually be good for business. If people are getting so addicted to simple smartphone games that they are willing to pay excessive amounts for phones with the game online, then that means you have a higher chance of reaching your customers through mobile. The marketing side of your company needs to look into how to better bring in more business with a smartphone. You can easily text your customers and know they will get the message within a matter of minutes. Mobile-friendly social media and advertisements will make all the difference, especially if you can get in on advertisements for a popular game. It’s time to make the switch to mobile advertising.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Sources: stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-451394/

Finally Making Mobile A Top Priority In Marketing

As we’ve always stressed, mobile is the most important way to achieve success in marketing. And it seems the rest of the world has finally caught on to that. In fact, retailers have finally realized that they will have limited success now and days without resorting to some sort of mobile marketing. The question isn’t whether or not to do it anymore. The question is now how to do it better than everyone else.

More People Using Mobile Solutions

Since smartphones are in the hands of almost everyone in America now, it just makes sense that you would advertise there. Maybe it has taken a couple of years for retailers to catch on, but it seems everyone has finally come around to mobile marketing. A recent study shows that more than half of all businesses now consider mobile advertising their number one priority, according to Mobile Marketing Watch. Of course, if you aren’t doing any business online, it might not be quite as effective, but most people can benefit greatly by switching to mobile advertising.

A year or so ago, you would never find a business sending you text messages to get you to buy more stuff. Now, every business you go to is trying to get you to sign up for text alerts and email clubs. Customers are used to seeing your advertising, so you have to step up and offer even better deals or reminders than you were before.

In The Coming Year

In 2014, stepping up your game with mobile advertising will be essential to success. In fact, most businesses are planning to do the same thing this year. If you want to be successful, it will be about more than just getting on mobile. It will be about making sure you are better than your competitors. Last year you might have gotten away with just staying on social media, but now you need to change everything.

Your website needs to work better on mobile. Your social media needs to be mobile-based. You need to have a text-messaging service set up and emails that are based on mobile-viewing. By making these changes, you will not only be ahead of the curve but will be able to reach out to your customers on a more personal level.

Beating Out The Crowd

Everyone is focusing on mobile changes this year. That begs the question of how you could possibly beat your competitors or stay ahead of them. And if you haven’t made the switch to mobile at all, it can seem way too overwhelming to deal with. Start small by offering text message deals. You don’t even have to have your website fully operational to offer discounts through text messages. Then, slowly move on to the next thing. Build your website into a mobile-friendly version, and get your site running really well. Then, you can direct your customers to your website through texts. Eventually, you can build yourself up to the point where you have everything mobile, and that’s when you’ll see a huge difference from when you weren’t on mobile at all.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Sources: mobilemarketingwatch.com/mobile-finally-reaches-top-of-retailer-priorities-39331/

Top Three Uses of SMS Marketing

If you own your own small business, you know how important it is to keep connected to your customers. Whether you sell a product, run a restaurant, or provide some type of service, your success depends on your ability to keep your old customers and continue to get new ones. Of course in today’s world, there’s never been more competition between businesses, if you want to maintain a competitive edge, you need a cost effective way to reach your target audience. That way is bulk SMS. For just pennies per text you can send a message that over 90% will receive and read, most within minutes of getting it.

When text message marketing is used correctly, it can be an extremely effective tool for boosting customer loyalty. Here are three ways you can implement text message marketing to reach and engage with your customers.

Right Place Right Time

The reason so many marketing efforts fail isn’t always the message itself, sometimes it’s the timing. A TV commercial advertising savory meals at a popular restaurant for instance isn’t going to be as effective at 10:00 in the morning as it will be at 5:00 at night when people are getting hungry for dinner. That’s where SMS comes in. Unlike with other channels, a text message gets the information to the customer when they need it. SMS boasts of a 99% open rate and 90% of those will be read within three minutes of receiving it. There’s no better option when it comes to delivering time sensitive information.

If your business suffers from slow periods in the day like many do, you can use SMS during those times to deliver special offers that can be redeemed only during that window of time. Because your message is sure to be seen by nearly everyone you contact, you’re bound to see an increase of business.

Involve Your Customers

A good SMS campaign will encourage customers to purchase, but a great SMS campaign will encourage customers to engage with your brand. Most people tend to think of SMS marketing as a one way communication, but it doesn’t have to be. Consider the effect of a marketing campaign in which you ask your loyal customers for their feedback about a new product or menu change. Getting your customer’s feedback shows them you care enough to ask for their thoughts. There’s no better way to build customer loyalty.

Spoil Your Customers

These days, people are growing accustomed to receiving special offers via text. To really stand out to your customers, it’s no longer enough to just send the typical mobile offers. You need to really spoil your customers. You can send invites to exclusive events, offer seasonal promotions, or send a customized message to them on their birthdays. While these are little things, they go a long way in showing customers how much your company cares about them individually.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by businesstexter.com

Source:  hospitalitymagazine.com.au/management/top-three-ways-to-use-sms-marketing

Five Mobile Marketing Game Changers

Mobile marketing has come a long way since its beginnings. It got its start with the humble text message. Today it has grown to incorporate hundreds of marketing strategies from QR codes, to push notifications, to mobile apps. Of course the most important development in the mobile industry was the advent of the smartphone. In just five years the smartphone market penetration has gone from 25% to 75%. The smartphone changed virtually everything about mobile marketing. Instead of being limited to basic phone features capable of calling or texting only, mobile devices today are just miniature computers capable of doing just about anything.

Here’s a look at five more game changers that have developed since the smartphone.

Little Guys

Smartphones have done a lot to level the playing field for small business owners. It used to be that only the largest corporations were seeing success with mobile. Today, small businesses with good ideas are capable of achieving the same success using mobile tools. Consider some of the most popular mobile apps. Many of them are developed by small, independent app designers. Today, “small” businesses have the same opportunity to succeed with mobile thanks to the many tools at their disposal.

Social Media

One game changer that surprised everybody was social media. No one could have predicted just how big of an impact social media would have on mobile marketing. Today 4 out of 10 smartphone users report that they check their social media every day. Many smartphone users now access social media accounts from their mobile device only. With millions of Facebookers connected through mobile, brands are constantly discovering new ways to integrate social media into their mobile marketing campaigns. Social media and mobile marketing have become inseparable.

Rich Media

Before there were smartphones, mobile marketers were limited to 160 characters of text. And that was it. Today mobile ads can include high resolution images, vides, links to webpages and other media content, links to mobile app downloads, etc…  Today marketers are limited only by their creativity. Each year brings exciting new developments in what mobile advertising can be.

Mobile Search

Mobile search is vital to any mobile marketing campaign; however its importance is often overlooked. Mobile tools like click-to-call or click-for-directions make search especially huge for mobile devices. Mobile search is changing the way consumers find the information they need and it’s changing the way marketers advertise online.

Ad Spending

Finally, a fifth game changer is the amount being spent on mobile marketing. A few years ago, no one could have imaged the amount companies would be spending on mobile advertising. The mobile marketing industry has truly exploded in recent years and as companies both large and small begin to see the opportunities, we can expect to see ad spend numbers continue to rise in coming years.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by businesstexter.com

Source:  thedrum.com/opinion/2014/02/06/five-game-changing-developments-mobile-marketing

New Amazon Flow App Technology

Have you heard about this new Amazon Flow technology? It is making smartphones smarter, which is something we love to see. The more our phones can do for us, the less we have to do for ourselves, which means we can have more fun. The new Amazon Flow app will let you find prices on any product without much effort, making life just a little easier for the average shopping customer.

Recognizing Brands

People who wanted to save some money or make sure they were getting the best deal possible had a scanner app on their phone. The app would let you go to a store, scan the barcode, and get as much information as possible from it. Most of the time, you just wanted to go to Amazon and check the price there anyway, especially for anyone with free two-day shipping on Amazon Prime. Sometimes it’s cheaper on Amazon. Luckily, the Amazon Flow technology now recognizes brands from pictures instead of just needing a barcode scanned, according to PC Magazine.

Another cool feature of the app is it allows you to scan a bunch of items at once instead of just one at a time. This makes it way easier to compare products in the store. Maybe you’re trying to decide between two movies and just want to quickly check reviews or maybe you just need to see if the price is better in the store or on Amazon.

Benefits of Choosing Amazon

Some of the reasons why people like Amazon over brick and mortar stores is that Amazon has very competitive pricing. On top of that, you don’t have to pay sales tax on the products in most states, at leave for now. Then there is the fact that you have so many options to choose from, whereas a store can only stock so much product. Having reviews on all the products also gives Amazon a very competitive edge. The Amazon Flow app is only going to make Amazon even more appealing to people now.

Get The App; Advertising

The app is currently available in the app store for anyone with an iOS 7 device. If you have that device and want to find more efficient ways to show your favorite things, you can try it out. All we know is that smartphones are getting better every day and offering more and more for everyday people. Your company should be taking full advantage of the opportunity by investing in more mobile advertising. The more advertising you can do through mobile, the better, especially since everyone is switching to mobile. Amazon is just one of many businesses that have already figured out mobile is where it is all at. Many more companies are likely to follow. You need to consider your mobile advertising options to decide how to best find your customers. Try text message advertising or get your social media all put together. Whatever you decide to do, do it on mobile, and you’ll be fine.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Sources: pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2430502,00.asp

Get The Moto E Without Breaking The Bank

Breaking a smartphone is devastating if you didn't already have insurance on it because getting a new one will cost you hundreds of dollars. But that may all be about to change with the Motorola Moto E. Even without a contract, you won't have to pay much to get it. As the technology improves and the cost of production increases, the cost of smartphones should be dropping making them more accessible to more people. And the more people who have smartphones, the easier it will be for you to market to them.
 
News For The Motorola Moto E
 
When the Moto E launched Tuesday, people were excited to finally see a smartphone being sold at a reasonable price. At only $129 without a contract, you can afford this for anyone in the family, according to PC World. However, a cheaper phone does mean fewer perks. For example, you will not find a front facing camera on the Moto E, and the camera you do find will only have 5-megapixels and there is no LTE. The phone may be missing a few of the luxuries we have come to love in our expensive smartphones, but it may be worth it. At the very least, someone who needs to replace their phone before the two year mark may want to consider getting this one. It is also a great option for kids and teenagers giving them all the functionality of a smartphone without having to pay through the roof. Maybe the screen is a little smaller than you would like too, but at least you get a sleek looking smartphone for half the price of anything else.
 
Old School Radio
 
Our kids probably don't even know what radio is given that most of us use iTunes at home and in the car. With the Moto E, you'll have the ability to listen to the radio. It may seem a little old school, but the radio certainly isn't a dying art. And it allows the users of the phone to stream music without having to use a data connection, which is a big deal for teens. Parents won't have to get unlimited data packages for music if this phone is used to simply listen to the radio instead. Getting the radio from your phone seems like something you should already be able to do, which is why we might start seeing it in more smartphones.
 
What Does This Mean For Marketing?
 
For one, it means mobile marketing is becoming more complex than ever it will be productive to do radio advertising again. These kinds of smartphones being offered at a lower price will also mean a wider audience. More people will have smartphones, which means your advertising efforts will reach more people. Though in a way, one method of marketing to customers will help simplify your efforts, the numbers of ways you can market through a smartphone may make things much more complicated. Just make sure you start with the basics: texting. Everyone who has a cell phone gets texts, and it is not going to go away anytime soon.
 
Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2154320/hands-on-with-motorolas-feature-phone-slayer-the-moto-e.html

iPhone Users At Verizon Get Isis

Isis mobile wallet is one of the newest inventions that is trying to keep you from having to carry a wallet around. Instead of having a bunch of credit and debit cards in your wallet, you could just scan your phone and pay through Isis. Now, iPhone users are Verizon are getting a chance to use Isis. It has been slowly released to almost all Android devices and iPhone devices with certain carriers. Now, Verizon has come up with a way to let its iPhone users take advantage of the app.

All About Isis

Isis is a program on your phone that allows you to pay for things without having to carry around any kind of credit or debit information. Just swipe your phone by the machine, and you’ve paid for your stuff. The program is extremely limited still but is expected to grow if more customers get involved. The problem with it right now is that only a few cards are accepted on it, such as American Express, Chase, or Wells Fargo. Everyone else is out of luck unless they want to sign up for a different account. The other big problem with it? Not a lot of customers have the app, so not a lot of companies feel the need to get one. Isis will be much more successful if people and companies get the technology to make it more widespread.

Verizon Helping With That

Verizon wants to help with that by getting all iPhone users on the program. The catch? You have to buy a case to put on your smartphone if you want to use Isis. According to CNET, the case can cost anywhere from $70 to $80, and it is only available on the newer iPhone versions. The high cost is where people are turned off. They don’t want to pay that much money for the convenience of using Isis, especially when it still can only be used at few companies.

The Competition

The only real competition to Isis out there is Google Wallet, but more people are using Isis, and Google Wallet hasn’t seemed to take off very much. The problem, for both Isis and Google, is trying to create a change in society to the way we do things. The change from cash to credit and debit cards was slow moving as well, but eventually it took off. Google Wallet may never be able to keep up with Isis since Isis has pushed really hard to create contracts with business and get people out there to start using it.

More And More Things Going Mobile

This is a prime example of how more and more things are going mobile. Both iPhone and Android users can now use their phone to make payments at a brick and mortar store. Of course, as more things go mobile, so must you. You want to make sure you are in the same place as all of your customers and the competition if you are going to stay ahead with marketing. Text messages might be your way in to the mobile market. Try it out and see where you end up.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Sources: news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57618481-94/verizon-iphone-users-get-a-crack-at-isis-mobile-wallet/

Mobile Advertising To Increase With Mobile Data Traffic

Have you ever wondered how much mobile data traffic affects mobile advertising? There is a direct correlation, in fact. The more mobile data someone needs, the more time they are spending on their phone. The more time they are spending on their phone, the more you need to be advertising to them. Advertising is all about getting as much exposure as possible with the biggest audience is possible. That is easier with mobile now.

Seeing Mobile Data Traffic Increase

A new report from Cisco has been released on the amount of data that is expected to be consumed in 2018 compared to 2013. At that point, there will be more uploads and downloads on smartphones than on laptops, according to Reuters. On amount of data consumed through smartphones will reach eight times the current amount. The only real problem with these increases is that wireless carriers are going to have to come up with some way to support all the wireless data. It may take more money upfront to get the systems set up, which is something most companies are unwilling to do. Fortunately, the report points out that there will be huge increases in mobile data traffic and that there will need to be changes made if wireless carriers want to keep up with the times.

Business Advertising Easier

This is great news for your business! It means that you will have even greater access to reaching your customers through mobile marketing. If more people are using data, it means more people have smartphones. Reaching your customer base has never been so easy! Start with text marketing. Whether your customer has mobile data or not, they’ll quickly see any text you send them. After you’ve gotten your text messaging system figured out, you’ll want to work on social media. People spend hours upon hours every day using social media on their phones. Ensure that everything you post to your Facebook or Pinterest accounts are mobile friendly and ready to be seen by your customers.

Run through everything for your company to ensure that it is all mobile friendly. If you put a link to your website in a text message, you want to make sure it is easily accessible from mobile. If you get prepared now, you’ll do much better when people switch 100% over to mobile from computers.

Alternative Mobile Advertising Options

There are a few options you may want to consider when it comes to mobile advertising that a lot of people haven’t considered. One of these may be advertising during TV shows. Maybe Netflix won’t allow any kind of advertising, but there are a lot of people switching to Hulu Plus because of the ability to watch TV shows sooner. Consider putting ads into these shows based on which ones your target audience will be watching. You will want to take a look at mobile advertising methods right now before other companies catch on. If you do, you’ll be able to easily stay ahead.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Sources: reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-usa-spectrum-cisco-idUSBREA140VY20140205

A Few Things You Didn't Know About Mobile Marketing

If you own a business, you've at least heard of mobile marketing. These days just about every US adult has a mobile phone. More than half of these are smartphones. For many years now businesses have been realizing that greater success comes from being able to market to these mobile customers. Other business owners are still a little wary of jumping into a new type of advertising. For the hesitant business owner, here's a look at a few things you probably didn't know about mobile marketing, and they just might change your mind:

·        Mobile customers are faster. Study after study shows that mobile customers will respond to mobile advertisements much faster than they will to all other forms of advertising. There's something about mobile devices that causes users to act immediately on offers as opposed to those watching TV ads that may eventually get around to it

·        Polarized consumer response. In other words, mobile users are forced to respond quickly with a yes or a no. Unlike with TV, radio, and billboard ads which we have grown accustomed to and can tune out, mobile ads have a way of grabbing our attention. They are personal and invasive and force us to decide yes or no. There is no middle ground. While it means more definite no’s, it also means more yeses

·        Mobile customers are more trusting of brand messages. As already stated, there is something personal about a mobile advertisement. As a result, mobile customers are more likely to instinctively trust a brand message sent via smartphone as opposed to brand messages sent through other channels

·        More positive responses. This ties in with the previous three. Because mobile customers are faster, more likely to choose a side, and more trusting, they're also more likely to ultimately respond positively to a mobile advertisement

·        Mobile users want simplicity. Typically, the mobile customer is on the go and is usually multitasking. Most mobile consumers when they use their mobile devices to perform a search online are looking to do something very specific and do it fast. This is where icons come in. Icons communicate the most information in the least amount of time. The goal here is conciseness. Less words and more images that help consumers find the info they want as quickly as possible

·        Mobile is social. The mobile channel is inherently more social than others. When you come across something interesting on your desktop PC, you can't exactly hand the monitor to your friend or coworker and say "here, look at this." You can do this easily with a smartphone or tablet however. Mobile makes it easy for consumers to share their favorite brands with those around them

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Source:  imediaconnection.com/content/35876.asp#multiview

Mobile Marketing: Better Than The Super Bowl

Did you watch the Super Bowl this year? How about the commercials? If so, you know the commercials were almost just as sad and disappointing as the game. The Super Bowl is known for a time when the best commercials on TV are played, making it the one time a year you actually try to watch commercials. But the effect this year has been minimal as people were more disappointed than anything.

Not A Lot of New Customers This Year

With the safe Super Bowl commercials that weren’t particularly entertaining for anyone, few people have felt pressure to purchase more stuff. It was definitely a fail when it comes to marketing. Not only did companies spend millions of dollars to create the commercials, but they also spent millions to post the during the Super Bowl. You might be thinking that the risk is worth it since it doesn’t work as well to market in other ways, but there is a more personalized level of marketing that can work significantly better than the disappointing Super Bowl ads this year.

Mobile Marketing Responsiveness

One method of marketing to reach a larger audience is to incorporate mobile into everything. And example of success with mobile marketing was when the esurance ad during the Super Bowl that gave a short period in which people could tweet to win some cash. The ad brought in over 1.2 million tweets, according to Mobile Marketer, which is a pretty impressive number. It’s even more impressive when you consider that fact that not a lot of people use the Twitter app, and few people are willing to pull out their computers to do something while watching the Super Bowl with friends. It just goes to show that people are much more responsive about an advertisement when you incorporate mobile marketing.

You Can Use Mobile Too

As we can see, people have no problem whipping out their phones and using them in any situation. In fact, some people go so far as to look at texts during job interviews. Maybe it is a little out of hand, but the fact is that your business can benefit from it. If people are willing to use their phones and look at texts immediately, it means that any text marketing you are doing will be seen right away. It doesn’t matter whether or not your customer comes into the store right away or waits a couple of days. Either way, they’ve seen your text and now have you on their mind. One of the greatest tricks to get people into your store is reminding them you exist. Maybe they would love to come in and buy some clothes but kind of forgot you exist. There’s so much competition out there now that being remembered is one of your best tools. Huge companies like Walmart might not need text advertising, but every small business owner needs to have text messaging platforms set up to draw in more customers. And as we saw with the Super Bowl, the only ad people really remember is the one that included mobile participation.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Sources: mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/17109.html

Marketing To Target Communication Changes

Over the years, the ways we communicate with one another has changed. Way back in the day, they had telegrams and runners who took messages from place to place. Communication was very limited. Then we got to a point where we finally had the ability to make phone calls all over the world. Then email came along along with cell phones and now smartphones. We’re at the point that we can practically spend all day communicating with people around us. Your business should be moving with the times and marketing with these kinds of changes. The only way to survive is to stay ahead of the pack.

Biggest Changes With Text Messaging

One of the biggest changes in how we communicate with the change that came with texting. The idea that you could send a message that was instantly delivered to someone on their phone, and they could respond whenever they had a chance instead of right away, made a huge difference to communication. All of the sudden it was easier to text dates and time. The idea of saying hello and catching up before getting down to business disappeared. There was no point in pleasantries anymore when texting. Because of this, people would rather text someone than call because calling meant you had to spend time talking to someone whereas texting was fast and easy. But this means it is easier to market too.

No Use For Pleasantries

It used to be that companies had to make their customers feel good and get to know them. They couldn’t just say “buy my product” without first offering the “hellos” and “how do you dos.” Now everything has changed. People spend more time communicating by getting to the point and skipping the pleasantries. That means your advertising can get more to the point. Maybe the point is that there is going to a sale today, and maybe the point is that you love your customers. Either way, marketing to your customers is easier when you can simply text exactly what you want to get across.

Change In Language

The other thing you need to remember before marketing through text messaging is the fact that language has been changing due to the change in communication. Facebook is now a main source of communication for people, for example, and the language on Facebook has changed how we talk to one another. A few examples are works such as “like,” which can now be used as a noun, such as “I need another like on this picture.” According to CNN, these kinds of changes in language affect how we communicate. Another example is the idea of “sharing” something. Now, it means you are simply sharing something you found on the internet on your Facebook wall, but it used to be more in reference to have to sit with someone and use the same book. These changes are good for your marketing though. If you really get through to a customer or they really like the deal they offer, they will “share” it with their friends. You need to be aware of these changes to be able to effectively communicate with your customers though. Make sure you are staying up to date with common verbiage, so you can use it in your text marketing.

Mobile technology news brought to you by businesstexter.com

Source: cnn.com/2014/02/02/tech/social-media/facebook-words/

Four Ways Your Mobile Marketing Strategy Needs To Change

In 2013, Google launched its new search algorithm, Hummingbird. Now more than ever, Google’s search engine is able to accurately give you the results you’re looking for. In addition to basic changes to the search engine processes, Google also acquired some innovative technologies from other business startups. One technology they obtained from Behavio is of special interest to mobile marketers. Behavio’s technology essentially turns smartphones into a kind of sensor that picks up on clues according to your surroundings.  Essentially, Google searches performed on smartphones will product results specific to your surroundings.

This new technology has some exciting implications for mobile marketers. The bottom line is that businesses need to keep their mobile customers in mind more than ever when thinking about their online content and how it’s displayed. Here are four tips to accomplish that.

Users Should Be The Center of SEO Strategy

It’s common sense that your customers should be the center of everything you do as a business. This is especially true of search engine optimization. Keyword research is still crucial for SEO but today, many customers can also conduct voice searches which by nature are more casual. Pay close attention to how your customers are searching for your business online. How do they phrase their search queries? Make sure the answers to their questions are the first things they see when they find your business’s website. SEO is no longer just about where you rank in search results; it’s about answering your customers’ questions.

Improve Your Mobile Site

Before there were smartphones, you could be sure that all mobile traffic was originating from computers and laptops. Now that is no longer the case. Consider that in recent years, desktop and laptop web traffic has increased by 12% while mobile web traffic has increased by 125%. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers. It’s also important to keep in mind that mobile customers are very different from desktop and laptop customers. More likely, your mobile customers are on the go and looking for quick results. Your mobile site needs to have a simple, intuitive interface. Make sure it’s designed around getting customers the info they’re looking for fast. Load times should be down to about a second.

Use Marketing Videos

Experts predict that by 2016, video will account for 70% of all data traffic. Mobile apps like Vine have made it easy to create very short (six seconds) videos that not only entertain but also advertise. One thing is for sure, in the coming years video is going to play a much bigger role in mobile marketing. It’s best to get started now.

Know What Your Customers Want

A key difference between mobile customers and PC customers is that mobile customers are typically interested in making a purchase much faster. While those shopping from the comfort of home might be content to browse around, mobile customers are out and about. When they decide to buy something, they buy it, typically within the hour. It’s more important than ever to make your contact information readily available to these customers. When they find you online, you want them to be able to find your brick and mortar location soon after.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by businesstexter.com

Source:  fastcompany.com/3024442/4-ways-your-mobile-marketing-needs-to-change-this-year

Mobile Marketing Campaigns: One Size Never Fits All

Smartphones are no longer unique to the United States, Europe, and Asian countries. In fact, on a global scale the smartphone market is nearing a saturation point. That means areas where smartphone usage has been relatively low in recent years are now seeing a huge jump. Some of these emerging markets include Latin America, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
 
Because the smartphone market in the United States and other first world countries has already reached the saturation point, most new smartphone owners in 2014 will be from these emerging markets in developing nations. What is also interesting about these emerging markets is that unlike in many first world countries where PCs and laptops are still the primary way to access the internet, smartphones are the only way many can access the internet in third world countries. For global companies, these emerging markets have some exciting implications.
 
 
A New Type of Mobile Marketing
 
Because smartphones are the primary tool for accessing the internet in emerging markets, marketers are already looking at ways to reach these people via mobile marketing. The problem is, what works for the west won’t necessarily work in other parts of the world. Marketers may be tempted to implement a campaign that has been successful here into emerging markets. However, this isn’t the best strategy.
 
A successful mobile marketing campaign should drive user engagement. But what drives engagement in one country might do just the opposite in another. Most marketers are in agreement that when it comes to mobile marketing, one size fits all simply isn’t going to cut it. What’s needed are new strategies designed to drive user engagement, strategies that are specific to each region and culture where they will be implemented.
 
 
Designing The Perfect Marketing Campaign
 
Marketers hoping to be successful in emerging markets will need to take great care in understanding the culture and nuances of these markets. The entire success of a campaign will depend on the little things like customer preferences and the best time of day. These are things that will vary widely from place to place. Some of the basic mobile marketing rules may even need to be broken in emerging markets.
 
Ultimately, it’s going to take some time for marketers to study these new markets in depth and adapt accordingly. Though it will be costly and time consuming, a company’s success in mobile marketing will depend on that initial investment of time and resources into understanding an emerging market’s culture.
 
 
Mobile Technology News brought to you by businesstexter.com
Source:  mobilemarketingwatch.com/in-emerging-markets-one-size-fits-all-mobile-marketing-always-fails-39130/