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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
 
 
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Source:  mobilemarketingwatch.com/in-emerging-markets-one-size-fits-all-mobile-marketing-always-fails-39130/

Apple iPhone Sales Lower Than Expected

With so much speculation as to whether or not Apple was having a good year last year with iPhone sales, we’re all ready to see what the final result was. Those who own Apple stock may not be pleased to hear that Apple isn’t doing that well. In fact, sales were much lower than expected. This might be good news for some smartphone manufacturers trying to get in on top though. Levono was probably pleased to hear the bad news.

Apple Stock Drops

As the announcement was made by Apple that iPhone sales were lower than anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2013, people were not pleased. Even though sales were still higher than ever before at 51 million units sold, iPhone sales were expected to be at 55 million for the quarter. This led to investors dropping Apple stock and stock prices decreasing. According to Forbes, investors aren’t just worried about sales, though that is a big part of it. In fact, investors are also concerned that there has been hardly any innovation in recent years. With lack of innovation, Apple may quickly drop to the bottom of the totem pole.

A Chance For Levono

Though Apple and Apple investors are disappointed about the low iPhone sales, other cell phone manufacturers are excited to hear the news. It means that there is more opportunity for others to finally beat Apple. Levono, for example, has announced that it has a goal of passing up Samsung and Apple in sales. Since Google has sold some Motorola parts to Levono, it might even be a more realistic goal for them, according to the LA Times. Though the smartphone manufacturer may be a little less well-known in the US, it is extremely popular on a global level and is leading in many countries. Levono has high hopes of becoming the top dog and thinks that, with time, it is possible.

And Then There’s Samsung

Samsung, as the number two cell phone manufacturer out there, has been working hard to beat out Apple. Levono hasn’t even been on Samsung’s mind as a company to beat, but that might need to change if Samsung is to keep up at the top. Samsung’s new innovative technology and the new patent agreement with Google might give it a more competitive edge than the other smartphone manufacturers.

Windows Phones

One of the fasted increasing smartphone sales out there is the Windows phone. This is probably why iPhone sales have been suffering as more people are choosing Windows. Because sales have been increasing quickly, other cell phone manufacturers should be on the lookout. Maybe sales are still not that high, but the growing sales make Microsoft a new competitor to fight.

Which Phone Is Right For You?

To run your business, you’ll need a smartphone. No matter what business you run, smartphones can only increase efficiency within your company. The question is: which smartphone is right for you? It all depends on what you are doing with it. The only real advantage to the iPhone is that you can use iTunes on it and match it up with all your other devices. If your company is using Gmail as your main source for email, calendar, and documents, you’d be much better off with a different phone that has an Android operating system. No matter what you choose, having a smartphone to manage text marketing is a good idea.

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Sources: forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2014/01/28/idisappoint-apple-plunges-after-iphone-sales-come-in-low/?utm_campaign=forbestwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-lenovo-apple-samsung-20140131,0,5305000.story#axzz2rzeebZD8

Social Media Marketing Requires Prompt Response Times

When it comes to mobile marketing, social media can be one of your most powerful tools. When not used properly however, it can be your Achilles’ heel. What many forget about social media is that the communication works both ways. Not only can a business communicate with customers, but customers can send messages and post on a business’s profile. When those messages go ignored for too long, people take notice. This is bad enough when the message or post is a positive one. When the message or post is a critique, it is even worse when your business fails to address it in a timely manner. The individual who posted it and others who happen to see it will be wondering why it is being ignored.
 
Businesses who aren’t staying on top of their social media responses are in danger of losing customers as they begin to think the business simply doesn’t care. Here are a few facts about social media and customer service.
 
 
Customer Expectations
 
According to a poll, 42% of customers expect their comments or questions to be responded to within 1 hour on social media. Another 32% are even more impatient, expecting a response within 30 minutes. Many of these same people believe it should be no different on weekends with 57% saying response times shouldn’t slow on weeknights and weekends when businesses are often closed.
 
When these expectations aren’t met, it could spell disaster. According to the same poll, only 36% of people say their comments, complaints, or questions were addressed in a timely manner. 38% said that they felt negatively toward businesses that didn’t respond quickly enough.
 
 
Reality
 
Now that we’ve established what customers’ expectations are, let’s look at what reality is. For the 100 top US retailers, the average response time on Facebook is approximately 24 hours. On Twitter, the response time is much quicker with an average of 11 hours and 15 minutes. While many would consider this pretty quick, it’s nowhere near the high standard customers are expecting.
 
 
What’s A Small Business Owner To Do?
 
Anyone who has owned a small businesses knows that improving response times is much harder than it sounds. One option is to hire someone to take care of the task full time. That person would be responsible for managing the business’s social media accounts and responding to comments and questions. Many business owners aren’t in a position to pay somebody to respond to questions on Facebook full time. In this case, a smartphone is a business owner’s best friend. Choose a notification tone that is unique to your social media account. Whenever there is some kind of activity on your business’s social media account, you will be notified immediately and can respond quickly.
 
 
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Source:  mobilemarketingwatch.com/social-media-marketing-tip-consider-response-times-39040/