930,000 customers use Bank of America’s mobile banking services. Android handsets have doubled in growth and surpassed the I-Phone in the last 8 months. Mobile click though rates average 8.9% to 49% from online mobile advertising. These are key reasons to take mobile marketing seriously.There are three incompatible operating systems on mobile smart phones. Blackberry handles e-mail and corporate applications well. Apple’s I-Phone, which broke the mould using its applications market and it has led the industry for the last few years. Recently, Google’s Android has become the leading handset.Why should marketers react? Mobile browsers continue to be only 1% of website traffic, but you only have to consider the demographics of mobile users.

They’re educated, tech savvy with disposable income. Most mobile web browsing is done while commuting. This segment is the fastest growing market segment at the moment, with cellular devices, doubling every few months.Who’s already using mobile marketing well?Most organisations that began a type of mobile program with the holy trinity of marketing, timely, personalized, actionable messages. The best practice is completed by the news and media organisations, simply because they have the business design that supports it. However, there are other groups that do this well too. In Sydney, the Oxford clothing store uses mobile marketing with SMS to advertise its clothing sales to those that have subscribed.Mobile Marketing App?

Almost all smart phones now use GPS to give users their current location. Reebok released a free app that allowed sports individuals to track their location, consequently giving more info for their coaches. This creates involvement and interaction directly with the brand. The possibilities for mobile marketing applications are almost endless. When you combine GPS with WIFI, you could have location based marketing as a result of the area, direction and speed of travel.SMS marketing?McDonald’s, “send an SMS to Santa and receive your gift within seconds”.

This led to a stunning 25% response rate – more than 1.5 million participations in five weeks. They promoted using unique codes on cups for consumers to send a text message – right in the restaurant. Each code would be a winner – for the first time with physical prizes.Mobile marketing is the next great pathway to customer acquisition and retention. Businesses promote their products utilizing a wide range of SMS marketing initiatives, including SMS coupon delivery, customer notification of specials and purchasers, event based SMS advertising they are driving event participation and much more.

Avoiding Basic Mobile Marketing MistakesMobile Marketing is cool. But it’s still new and there are a handful of simple rookie mistakes that you want to prevent.

Here they are:

1. Approaching a Mobile Marketing Campaign Like an E-mail marketing Campaign.Unlike an email recipient sitting at their computer, mobile users don’t wish to download your entire twenty seven-page Shocking Report. Instead, they’re searching for quick information. Remember, a lot of their Mobile” time is spent… Mobile. To operate a vehicle… right? Keep your message simple, like you were designing a PPC ad. It’s not that difficult and you will laser focus the interest of your mobile audience much better.

2. Not “Targeting” A crowdMobile marketing with texts only works when you send the content to the right people. Some business people and marketers result in the mistake of treating text messaging just like a mass marketing media rather than the targeting tool it had been intended to be.Mobile marketing campaigns are best used on your existing customer base. These folks happen to be familiar with you and should have already opted-in for your SMS list. Your messages are going to be welcome and given attention.

3. Hard Selling in a TextDude… seriously. Mobile is a great way to connect to consumers, but you really only have about 150 characters approximately that you’re working with… right. So consider it, if all your communication with an audience is centered on the hard-sell, chances are you will annoy the heck out of individuals who will turn a deaf ear to other things you have to say later on. When the recipients are a part of a properly opted in list, they’ll simply opt out. Why bother?Remember, improving customer retention will help you build more profitability for your business, so remember to focus on building relationships together with your customers. Should you choose that, the sales will follow.

4. Using Mobile Marketing AloneWhile mobile marketing campaigns work when utilized on their very own, they pack even more power when they are included in a Social Media marketing strategy. If you are using internet marketing, email marketing, as well as TV ads and newspaper ads, mobile marketing can be a perfect fit to integrate into those methods.For example, you are able to send text messages with links to specific mobile landing pages that have a coupon awaiting your customer. Not just that, however, you may even add your business’s QR (Quick Response) Code for your other advertising campaigns. Consumers can scan your QR code using their mobile phones and become taken right to your website, receive an immediate coupon, as well as have a virtual tour of your business via a simple YouTube video!

5. Using One-Way SMS MarketingMobile marketing is a good way to communicate back and forth with consumers, but many businesses utilize it like a boring one-way communication channel. Such a huge mistake! Mobile marketing is definitely an easy method to connect with consumers rather than “sell” for them.Your list will appreciate this more and seem like you are building a relationship together. Once you produce a good rapport with your list they’ll purchase your products.For example, you are able to connect to them by asking the phone users to email in an idea for something associated with your business. Simply send them a text asking for their help and give them an email link, or perhaps a connect to a survey in the text message. They will feel more engaged and you will be more receptive to all of your marketing and sales efforts should you mix it up a bit and allow them to engage you in a conversation.

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