Mobile Monday - What is Your Mobile Marketing Strategy?

You might be confused about Mobile Marketing. It's in the Trade News a lot. The amount of options and technologies is a bit overwhelming. So I am here to help you get a better grip on Mobile Marketing and how to develop a Strategy.

The very first question you have to ask is why Mobile?

• What can mobile do for your business? 
• What can you or your customers gain? 
• What are the challenges? 
• What are the costs and processes you need to take to implement the strategy you come up with? 
• What is the realistic return on these efforts?

Your customer needs to benefit in some way for them to even think of participating in your Mobile Strategy. You need to benefit for you to even pursue a Mobile Strategy.

To simplify things I separate Mobile into 2 distinct areas.  

1] Doing Business 
2] Marketing

Doing Business:

This is easy stuff. If you can not take a step back and view yourself as a customer ask someone you know! Ask why would anyone want to use mobile (Phone or Tablet) to engage with your business. For many businesses that have physical customers, the simple ability for someone to use the Voice Search to pull up your business on a map w/GPS like the Droid2 does is plenty. 

• Will people be needing to access your website via mobile for information or possibly buy something? 
• Would this be different or similar to what they do on traditional web? 
• Are you a web based business or do you have physical locations people come to?
• Are you using Social Communication Technologies for Customer Service and Support?
• Are you a Media or Entertainment Content Provider?

Marketing:

There are many new technologies that enable companies to market via Mobile. 

• The simplest of which is a directory listing or being on Yelp! 
• Push advertising via banner ads, pre-roll commercials before video, in App/Games ads of all sorts.
• Location Based Services like FourSquare or ShopKick. 
• You might hear terms such as Geo Fences or Satellite Based Services.
• Branded Apps.
• SMS/MMS Text, QR/BarCode Readers which are 'Call to Actions' and often need Traditional Advertising formats to help initiate the action.
• Social Communication Platforms can also be used to reach people on their mobile devices.  

Once you have answered the first simple questions you can then start looking at your options for Doing Business or Marketing. Some businesses will do both. The biggest thing to know about Mobile is it is changing rapidly. The devices, networks, and technology services are coming to market rapid fire. I warn you that being first doesn't mean you win. There could be a wonderful technology you like but people never use. 

It is really important to connect how people like using their mobile devices and then figure out your strategy to fit what people are using. For example, for every Facebook Status Update, 183 SMS Text Messages are sent. Everyone can send a Text Message. But only about 25% of the US have web enabled smart phones. This doesn't mean you shouldn't create an App or pursue Mobile Web. It means we have to look at your goals and work backwards picking the right technologies that will enable you to reach your goals.

In future Mobile Marketing Monday posts we will cover in detail the various options and technologies to help you choose what is right for you. I will also link articles, news, and blog posts that are relevant and of interest. One thing to remember is Mobile is here today. It is growing fast. And you do need a strategy to integrate with your overall Marketing and Business Plan.