Not another Blah Blah Post on the Year of Mobile

This has been asked since 2008. It drives me bonkers. Like how the Ad Industry discusses the Ad Agency of the Future every year...since 1975! Instead of a dumb Infographic filled with false claims. Instead of a bunch of hokey stats that mean nothing. Just some easy thoughts to ponder.

So let's look at the state of mobile:

Large smart phone penetration over 50%.

People use their phones for many things these days including shopping.

But depending on your business will determine the value of mobile. 

Small business? Make sure your business is mobile searchable as well as your site mobile formatted.

QR Codes? Great idea but usually I get taken to sites not mobile formatted! And with Siri and Google Voice Search scanning a code could take longer than other methods of finding things.

You sell online? You should make sure you can sell on phones. Tablets btw are just like Laptops you are already set. I bought a gift on Etsy while standing at a Supermarket Deli Counter!

You sell in a store? Make sure you have a response ready when someone says 'I can get this on Amazon cheaper' or make sure your offerings are unique so you have no worries.

Location Based Services? Check-Ins are dead. But hey still be on FourSquare and Yelp! Let people who wish to check in do so and share it. There are other options but I think Auto-Checkins, Geo-Fences, and Push Ads to phones are bad for business if not set up properly.

But people use location enhancements all the time! When I drive using Google GPS I have it set up so I see places to eat along the way. Make sure your business shows up in GPS applications.

Mobile Advertising? People do not click banner ads very often on Mobile. But if you have a reason to show people you exist they aren't a bad way.

Big Brand? Depends on the Brand. What does Mobile do for Coke? Nothing really.A big retailer? Maybe incorporate mobile into a loyalty program so a customer announces they are in the store with their phone so you can customize offers?

Want to build an App? Remember people use maybe 10-30 regularly. Why should they use yours? How can they find yours out of hundreds of thousands? What is the value to the user?

Media Company? Your year of mobile was 2010 when your content via Apps was readable, viewable, watchable, and sharable. Make sure your content is even more easily sharable.

So where does this leave us? Mobile will continue to evolve. Remember the non-marketing use of Smart Phones is what we use phones for. We don't use them to see ads or search for deals as the primary function. We shop, consume media, search, entertain. and guess what the service providers and the phone handset folks don't care about mobile advertising. They just care about you paying a high price for the gear and services.

Mobile Location Based Marketing

Instead of throwing out silly numbers of smart phone use or how many people own them, the fact is the answer is a lot. These devices enable users to be empowered when making purchasing decisions if thy are enabled by the right technologies. Businesses that use these wisely will do well and those that don't can experience anything from wasted resources to pricing and sales erosion.

When you think of Mobile Marketing for your business you need to focus on user experience. This means remember the screen is small. And you want as few actions as possible needed to get to the heart of your message or call to action.

Integration across technologies is key. Nothing is more frustrating of marketing started on one platform then not working on another. For example if you want a video watched on You Tube and the link appears in a Web Browser Search then doesn't load. Or you scan a QR Code and then a non-mobile formatted site loads causing users to zoom in and move around the screen.

1] Keep it Simple

Today the SMS Text to Response is still the simplest call to action out there. Yes QR Codes can do more but they still take more time and effort.

2] QR Codes

You must make them large and clear enough to be scanned. And when the content opens it had better be easily readable and usable.

3] Banner Ads

Ad Mob has gotten better. I am seeing many more name brands. Best LBS Ad I saw was for McDonalds McCafe. It was just highlighting their $1 coffee. I never click Banner Ads but I did this one. It opened a map with the nearest McDonald's locations. Very impressed. But I have clicked on 4 Ads in 16 months.

4] Location is Important

McDonald's failed because I live 8 miles from the nearest location. But if that Ad showed up when I was closer the chance of me clicking is higher. If I am in a store I totally want to connect. I am browsing and/or ready to buy. Imagine walking into a store and either with a passive check in or simple activation the store can review my past purchasing and pitch me offers on the the spot that is relative and urgent.

For example say my favorite sporting goods store sees it is April, my last tent was bought 4 years ago, and I get an offer of a better tent and if I buy now 50% off a new lantern. Or in October get pitched a free Ski Tuneup so when I come in you can try selling me on new Skis?

5] Be Respectful

If I am not in your store most likely I don't want contact from you on your terms only on mine. People might ask for push communication from their most favorite brands and be ok getting alerts etc, but from most brands they do not want this. Don't piss them off! The last thing most people want is to feel harassed by unexpected contact.

6] Don't Bribe 

You might say "Well what if I send you such a good deal you have to come in?'. You just hurt your margins. And while might be OK for a brand new customer to get them to check you out, a repeat customer will start waiting for these bribes. Be careful with bribes.

7] To App or Not to App

Most likely the answer in most cases is Not to App. What will your App do for the user? Why would they be compelled to download it and use it? Media Brands Apps are great. But unless you give the user a clear benefit and reason to use the App they will not use it. Amazon's Price Check App? Now that is compelling. A nice restaurant with one location? A Yelp! listing with a mobile formatted website is plenty.

Mobile will be a powerful force for those that leverage the technologies wisely. Others can easily waste money or at worst piss off potential customers.

Mobile Monday - Check Ins are Dead. Next idea please.

Location Based Services:

The Check In is Dead. There I said it. End of story. Nobody check's in on Gowalla, Foursquare, or Places. They just don't. The value proposition is not there yet. No matter what anyone or Mashable says.

Great example. This Cheese Cake Factory on Long Island always has an hour plus wait. You are looking at hundreds of customers per day every day. I estimate 150,000-200,000 customers per year. And they have 46 Check-ins?

Let's visit Foursquare:

The Colonie Center is one of two regional Malls. It has Macy's, LL Bean, Barnes and Noble, Sears, Cheese Cake Factory, a Movie Theater w/ IMAX. On one average day this mall easily has as many people as the total check-ins for Foursquare. The Cheese Cake Factory is always packed just like the one on Long Island. If the 1348 check ins was just for one year nevermind the 2+ I am sure it was listed then they get less than 5 Check-ins per day out of the 400-500+ people they serve every day.

I recently was at an Tri-City Valley Cats game which is the Class A Houston Astro's minor league farm club. They have a gorgeous stadium. Seats 4500 people and has standing room to allow 7000. I have been there twice. Both times seating was sold out. Both times less than 20 people checked in on both Foursquare and Gowalla Combined. 

Initially it was a novelty. Well as we all can say we have observed Check-in's uploaded to Twitter are down dramatically. I have always felt for LBS to work Brands/Businesses need to have a platform that allows me to come to the store (or just outside), Check-in via 3G not satellite and have a discussion on why I should come in. Send the circular to my phone. If I can have a unique identifier that connects me with past sales history for a customized special deal. But just to say I am here? Not happening.

Obviously if we knew about a deal that required a Check-in we would check in. Why are brands not offering deals? Because they don't have too! Business is just fine without them. And what would have to be offered to get us to pick one place over another? A bribe that is probably bigger than what the business wants to offer. If Foursquare or Gowalla or Facebook really wanted this technology to take off they should be the ones offering loyalty programs that connect my visits and what I buy to some reward. This way it isn't a one off give away and makes me earn a good reward that gets me excited. 

It was nice getting free Chips and Salsa at Chili's back when they ran that special for checking in on Foursquare. But really Chips and Salsa? Something I can get free at a Mexican Restaurant?

The point is, read the news. The news says almost 50% of people now have some sort of Smart Phone. So why is no one checking in? Would you tell a client they must be using these technologies? When they aren't working yet? Observe reality, Then decide whether what is being shoveled your way is the truth, a fib, or just some stinky cow poopy.

Mobile Monday - Corning® Gorilla® Glass Gets Mobile

On Saturday I was using one of my Droid2 Apps. I have mentioned I am pretty sure that most Ad Mob Banner ads in Apps are a drag. They are never relevant and are pretty much space hogs that annoy. But on Saturday I see one that was for a real company (vs 'Click to learn how to extend your battery life' banner ads). And I found them interesting. It was for Corning® Gorilla® Glass.

GORILLA® GLASS

Corning has a very interesting history. They were the inventors of Pyrex which is the Laboratory Glass we all used in Science class for beakers and test tubes etc. Then in the 90's they got into fiber optics who along with JD Uniphase had spectacular stock rises then crashes from the dot.com boom. Then silence. They had thought about being just a fiber optics company. I am glad they did not.

Now they make Gorilla® Glass. What is Gorilla® Glass you might ask? It's the glass on my Droid2. I have been wondering why since August it has zero scratches. Why I drop it and nothing happens (jinx). But I had no idea until I clicked the Ad!

I was ready for my browser to pop up with an unformatted for mobile website. Instead up popped a very slick mobile micro-site. It had a few tabs with About and Products and one for Videos. They chose two videos which were cute. And at least showcased how versatile the Gorilla® Glass is.

While one might debate whether this is a consumer product vs a B2B product, it is something I will look for in the future when buying anything that has a glass screen as a way of deciding a products price to value. And all from a successful mobile campaign and proper formatting. And you all know if the formatting had been an issue this blog post would of been teaching you all how not to conduct a mobile campaign!

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.

New 2011 Blog Structure Announced

In an effort to make this blog more focused and to help bring more value to our readers, the content of this blog will be changing somewhat. After a big meeting on the Mother Ship and a really long and sometimes buggy Skype Video Conference with our Supreme Council in the Andromeda Galaxy, it has been decided by threat of Gamma Ray Particle Agitation Disintegration, I mean Consensus, that there should be more structure and the themes should reflect the skills that our crew of Aliens brings to our clients.

So going forward there will be an effort to put put 3 Blog Posts per week that discuss strategy, developments, or news for the following subject areas: 

1] Mobile Marketing -

• Mobile Technology and Platforms
• Location Based Services
• Strategy that works, Strategy that is powerful, and Strategy to not use

2] Social Media -

• We will continue causing a ruckus about Hype and News
• More Data Crunching to help you with reality
• Strategies and Observances
• Technologies and Platforms

3] Marketing Strategies -

• Everything Marketing all if fair game including:
• TV/Cable, Out of Home, Direct, Mobile, Social, Print, Guerrilla
• Agencies and Clients
• Costs vs Benefits
• How To's
•  News and Developments
• Case Studies for Success and Failure

Lastly in an effort to reward those that have given so freely to me in various ways,  we plan to write a blog on Friday highlighting someone or a website that gives value and insight or is just plain all around deserving similar to what Gini Dietrich does on Spin Sucks with Follow Friday. There also will be occassional opinion piece explaining why we don't like a specific news outlet etc. But we have a few cutesy titles we are kicking around for you to cringe at when you see it.