Seems like a simple enough question especially for those early
adopters that have already been hard at work creating a mobile
marketing platform. As a social media marketing agency, we
sometimes forget that not everyone is equally well versed as our
clients. Case in point, the question "What is mobile marketing?"
is actually the third most popular search term related to mobile
marketing. Why is this significant? For several reasons. First,
it demonstrates the fact that small business owners are still not
really sure what mobile marketing is or what it can do for their
business. Of course, if someone isn't really sure what mobile
marketing actually is, there is a higher than average probability
that they have no idea how to implement it as part of their
overall outreach strategy.
Today, we are going to cover the basics of mobile marketing as
part of a social media marketing strategy. According to none
other than Facebook CEO Zuckerberg, the future of social IS
mobile so it should come as no surprise that the two are very
closely related. While it is possible to implement a social media
marketing campaign without the use of mobile marketing, almost by
definition, mobile marketing is highly intertwined with that of
social. So the first thing most small business owners will need
to know is that mobile marketing is part of a social media
marketing strategy. When evaluating who will design, implement
and evaluate a mobile marketing campaign - search for a social
media marketing company with a proven track record of success.
Now that you know where to turn for help, it's time to begin
planning and preparing an overall mobile marketing strategy which
compliments your overall social media marketing campaign. While
mobile marketing mimics standard marketing in many ways, there
are some very important differences to keep in mind.
Current & Future Reach
One of the first bits of information you will want to know is
the percentage of current visitors that access your site via
mobile devices versus traditional desktop/laptop. The variability
tends to be quite high and often reflects the type of business or
service; for example, retail establishments frequently see as
much as half (50%) of all traffic derived from mobile access
whereas many service industries may see as "little" as 15% of
traffic derived from mobile access. Whatever the percentage, keep
the growth rate of mobile in mind when designing for future
access. Mobile access via cell phone, tablet or other device is
one of the fastest growing methods of accessing any type of
information today. For those that are unsure what percentages of
clients currently use mobile access, Google Analytics or your
current social media marketing firm is a great place to begin.
Frequency
One of the big differences in designing a mobile marketing
campaign concerns the frequency pattern of messages. Research
conducted by CTIA. org (the International Association for
Wireless Telecommunications Industry) found that text messages
are read within four minutes of receipt...yes, 4 minutes! Compare
that to email which takes an average of 48 hours to be read. The
question of optimal frequency must be handled with discernment
and caution. On one hand, because mobile messages are read almost
immediately, their "half life" is much shorter than that of email
or other forms of communication. On the other hand, sending too
many messages in a short period of time results in high levels of
burn-out and increases unsubscribe rates. Finding that "sweet
spot" is a skill that takes practice, patience and a great deal
of experience.
Follow-Up
Follow-up is the next area in need of attention during the
planning and preparation stage. There are several forms of
follow-up to be considered; initial follow-up, tertiary follow-up
and final response follow-up. Each corresponds to a different
type of client and stage of service. Properly performed, each
also allows yet one more method of increasing sales, client
satisfaction and service.
• Initial Follow-up: When originally making contact with a
prospective new client, initial follow-up may take several
different forms including availability of a landing page, sign-up
information or other outreach mechanisms.
• Tertiary Follow-up: This second stage of follow-up often
provides customer notification of orders, tracking status and
promotional offers for those that have already become a client.
• Final Response Follow-up: The final stage of follow-up is to
thank someone for their order, request feedback or otherwise
engage in other after the sale service. This is also the perfect
opportunity to up-sell a client or introduce a new product or
service...assuming the client is fully satisfied! If not, this
provides a superb opportunity to correct problems, answer any
questions or otherwise respond to client concerns.
Remember, all forms of follow-up should include an unsubscribe
option in keeping with legal mandates and responsible marketing
methods. A survey of small business owners has found that 2012 is
the year of mobile marketing! As more small business owners
implement a mobile marketing campaign, clients will come to
expect it in the same way they do a traditional website. Don't
risk lagging behind the competition; instead, take time to begin
building a robust mobile marketing presence in order to increase
sales, customer satisfaction and reduce cost. Still not sure your
small business needs a mobile marketing strategy? Consider
this...there are currently 5.9 Billion mobile users globally and
growing. A large number of mobile users are not just dropping
their "land-lines" (remember those?!) but exclusively use mobile
devices to access the Internet or web. Google has already
surpassed the $2Billion mark for annual mobile ad revenue and
over 70% of users do a mobile search for information while
watching TV. Mobile is clearly the marketing method of the
future!
Mike McLaughlin
Maximize Social Media, LLC
Copyright Maximize Social Media LLC 2012.
All Rights Reserved.
http://www.maximizesocialmedia.com/
http://www.youtube.com/maximizesocialmedia
http://www.maximizesocialmedia.com/newsletter
(subscribe to this newsletter)
****************************************************************
About the author:
Mike McLaughlin serves as President of Maximize Social Media LLC
and supervises a team of over 200 social media professionals that
provide consulting and management services to businesses in over
50 different verticals.
How Appification Helps Grow Your Business
It may be the Year of the Dragon, but according to a recent article published in the Nieman Journalism Lab, 2012 is the year that consumers get “appified” and start using mobile apps more than traditional websites for all their news and entertainment. And really, why wouldn’t they? With iPhones, iPads, Kindles and more riding in our pockets and updating themselves 24-7, we’re becoming a lazy race, lifting just one finger for everything we need, from games to movies to social interaction.
For mobile app developers and resellers, however, it’s time to get busy. Not everyone’s using the same apps or even the same kind of devices, which opens up an epic realm of possibilities. Journalist Nicholas Carr even suggests that the versioning of apps is a new way to profit from this wave of appification.
Versioning
So, what’s versioning? Well, just think about your mobile apps like cable packages. You’ve got your basic cable, which gives you things like clear reception, ESPN and ABC Family. Upgrade to a premium package and you may gain HD channels, Animal Planet and the History Channel. Or go all out with digital bells and whistles watching Showtime, HBO and Cinemax.
You can do the SAME THING with mobile apps. Companies you work with may want a very basic version of an app that any of their customers can use for free, with an upgrade or two that their best patrons will shell out a dollar a download for…or even more.
Need a more in-depth breakdown on versioning? Read Hal R. Varian’s 1997 report entitled “Versioning Information Goods” – it’s still relevant today.
Divide & Conquer
While we’re continually fighting for financial, racial and gender equality on the “homefront,” the opposite is happening quite naturally on the World Wide Web. Some prefer Facebook; others Google +. Some are content with free limited use of online dating sites and news while others feel compelled to pay for subscriptions that expand and enhance their experience.
If you start making multiple versions of your apps available at different price points, your clients (and their customers) will split into mobile app classes – the penny-pinchers, the middle class and the aristocracy – based on their needs. And the more deluxe upgrades you offer, the more someone will want to pay to have the best of the best – which translates to dollar signs and job security.
Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy
Versioning is a simple cumulative process…just start off with basic functions, up the ante with handy features and go all-out for the most high-end version of your product, then offer each version at an increased price. It will pay off in the end, so get out there and start versioning your apps today!
Forecasts, Predictions and Epic Growth of Mobile
As we all know, mobile technologies are not just fleeting trends like slouch socks or laser discs – the mobile world is here to stay and begs for companies to rethink both their marketing strategies and their customer communications.
This puts mobile app developers and resellers at a great advantage! With job security and opportunities for creativity and growth within the field, you’re in the perfect position to take the mobile world by storm.
It’s All in the Numbers
Don’t believe us? Well, here’s a little more fuel for your app-developing fire. As cited by Gigaom, a recent study conducted by Forrester Research estimates that a third of the money spent in the technology realm will be mobile in just four years. This means even more people will become comfortable with downloading mobile apps and using apps to make purchases from businesses worldwide, keeping you gainfully employed, if not furiously busy.
The study also forecasts that mobile apps will generate $56 billion by 2015 – and a piece of that action is all yours if you continue to develop and grow your skills.
How to Approach New Clientele
Find new ways to entice clients by using more of the research study’s estimations!
- Many businesses are still more comfortable with snail mail, rotary phones and paper faxes, but using predictions from Forrester Research, you can remind them that by 2016, approximately 1 billion consumers will own smart phones. In terms that hit closer to home, that’s a pretty substantial percentage of a company’s customers. Businesses with old-school technologies need you even more to help guide them through the process of getting in touch and in tune with the rapidly progressing mobile world so they can better reach a new generation of customers.
- As suggested by the research study, companies may just start appointing chief mobility officers to help manage the variety of necessary mobile apps needed for their business. It’s adapt or become extinct – those companies with no mobile app should really get started by hiring you to create one now!
- Mobile apps are proven to help boost customer satisfaction and improve company productivity by reducing the number of phone calls coming in, such as in the case of Aflac. This insurance company’s data reveals that approximately 25 million calls have been handled through a mobile app – how great is that?
This research can not only help you with your sales pitch, but it gives us all a refreshing reminder about how lucrative our business really is. So get out there and prove Forrester right – let’s make those predictions – and dollars – come to fruition!
RU Marketing on Mobile?
A great way to engage consumers, get them to use your mobile apps and increase profits for the companies you work with is to cater to their hobbies. And with their fingers tapping and thumbs wagging away, something consumers are participating in more and more with their free time is texting.
Look Who’s Texting
They wear skinny jeans, they won’t move out, and according to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 18- to 24-year-olds send and receive as many as 110 auto-corrected text messages per day.
However, it’s 25- to 34-year-olds who are responding the most to text message marketing, with the highest average participation rate of any age group at approximately 58%. If you think about it, it all makes sense-those who are just getting their careers on track and starting families probably buy (and at the same time need to save) the most. So when a local business shoots them a text with an offer code to save 20% at their favorite boutique, mom-and-pop hardware store or family travel agency, it’s a great incentive to get them in the door.
And it goes without saying that push notifications have the same effect on consumers. So selling push notifications to local businesses is a simple way to get them to interact with your app and boost sales!
Look Who’s Texting Too
Sure, if you check out who’s been winning all the text messaging speed tournaments in the past few years, it’s young teenage girls who spew’em out the fastest. But in the world of text message marketing where you’re looking for a return on investment, it’s quality – not quantity – that matters the most. And although Pew Research concludes that 25- to 34-year-olds are participating in text marketing campaigns the most, it just so happens that even the 55+ age range is utilizing mobile technology and letting it influence their consumer habits.
Basically, what we’re trying to say is that from teenage girls to young families and male retirees, everyone’s fair game and a potential responder to push notification marketing.
Benefits of Push Notification Marketing
Sending out text messages as a means of marketing allows local companies to distribute instant offers and discounts to their database of customers to build loyalty and boost profits. However, push notifications not only help the small business, but they get consumers to interact with the mobile app you’ve created, enhancing your value to the company! It’s also a simple way to keep consumers informed about new products, big sales and company updates.
In addition, consumers aren’t charged for receiving push notifications, whereas many people are still paying for text message plans on their smart phones. Selling push notifications is a win-win-win action – a triple threat! – that keeps consumers engaged without costing them a dime, connects them to your app, and entices them to buy.
Drawing Conclusions
If the largest consumer group actually responding to text message marketing is between the ages of 25 and 34, you can assume that this group will also be most likely to respond to push notifications and interact with your mobile app. However, you can’t pigeonhole them as the only people who will find value in your app. You’ve got to make sure you’re keeping all consumer groups in mind to maximize your return on investment.
Plus, the more consumers that like your app, the more people there are to text about it to their friends. And there’s nothing better than free word-of-mouth that will direct others to download your push-enabled mobile creations!
APP BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
GET YOUR GOPRO MOBILEAPP SOLUTION TODAY!
START INCREASING YOUR MARKET PRESENCE, AND PROFITS BY OVER 50% IN 2012!
If you are a business or organization looking to increase your market presence and customer communication do not pass this opportunity up. Having your own Mobile App is proven to increase market presence by over 50%.
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE GOING MOBILE...YOU NEED AN APP TO COMPETE!
BENEFITS OF A BUSINESS APP
- ONE ON ONE CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION (INSTANTLY)
- INCREASED MARKET PRESENCE AND 24/7 BRANDING
- INSTANT PRODUCT AND PROMOTION AWARENESS WITH "PUSH NOTIFICATIONS"
- TESTIMONIALS AT THE COMMUNITIES FINGERTIPS
- VIRAL "SHARING" WITH A COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SUITE
- ONE TAP CALLING AND GPS DIRECTIONS TO YOUR LOCATION
- ACCESS TO A 38-58 BILLION DOLLAR MARKET
- AFFORDABLE
IS A MOBILE APP RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
Visit our website http://www.getyourapptoday.com
and apply or call to get your business App Today!
Kim Hadassah Johnson
(954) 871-0885
gopromobileapps@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment