Consider this - The average person looks at their phone 150 times a day, or once every six-and-a-half minutes of every waking hour.
A smartphone is much more than a calling and texting device. It is a gadget that provides a world of mobile browsing and applications. Businesses have been capitalizing on text message marketing already in today’s mobile phone era, but there are many new ways they can take advantage of the growing number of smartphone users in the United States. These include creating mobile applications, QR (quick response codes), or mobile websites.
Here are some of the heartening findings:
-> 1 of every 7 minutes of media consumption is via a mobile device.
-> 80 percent of mobile users are satisfied with their ability to access the internet on their mobile device.
-> Smartphones are used everywhere: 95% - "downtime"; 82% - at work; 81% - shopping; 80% - at home; 65% -commuting to work.
But what are users doing on their smartphones? Mostly, and unsurprisingly, it's quick-hit stuff: looking up maps and directions, social media, and getting news updates. Fifty-five percent say they seeking local listings (e.g. movies and restaurants), which appears to remain the low-hanging fruit of marketing opportunity to these users.
Word-of-mouth marketing has much more potential. Seventy-four percent of users say they use social networking apps to share photos, news, videos and recommendations. Overall, most prefer emailing or texting to calling. And there's plenty of what the study calls "media meshing," or simultaneous use of mobile with other media, and a push-pull effect that drives users to mobile, the web, other media, and back again.
Thanks to the exponential growth expected to take place among smartphone users in 2012, smartphone marketing is a very viable option for businesses to take when looking to reach a wider market, as has already begun to take place. Mobile apps are an effective marketing tool, but are not the only option a business is limited to. Companies can also start their own mobile website and use QR codes in advertising campaigns to link smartphone users back to their website or to special web offers. Smartphone marketing is all about generating interest among customers, and with a little creativity, it is simple to create a marketing tool smartphone users will be excited about.
Smartphones and tablets are what so often serve as enablers when it comes to QR codes. So the more smartphones there are populating the world, the more people there are within reach of mobile marketing content. With this changing and rapidly evolving aspect of marketing, there’s plenty to learn and plenty to consider. There’s also plenty to revolutionize, which is something we see on a continual basis with QR codes. Great ideas are coming to life and then seeing themselves replicated by following their success. All of this can be due to adjusting attitudes toward mobile marketing.
The Smartphone is very different to other media because rather than being a casual observer, flicking through a magazine, opening a mail piece, half hearing a radio advert or glancing at a sales brochure, the Smartphone user actually craves the content their Smartphone delivers. So when the advertiser’s message is blended with this content, it goes straight into the consciousness, deeper and more persuasively than ever before.
For many their Smartphone has become their drug of choice. They cannot go more than a few minutes without a fix. And the shards of information delivered are tiny moments of satisfaction embedded in the brain, creating interest, desire, perceived need.
Brands that master mobile marketing don’t think of it as yet another channel; they recognize that it’s part of an integrated, multi-channel brand experience. Those that get this right have the potential to build strong, enduring relationships with their customers through rich, personalized brand experiences. Brands that miss the mark will put revenue, loyalty and hard-earned brand equity at risk.
1. Augmented Reality
Look in the mirror and what do you see? Today’s weather? Your day’s appointments? Then you must have the latest mirror from Cybertecture, a Hong Kong firm that’s making tomorrow’s smart homes a reality today. We may not all have money to burn on a high-tech mirror, but brands are certainly looking at ways to capitalize on this technology and make it the norm. Brands such as Starbucks are already seeing strong revenue from their mobile AR program.
2. The New Biotech
When I say biotech, I mean data comes from everywhere, including from within. Companies like FitBit and Nike are finding new ways to record and utilize that data. For now, they seem to be focused on helping athletes (and wannabes) build better workouts, but it’s only a matter of time before brands begin to look more closely at how such data might be used to develop new customer relationships. As these technologies gain traction and developers look at new ways to leverage information, one day soon we could see insurance companies providing discounts to individuals who share their device data.
3. Consumer-Controlled Media
One of the most interesting trends we’ve seen is the fragmentation of ownership. Technology has empowered the masses, and they’re leveraging that power in new ways. If brands want to remain relevant to their audiences, they’re going to have to engage in these contexts and in a media landscape where the traditional publishing model no longer exists. In this not-too-distant future we will watch all of our programming online in whatever form that takes.
4. Multi-Platform Marketing
Search marketing produces high click through. Rich media delivers deeper engagement. Social marketing offers communication. When it comes to online marketing there are a plethora of options for reaching consumers, engaging them and creating conversions. But, using only one marketing platform could keep campaign ROI lower than using multiple platforms and pairing different types of advertising.
5. Innovation Without Borders
Brands and products are no longer geographically confined in the way they once were, and neither are marketing campaigns. Big brands are increasingly tapping into local talent and culture, testing new approaches in one market, and re-purposing them elsewhere.
Coca-Cola took the best of gamification, Shazam, and the second-screen experience and ran with it in China. Tesco is testing out interactive mobile shopping experiences in Seoul that the U.S. is not quite ready for, technologically or socially. It is clear that in the near future, brands will pitch locally but think globally.
Well, there can’t be a success mantra for the businesses but you can always try to be efficient in your efforts. Marketing is one of the most vital functions which can help in the making of businesses. But it is essential to use the right marketing mix to meet the marketing objectives. With the rampant increase in the number of mobile subscribers, mobile is emerging as one the most important modes of marketing.
Here are ten ways to utilize the full brand-building potential of smart mobile:
1.) Provide insider information
2.) Build a brand community
3.) Make the transaction seamless
4.) Establish vital customer relationships
5.) Deliver customer service
6.) Maintain the consistency
7.) Be Creative
8.) Follow Up for the feedback
9.) Keep it Concise
10.) Target the right audience
