What is Mobile Marketing?
One of the key ingredients for business success is innovation. Whether you’re managing a multinational firm or a small-medium enterprise, it’s important that you always make way for innovations. And technology can provide you will all the opportunities to innovate.
If you’ve been reading and hearing so much about marketing through mobile these past few years, know that you’re not alone. With internet technology on a fast steady rise, it’s no wonder that businesses are finding new ways to reach out and connect with their target market. Simply put, mobile marketing refers to all marketing efforts that are done on or with a mobile device. It covers all types of content that is specifically designed to be consumed through a Smartphone, eBook reader and/or tablet. Want to know more on the importance of this new form of marketing and how you can integrate it into your marketing plan? Then here’s a short guide to help you out.
Set a Goal
For small and large businesses alike, the most important thing that you need to do is set a goal. We hear a lot about using apps to deliver mobile content, but without a solid goal, it’s easy to get lost in all the noise in today’s online marketing industry. If you’re just getting into mobile marketing this late in the game, there’s already so much competition that you’ll need to deal with. There’s the pressure of having to create waves against companies who already have a clear vision for their marketing efforts.
Make sure that you start with the basics so the first thing that you need to do is to know you target market’s profile and study how the general demographic consumes mobile content. What are they interested in? What kind of device to they use to access information online? What kind of content drives them? By knowing your consumers better, you’ll be able to set a viable goal for your marketing efforts, and have a better chance of coming out on top.
Know the Cost
Mobile marketing development may seem expensive from an outsider’s point of view, but the truth is, it can be executed even on a budget. There are a lot of great mobile tools that you can avail of for a small price so it’s just a matter of picking out the right ones. You should also consider checking with off the shelf app developers to see what new developments you can utilize in your business.
Know your own requirements first before setting a budget for your mobile efforts. If you’re trying to decide between app development and SMS for example, it’s important that you understand the pros and cons of both. Do a price comparison between the 2 options if you can’t take on both options for the meantime. Always ask yourself the question, “which one has the potential to deliver the best results without draining your marketing fund?”
Learn to Manage your Expectations
One of the most common mistakes that most companies make when taking on new marketing efforts is thinking that it would be able to solve all problems. Going mobile will need time before you can really see any results. It needs to be fully integrated into your marketing strategy in order to be successful. Just like any process, it needs to be full studied and carefully utilized for it to create progress. It’s really about developing engagement and expanding reach and we all know that these are things that simply cannot be done overnight.
Make sure that you set a plan with a timeline so that you can plot out what you can expect during the initial stage of integration. This way, it becomes much easier to manage your expectations and just let the process unfold on its own.
Create Unique Offers
Set yourself apart from the rest by creating unique offers that are specifically targeted towards your target market. Don’t get into the trap of giving your consumers what your direct competitors are already offering, because you’ll only be contributing to the noise. If you’re going to market repeat offers, the least that you can do is repackage it and make it seem like it’s totally something new.
Always make it your priority to offer value. Your offers should always answer the question, “What’s in it for them? (target consumer)”. Without value, you can’t expect to draw your consumers in.
Follow Regulations
Last but not the least, you need to make sure that all your marketing efforts follow the proper regulations that your business is subjected under. Even though going mobile has all the potential to become an avenue for creative strategies, there’s still ethics that need to be followed. Study the regulations that the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) releases so that you’re aware of what you can and can’t do. It’s important that you know the guidelines for best practices so that you don’t fall into the trap of violating any of them. This ensures that everyone is on the same level plane and no one resorts to unscrupulous practices.
If you’re interested to know more on how marketing through mobile devices can help improve your business lead generation, you should look for a reputable marketing agency that could help you out. Of course you can leave it to your marketing department, but there are technicalities that would be best left to the pros. By allowing the professionals to work, you’ll be able to fully understand the different factors that can make or break your marketing efforts. A marketing agency will be able to help educate all those involved in your company on how to develop and maintain a mobile strategy.
Mobile marketing is all about commitment and consistency. If you’re not diving in full on, you can’t expect to get optimal results. It’s important that you continuously work on refining your marketing strategy once you start marketing through mobile. Learning what works and what doesn’t through rounds of trial and error shouldn’t discourage you. Instead, let this be the fuel to drive you to greater heights.