Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing and advertising are on the rise. That’s the good news. Another good news is that mobile marketing seems to generate very good results, for instance in mobile internet — people click times, if not tens of times, more on ads. SMS campaigns also demonstrate good promise. Twitter, which is a heaven for small devices, shows astonishing press coverage, usage uptake, and… older audience interest. All is well. Or is it? On the negative side we see that mobile phone is often abused with SMS and Twitter spam. Precious space on the cell phone screen starts to get clogged with irrelevant ads. In other words, all the negatives of marketing start to appear on your little thingy. What can be done about that? Well, for one we can start talking about that. That’s precisely the point of this white paper. MMA or Mobile Marketing Association, along with major US carriers, have long established the rules of conduct. In many instances these rules are way too strict so that you don’t want to start any service because it takes circles of hell to have it approved. Thus we have to be flexible and restrictive… A paradox? No. If you are a business, you mostly care about your bottom line. And the bottom line is directly affected by how you do your marketing. It also depends on your time perspective — if you plan to exit your business soon, you will abuse. If you plan to stay — you invest in your reputation. Since mobile technology is an industry which will be especially good in the (nearest) future — you are bound to invest in your reputation. And thus you need to think more about rules and principles rather than quick bucks. So… what can be done to make mobile marketing work? Where is an optimal balance between quick and dirty? Eyeline Communications Inc. has been on the forefront of mobile revolution. We closely worked with the largest mobile carrier in the former Soviet Union and the seventh largest operator in the world. From there, we found new ventures all around the world — in China, in Singapore, in Indonesia, in Europe… And we have been learning by trying new things all the time. This bag of knowledge is summarized in this paper. So if you are just starting or have been in this sphere for a while, read and comment on what we think is your best weapon in the dangerous and unknown world of mobile marketing — 5 mm — 5 mobile marketing principles. If you are a marketing agency, advertising bureau, business of any size, a big brand, service provider, mobile carrier, or you are this way or another related to marketing and mobile technology, then this white paper is for you. If you have questions, or would like to learn more, visit Eyeline at http://webtreemarketing.com. Principle #1: No Spam 1) Do not spam. Never send massive amount of unsolicited messages. 2) Use subscription instead. Always try to make people opt-in for further communication. Really think about it. Because you can send a message they are waiting for! But don’t send “something”. You are selling, not “communicating”. Send relevant information, brief and concise. 3) Employ useful services for spam. What, you said “spam”? Sorry, it was meant a massive amount of messages with information which is relevant only to a small number of people. How can that be done without creating a havoc? If you give something valuable, people will be OK that you give them something “may be” valuable in addition. Example? Give them their mobile balance — make them call for it — and append a small text message to it. That’s it. It works! Principle #2: Engagement 1) Marketing channel = service. If you want to engage, you have to think of a service. You want to make communication with your audience useful for them. Think of it this way: useful = service. Only then, as simple as it is, they will come back, i.e. you will engage them. Therefore, when you think of using mobile, think of “What useful service can I provide for my most likely target audience”. 2) Think about how you can make the person come back to your marketing channel (service). This is self-explanatory. Some tips are: – Promise something valuable later and deliver it. Please do the second, it’s tempting to renege. – Entertainment. If you are an entertaining communicator, people will come back to be entertained. – Think of a user generated content/peer-to-peer exchange. Think Twitter or Facebook. Principle #3: Context 1) Determine your context. Spend time figuring out the context related to the promoted good, as well as how people use their mobiles in relation to the good. 2) Create contextual services. This is your short-cut to success in mobile marketing. That’s it. You know the secret now. Try to understand and comprehend. Or just follow this as an advice. Do not “just” advertise or, worse yet, push. Make a service which creates a context for your message. Examples? Here is some. ArrivedOK, our service of air passenger arrival notification based on cell phone status. How can this context be used? Clearly: for airlines, hotels, taxes. Thus if you are an airline and you want to have a mobile marketing campaign, ArrivedOK is a way to go, instead of some general “mobile Internet advertising”. Principle #4: Simplicity 1) Do one thing. One thing at a time. Try to start with something small, adding more later. 2) Give the phone to your grandma / mom. The ultimate test. Can they do it? 3) Simple technology. Simplicity also goes for technology. Prefer simpler technologies for mass marketing, like SMS, Call2Service, USSD. Principle #5: Choice of Interface 1) Make all possible mobile interfaces to the service. Even if it is a strictly SMS or mobi (Mobile Internet) service, create other possible interfaces such as USSD. And watch which one is chosen. Of course, making it easier to choose between interfaces. Example. Use Call2Service and USSD. But on each step make it possible to communicate through SMS. In each SMS include a link to the web site. 2) Start with the simplest. Upgrade gradually. When you have a choice, start with a simplest interface. And upgrade users who are ready for more. 3) Use pluses of every interface. All interfaces are different in terms of costs and functionality. For example, USSD can get the user’s phone number. Internet (WAP) can get the phone model. Java/App can record something on the phone. USSD is free in roaming. SMS is cheaper than Internet in roaming.