Mobile marketing is a hot topic in 2012 and it is likely to stay a hot topic for several years to come. If you own a smartphone you have likely experienced mobile marketing to some degree, whether it meant scanning a QR code that linked to more information, downloading an app branded by a specific company or you may have simply accessed a company’s website via the mobile browser on your smartphone. Many published examples of mobile marketing focus on the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, such as custom-made apps or augmented reality portals created for large retailers. So as a company in the graphic arts industry who operates in a business-to-business (B2B) environment, you might be asking, “Is mobile marketing right for me?”
The answer is a resounding YES… and here’s why.
Global smartphone use is on the rise and accessibility is at an all time high. According to mobiThinking, an organization devoted to mobile marketing education, there are approximately 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide (as of February 2012) and mobile-broadband subscriptions have increased 45 percent annually over the last four years. Also according to mobiThinking, many of the world’s mobile web users are mobile-only users meaning that they do not, or very rarely, use any device other than their smartphone to access the web. An astounding 25 percent of the US mobile web user population is made up of mobile-only web users. Lastly, the amount spent on mobile advertising in 2011 was approximately $3.3 billion worldwide and this number is expected to increase to an astonishing $20.6 billion by 2015.
There is huge B2B marketing opportunity for businesses willing to take a risk and venture into unknown mobile marketing territory. Mobile marketing can be extremely targeted to increase relevance to a prospect or customer, provide a compelling call-to-action and improve overall brand loyalty. Mobile devices allow us to build and strengthen relationships using a 1:1 marketing experience. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of mobile phone users have their phone within arms reach 24 hours a day. The mobile platform is an incredibly powerful medium for which marketers have the opportunity to literally be in the hands (and heads) of consumers at all times.
So the equation is simple: billions of smartphones society’s need for instant information = a mobile marketer’s dream!
The inbound marketing specialists at HubSpot have advice for ways B2B marketers can optimize mobile browsing. They suggest creating a mobile-friendly site that is easy to read on smartphones, and adding social sharing buttons to your content making it convenient for your followers to spread the word about you. Making forms easier to fill out on a mobile device by avoiding excess clicking, scrolling or squinting is a must, as well as leveraging mobile device capabilities by providing a click-to-call function on your mobile browser.
In a study of consumers’ mobile web and application expectations conducted by Equation Research, it was determined that “users are demanding superior web experiences and highly satisfying, convenient, on-the-go mobile site speeds regardless of their mode of access”. They found that 59 percent of users have an expectation that a mobile website should load in three seconds or less and 74 percent will wait only five seconds before leaving the mobile site. Additionally, 46 percent of consumers are unlikely to return to a mobile website that didn’t work the first time. Therefore, in a demanding world where users have high expectations regarding the speed and quality of information they receive, with little room for second chances, it is extremely important to have a mobile site that meets these high expectations.
Adopting the Mobile Mentality President & CEO of interlinkONE and author of Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry, John Foley Jr. helps us understand why printing companies should adopt mobile marketing strategies.
“I am quite passionate about mobile marketing, and especially the growth opportunities that exist for printers there,” explains Foley. “I think that mobile marketing can help [printers] in their own promotional efforts, and just as importantly, that they can help their clients improve their marketing efforts… I think that printers can offer tremendous value to their clients by offering them Mobile Website Building as a service. They can do this for corporate websites, landing pages, registration forms, surveys, event pages, and more! All online content really needs to be ready for the mobile audience. I call this mobile optimized… Mobile Optimized means based on your goals what information should be on a mobile page where the attention span is even less and needs to be focused… There are software applications out there that allow printers to White Label a mobile marketing solution, which enables them to become the Mobile Service Provider to their clients.”
The Importance of Measuring Mobile Marketing Success It is important to recognize that nothing can be looked at in a vacuum, especially in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business world. Mobile marketing cannot stand on its own — it works best when integrated into a larger multi-channel marketing program. It is critical to track a program’s success like any other form of advertising. Measuring traffic, leads and new business will help you to understand your customer better, as well as how to more effectively market to them in the future. Software solutions, such as iFlyMobi (www.iflymobi.com), provide a proprietary reporting solution and also allow integration with Google Analytics.
Mobile marketing can seem unfamiliar and difficult to wrap your head around, and therefore intimidating. It is important to get started by using the “launch it, test it, refine it” method – jump right into the mobile marketing arena and navigate your way through using a mix of trial and error and analytical decision making, understanding that your mobile marketing campaign does not have to be “perfect” in order to launch. There are many organizations, both locally and abroad that specialize in integrating mobile marketing into your current marketing efforts. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn as much as you can to keep up with the pace of technological change. No matter what type of mobile marketing avenue your business chooses to take, remember that it must add value for the prospects and customers who interact with your mobile brand.
Mobile Marketing Glossary
Here is a glossary of important mobile marketing terms.
Mobile Site – A version of a website that is shrunk to accommodate reading on mobile phones. Mobile sites can reduce clutter that exists on a normal-sized web page and highlight key areas for mobile users.
Microsite – Similar to a mobile site, however the microsite does not have to reflect the main site’s content or interface. A microsite can exist as a stand-alone contest page or mobile business card, for example.
Application (App) – A piece of software that can run on a smartphone, tablet or computer. When designing and implementing an app for a mobile phone, one must be aware of the fact that a tailored app must be created for each separate device.
Short Message Service (SMS) – SMS marketing simply refers to marketing via text message. SMS marketing campaigns can be a one-off occurrence or an ongoing communication channel once users opt-in to receive continuous company news, updates and offers.
Quick Response (QR) Code – QR codes are two-dimensional matrix barcodes that can store more content than traditional barcodes and act as a hyperlink when scanned by smartphones with an appropriate QR code reading app. QR codes can hyperlink to various forms of content such as a website URL, an SMS message, or even prompt a phone call to a given number encoded within the QR code.
Augmented Reality (AR) – AR is the layering of audio, graphics and/or animation over live video as viewed through a smartphone, webcam or head-mounted device. This ultimately creates a view of the world that is modified through computer-generated inputs.