Remember when websites began to take off and companies started to use collateral to point users their sites? Now it is standard for websites to be included on printed products. Well, a new advertising trend, mobile marketing, is quickly ramping up, and we believe we will soon be helping companies and organizations build their mobile marketing campaigns through the power of promotional products.
Mobile marketing is widely regarded as the next big advertising boom. Mobile marketing is expected to grow 80% this year alone and go over $7.5 billion by 2013 (sources Mobile Marketing & MiLine). With texting becoming a standard means of communicating, finding ways to connect with customers through this channel will be lucrative.
What is mobile marketing?
The Mobile Marketing Association recently defined mobile marketing as the set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner though any mobile device or network.
It is similar to an e-mail blast campaign but there are a couple of significant differences such as:
- Mobile marketing is spam free; the subscriber must opt-in and can easily opt-out.
- It is received fast and right to the receiver's cell-phone when the advertiser wants them to receive it; not waiting in a mailbox.
Mobile marketing is growing in popularity for a number of reasons. Here are a couple of reasons why:
- Text messaging is exploding in popularity; it is estimated that 3.5 billion are sent daily. The quickest growing segment of texts are those over 30 years old.
- It has been shown that 97% of mobile marketing messages are opened and 83% are opened in the first hour (source NYT).
- Mobile marketing is relatively inexpensive and effective. When compared to direct mail, the response rates can be 10 times higher and at 2/3 of the cost, even when including an inexpensive promotional product (source MILine).
- Companies can use existing marketing materials to build their mobile marketing sign-ups (print, web, billboards, promotional products, ect.).
- Unlike websites (Facebook, Twitter), mobile marketing comes directly to the subscriber (such as their cell phone). For websites, such as Facebook, the user needs to go to the site to access the information.
So who can take advantage of this form of marketing?
Any company, school, or association, can find a way to use mobile marketing to their advantage. Early adopters include restaurants, schools, retail, and radio stations. Here are some examples of how mobile marketing can be used:
- Restaurants - Sending a special on a nice summer evening to use on their outdoor patio.
- Banks - Provide latest interest rates and ability to lock-in.
- Non-Profits- Sign-ups for an upcoming fund-raising event.
The text messages can be as simple or complex as the advertiser wants. The message can include text, links to websites and more.
How do promotional products fit into mobile marketing?
Promotional products can help increase the effectiveness of a mobile marketing campaign because the promotional product can be imprinted with the instructions (which includes a keyword and number to send the text to) to opt-in. For example, a mouse pad can be printed with our logo and at the bottom of the artwork have "Text MAGELLAN to 55555 to sign up for our weekly specials". So promotional products contribute to the effectiveness in building a mobile marketing campaign in two ways:
- Provides the instructions for the user to subscribe to the text messages.
- Provides a useful, tangible and appreciated item with the advertisers name and logo for the user to use at their home/office.
If the user does not sign up right away for the advertiser's text messages, the promotional product has the staying power to provide the instructions at a future date. In addition, if the user knows of someone else who can benefit from the text messages, the promotional product can be an easy reference for the keyword and phone number.
Like all orms of marketing, mobile marketing will transform as it grows in popularity. But, we can bet advertising directly to mobile devices is here to stay. So let us help your company and organization increase the effectiveness of your mobile marketing campaign through the power of promotional products.
