As the marketplace become more and more crowded, with competing messages, businesses are struggling to capture the mindshare of their potential customers. Attention given to any particular advertisement is measured in seconds, not enough time to create an engaging experience for the consumer. Billboards ads are barely look at, TV channels are switched as soon as the commercial break starts and mail shots are promptly disposed off in the nearest recycling bin.

Mobile marketing, the newest medium has the ability to engage the customer interactively in a meaningful way, thus providing a very personal experience and in the process building brand loyalty and product recognition.

What is mobile marketing?

The mobile channel is another medium which can be utilised by businesses to get their message to customers and potential customers. Messages are delivered directly to the customers on their mobile device (mobile phones, PDAs, iPod etc.), using a variety of different methods including websites, SMS and Bluetooth.

As in any other medium, format of promotion can range from simple (text messages) to complex (interactive video) and everything in between. The format you choose to deliver your message would depend on the cost of producing and delivering that message (interactive video would cost more to produce and deliver). In addition the format would also depend on the devices the message will be sent to. For example, not all devices can accept and display video messages.

Why use mobile marketing?

Mobile marketing, while still in its infancy, is growing rapidly in the UK. Mobile marketing and promotion is cost effective and can be more targeted than most other marketing mediums, and because marketing campaigns via mobile channels can be interactive, they can be less intrusive. It is precisely because of the targeted nature of the medium, global brands have been actively utilising mobile channels to market and promote their products. HSBC, BMW, Coco-Cola are just some of the companies who are subtly, but aggressively, promoting their brands via the mobile channels.

The presence of internationally recognised brand names may overwhelm marketing managers of smaller companies. However, it is exactly because of that reason, small and medium size businesses should take a serious look at this rapidly growing medium. To begin with, mobile marketing is not only cost effective; it can be cheaper than most other forms of marketing. Combined this with the ability to target the message and you are sure to reach the right customer at the right time. Add to this:

Timing
Ability to deliver the message at the time you want to.

Proximity
Ability to deliver the message only when the potential customer is within the proximity of your sales channels.

Interactivity
Ability to engage the customer in a dialogue with quizzes, promotions, surveys.

Reach
UK mobile phone penetration is at 107% and over two billion mobile subscribers globally.

This feature mix makes the mobile channel a highly effective method of engaging with your customer base.

How to use mobile marketing?

Mobile messages can be delivered in a variety of ways using multiple formats. Method and format you work with should be driven by the budget and the desired outcome of a particular campaign. Mobile channel is a fairly flexible medium, which should allow you to design a mobile marketing programme to fit your budget and need. Some of the ways you can use the mobile medium to get the message to your customers are:

• Website for mobile devices
• Text Messaging (SMS – Short Message Service)
• Multimedia Messaging (MMS – Multimedia Messaging Service)
• Bluetooth Marketing
• Podcasting
• Vodcasting

Some of these options can be applied quite quickly and the results measured easily. For example, starting a text message based marketing campaign is a fairly straight forward process. In contrast, designing and launching an interactive, multimedia promotion requires specialised skills and production team.

For more details on how to use the above mobile marketing methods, please take a look at our
“how to use mobile marketing” article. To request assistance with mobile marketing programme for your company, please go to www.nb2bc.co.uk/request_help.

Rayhan Abdulmughnee, E-Business Architect - B2B Centre, 7 June 2007

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