More and more Calgary businesses, services and organization are coming to realize how important the mobile phone can be when serving as an additional strategy to complement their marketing campaigns. Like the internet, the medium is always on, easily accessible, highly interactive but phone based communication has the benefit of being much more personal. The mobile phone is coming to its own as a medium that could change the face of marketing.
Marketing via mobile phone, commonly called mobile marketing, is a hybrid of advertising, promotions and direct marketing through tools and tactics like mobile websites, mobile banner ads, SMS (text message) marketing and more. Essentially, mobile marketing is a reflection of what today’s mobile phone is: a convergence of telephone, e-mail and the Internet.
If your business is looking to not only stay ahead in marketing trends but also expand and maintain the reach of your messages, a mobile marketing strategy might be for you. Consider tying these aspects of mobile marketing into your overall marketing strategy:
Build a mobile website
A website is an intrinsically important component in marketing and communications. The mobile website has the same importance to mobile marketing. Many mobile web browsers do an acceptable job of displaying existing web content; however, this isn’t the case for all browsers. Furthermore, what works on a large computer display screen isn’t always ideal for the handheld screen. Issues with this can be compounded with touch screens like those found on Apple’s iPhone. Finger-based navigation presents unique challenges for mobile internet users. For these reasons, before examining whether or not to pursue a mobile marketing strategy, get on board with making your website mobile-friendly first.
Mobile sites are more or less “light” versions of your existing site. They convey the same look and the same message, but in an abridged version. This light version is created through making a mirror site to your existing site or implementing code into your current site that tells mobile browsers how to read the mobile site. Creating a mirror site will give your site a mobile specific URL—if your business goes this route, be sure to link to the mobile site from your traditional website and promote it across other media, too. Promote all your Web sites and keep contact and brand information top of mind through direct mail or other promotional items.
Explore SMS marketing
Perhaps the most booming mobile marketing approach SMS, or text message marketing, is a personal way to engage with audiences and is often the most logical choice to pair with other non-mobile marketing efforts.
Text message marketing usually works like this: Companies create what is called a short code, which is abbreviated text that audiences type into a message and send to a number specified by a business’s text messaging service. Once users opt in, permission is granted to the business to store the phone number in order to send future promotions like sales or discount codes and other communications like news and product launches. For example, a wine store might add the tagline “Text DISCOUNT to 111552 to receive a 10% discount off your next book order” to existing marketing materials or advertisements.
Since opt in is key to text marketing, be sure to promote your businesses short code as much as possible. Display it prominently on your website and mobile website and include it in all other marketing materials like flyers, posters, brochures and ads. Some retailers even include it with every purchase by imprinting it on receipts or shopping bags.
Don’t Miss an Opportunity
Web Candy are experts in online advertizing and marketing and we can help your company make the most of the new methods of reaching out to and interacting with the consumers of today. Contact us today to learn more about our online marketing offerings and how we can increase your company or organization’s return on investment.
