Mobile phone marketing, otherwise known as digital marketing, is the present evolution of direct advertising. Direct advertising has always been favored by companies as a personalized and focused method of reaching new consumers and, with the advent of mobiles, SMS marketing has risen in support. SMS marketing is perhaps best defined as the practice of advertising products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personalized and economic way.
The most popular example of mobile marketing is SMS marketing, which has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia. It is thought that several hundred million promotional messages are sent through SMS every month in Europe alone. SMS stands for 'short message service' and is a communication form specific to cell phones where a short message can be quickly sent to any mobile phone user. As well as sending material to customers, advertisers can often encourage customers to participate in promotional and brand exposure campaigns by encouraging customers to SMS a particular number at an event in order to enter a competition, to receive a gift or to have their text displayed on a multimedia wall at an event. All of these methods engages the customer through the medium of SMS and creates brand awareness.
There are a range of other types of mobile marketing. One variation is sending texts via MMS, which is a multimedia version of SMS, allowing customers to receive MMS with color, pictures and video. There is also mobile web marketing, where brands advertise marketing objectives through websites accessed by cell phones. Advertisers often make innovative use of SMS marketing such as location-based services where customers are offered specific marketing and other network-related information and promotional information based on their whereabouts. With the multitude of methods and choices available to promoters, it is no wonder that a recent marketing survey found that 89% of major brands planned to advertise their products through mobile marketing by the end of 2008.
Mobile marketing is an example of what is known within the industry as "push" marketing. The idea behind push marketing is that that the business has to send (push) the information to the consumer in order for the material to be received. This is different to "pull" marketing, a passive form of promotion, where it is customers who seek out the content from sources such as websites or blogs.
There are lots of positives to SMS marketing. Primarily, the attraction is that this mode of promotion can be personalized to the customer. This is the ideal in marketing as it means getting the message specifically to the audience it's focused on, rather than squandering dollars on an broad campaign. The personalization allowed by this form of advertising, which results in a more economical campaign, is one reason why a high return on investment is possible with SMS marketing. Another advantage of SMS marketing is the detailed tracking and reporting of subscribers it allows. Through this form, marketers can track how many customers received their material and also access specific data about each subscriber such as their name, their age, their demographic and where they're located. This allows a company to raise profiles of their customers; data which then guides future marketing campaigns and, ideally, their success.
It is noted in the industry that push marketing, of which SMS marketing is a form, can help drive new cash flows and brand exposure if it is implemented correctly and appropriately. This is because it makes consumers aware of recent changes that they may not think to enquire about already and the way the information is written, and even the fact that the information is being delivered by a contemporary, young medium such as SMS, can say a great deal about a brand and a company.
There are, however, some negatives to SMS marketing. Inherently, it requires a mechanism - the mobile phone - in order to send information. The company, as well, has to make use of specific equipment and applications in order to deliver the message to consumers, which can involve sizeable outgoings. Another negative is the fact that SMS marketing is heavily regulated by the telecommunications industry in response to customer disquiet about what data and marketing they get shown. Most Western nations have laws in place that compel businesses to receive the approval of consumers before promotional information is received by them and must clearly give them with an 'opt out' option if they want to stop receiving content. If businesses are found to be in violation of these laws, network providers can block marketing material by businesses.
As mobile technology improves, SMS marketing will certainly continue to rise in relevance.
The most popular example of mobile marketing is SMS marketing, which has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia. It is thought that several hundred million promotional messages are sent through SMS every month in Europe alone. SMS stands for 'short message service' and is a communication form specific to cell phones where a short message can be quickly sent to any mobile phone user. As well as sending material to customers, advertisers can often encourage customers to participate in promotional and brand exposure campaigns by encouraging customers to SMS a particular number at an event in order to enter a competition, to receive a gift or to have their text displayed on a multimedia wall at an event. All of these methods engages the customer through the medium of SMS and creates brand awareness.
There are a range of other types of mobile marketing. One variation is sending texts via MMS, which is a multimedia version of SMS, allowing customers to receive MMS with color, pictures and video. There is also mobile web marketing, where brands advertise marketing objectives through websites accessed by cell phones. Advertisers often make innovative use of SMS marketing such as location-based services where customers are offered specific marketing and other network-related information and promotional information based on their whereabouts. With the multitude of methods and choices available to promoters, it is no wonder that a recent marketing survey found that 89% of major brands planned to advertise their products through mobile marketing by the end of 2008.
Mobile marketing is an example of what is known within the industry as "push" marketing. The idea behind push marketing is that that the business has to send (push) the information to the consumer in order for the material to be received. This is different to "pull" marketing, a passive form of promotion, where it is customers who seek out the content from sources such as websites or blogs.
There are lots of positives to SMS marketing. Primarily, the attraction is that this mode of promotion can be personalized to the customer. This is the ideal in marketing as it means getting the message specifically to the audience it's focused on, rather than squandering dollars on an broad campaign. The personalization allowed by this form of advertising, which results in a more economical campaign, is one reason why a high return on investment is possible with SMS marketing. Another advantage of SMS marketing is the detailed tracking and reporting of subscribers it allows. Through this form, marketers can track how many customers received their material and also access specific data about each subscriber such as their name, their age, their demographic and where they're located. This allows a company to raise profiles of their customers; data which then guides future marketing campaigns and, ideally, their success.
It is noted in the industry that push marketing, of which SMS marketing is a form, can help drive new cash flows and brand exposure if it is implemented correctly and appropriately. This is because it makes consumers aware of recent changes that they may not think to enquire about already and the way the information is written, and even the fact that the information is being delivered by a contemporary, young medium such as SMS, can say a great deal about a brand and a company.
There are, however, some negatives to SMS marketing. Inherently, it requires a mechanism - the mobile phone - in order to send information. The company, as well, has to make use of specific equipment and applications in order to deliver the message to consumers, which can involve sizeable outgoings. Another negative is the fact that SMS marketing is heavily regulated by the telecommunications industry in response to customer disquiet about what data and marketing they get shown. Most Western nations have laws in place that compel businesses to receive the approval of consumers before promotional information is received by them and must clearly give them with an 'opt out' option if they want to stop receiving content. If businesses are found to be in violation of these laws, network providers can block marketing material by businesses.
As mobile technology improves, SMS marketing will certainly continue to rise in relevance.
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Author information visit: Bob Johnson has 20 years mobile marketing delivery. For mobile phone marketing get free information visit on sms marketing
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