In recent years, detecting a move from a laptop or desktop to a mobile has been simpler. Businesses have benefited greatly from the rapid increase in mobile phone usage. In this article, you will know the forms and strategic drivers of mobile marketing. Business organizations may now reach a larger audience with little money because of mobile and digital marketing growth.
To assist commercial organizations, mobile marketing focuses on location-based marketing. Many new options for commercial organizations have been made possible by mobile marketing. Mobile marketing is the practice of promoting goods and services through mobile technology. To do this, you can communicate with your clients by sending them short text messages, giving them access to the mobile website, or letting them know about a new marketing initiative.
According to Kaplan, “Mobile marketing is any marketing activity conducted through a ubiquitous network to which consumers are constantly connected using a personal mobile device.”
Major 6 Forms of Mobile Marketing
Following are the forms of mobile marketing that online companies are frequently using:
1. SMS/MMS/VMS
This type of mobile marketing is the most common and cost-effective way of communicating with customers. For example, a restaurant chain can send SMS and MMS to its customers, offering them discounts. Customers can avail of these discounts when they show the particular send a message on arrival at the restaurant.
2. Mobile Applications
Some mobile phones have mobile applications to interact directly with customers, c.g., Apple App Store on iPhones. These applications can be mostly installed free of cost by the users, while some are paid.
3. Mobile Games
Other than developing mobile apps, companies also design mobile games that are easily accessible by users. The users can directly download these games. It also contains various pop-up messages inviting users to visit the company’s website.
4. Mobile Banner Advertising
Banner ads are also designed for mobile phones. The users can view these mobile banner ads on the company’s mobile app, which is mainly used to promote their products and services. These banner ads are priced like computer advertising, ie.. on a Cost per Click (CPC) or Cost per Impression (CPM) basis.
5. Mobile Local Search
Customers use mobile search engines to locate their nearest store or outlet to make purchases. These search engines use GPS locators to find the current location and show relevant search results. GPS locators are mainly embedded within all smartphones and iPhones.
6. Mobile Paid Search
The paid search on mobile phones is similar to computer search. The only difference is that the number of results shown on a mobile screen is limited to 4, while 10 searches can be displayed on computer screens. However, this method is only suitable when the company has a mobile-compatible site.
Top 9 Strategic Drivers of Mobile Marketing
The strategic drivers of mobile marketing are:
1. Context
The user’s situation from which the contact is made-time, place, device (desktop or mobile):
i) Localization
The physical location from which the user is making contact.
ii) Personalization
The relevant content is a coupon for the store in the mall that the user is passing at the moment.
2. Growth of Social Networks
Social communication networks are available on mobile devices and make communicating, sharing, and shopping easy.
3. Time Sensitivity
When contact is made, the coupon should be offered when the user is near the store, not before or after.
4. High Value
The value of the content to the user-the coupon must be of sufficient importance to cause the user to consider entering the store and redeeming it.
5. Voice Activation
The user should be able to activate the device without using the keyboard in applications like onboard automobile systems.
6. One-click Payment
These payment types are onerous in desktop applications, much less small mobile keyboards and screens. Payment mechanisms should be specified in advance and stored for later use.
7. Security
Security must be strong and apparent to the user to create trustworthy systems
8. Privacy
The privacy opportunities for capturing data (GPS data, for example) are even greater with mobile systems, and user privacy protection becomes even more important.
9. Expanded Permission Marketing
More is needed to ask if the marketer may capture and use data. It becomes imperative to ask how the user wants to be contacted, how often, and why.